As India enters the season of sweltering heat, dairy products come as a saviour in various forms such as ice cream, curd, flavoured milk etc and this year is no different. While many FMCG brands have already propped up for the summer season with latest offerings in milk products, flavoured yoghurt is also a segment which is slowly picking up as brands turn their attention to them.

Driving this growth, however, are millennials with the openness to experimentation, increase in disposable income and greater consciousness towards health, Chandramouli N from Trust Research Advisory told Financial Express Online. Also, the segment is capturing market share and is expected to grow well in the coming 3-5 years considering “convenience, health and taste are all becoming equally important to the urban consumer,” he added.

Mishti Doi and Shrikhand, which are Indian versions of yoghurt, also remain key focus areas for FMCG brands such as Nestle. “Our Grekyo range, as well as recent launches such as Karela Raita and Banglar Mishti Doi,  are part of the value added proposition we offer to consumers,” Nestlé India Spokesperson told Financial Express Online. The value-added segment contains those products which are “savoury, traditional and contemporary offerings,” Nestle spokesperson said.

However, the segment did not receive good responses in the early years. “Flavoured yoghurt was slow to grow in the last 5 years. It did see a lot of interest from various companies, but consumer interest has remained subdued in packaged flavoured yoghurt,” Chandramouli said. The exit of Danone from the dairy market and flavoured yoghurt portfolio is a testimony to that. Danone, however, after quitting in 2018 came back in the yoghurt market by infusing Rs 182 crore in Epigamia, the standalone flavoured yoghurt maker in India.  

Major players in the curd and yoghurt market

National Cooperatives- Amul, Nandini, Mother Dairy, Aavin, Saras, Sudha.

Local Cooperatives- Aarey and Mahananda

Private players- Nestle, Epigamia, Cocoberry, Parag Milk, Britannia, Heritage, Prabhat Dairy and Nova