Amul shifts focus to dark chocolates, gets ready to take on peers

Once a popular name in chocolates, Amul is taking a different route to regain market share as competition heats up in the Rs 85-billion category. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the owner of Amul, will focus on dark chocolates, known for bitter after-taste thanks to higher cocoa content, as opposed to regular chocolates.

Amul was the number three player until a few years ago on the back of a portfolio of largely regular chocolates. But, continued domination of Mondelez and Nestlé, who are the number one and two players in the category, and the entry of newer names such as Ferrero and Mars over the past few years has pushed Amul to the fringes of the category, sector experts say.

GCMMF plans to get its mojo back in the market, say experts, focusing its attention on the discerning chocolate consumer. The ball has been set rolling, explains R S Sodhi, managing director, GCMMF, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a second chocolate plant at Anand, Gujarat, on Sunday.