Aashirvaad Atta - Major Element Of Your Meal

Aashirvaad Atta is made from the choicest grains - heavy on the palm, golden amber in colour and hard in bite. It is carefully ground using modern 'chakki - grinding' process for the perfect balance of colour, taste and nutrition which also ensures that Aashirvaad atta contains 0% Maida and is 100% Sampoorna Atta. The dough made from Aashirvaad Atta absorbs more water, hence rotis remain soft longer. The wheat for Aashirvaad Atta is sourced directly from farmers through ITC's e-choupals.

Aashirvaad Atta was launched on 27th May 2002 and within a short span of 7 years has become the number one in branded packaged atta across the country. Aashirvaad Atta is made from the choicest grains - heavy on the palm, golden amber in colour and hard in bite. It is carefully ground using modern 'chakki - grinding' process for the perfect balance of colour, taste and nutrition which also ensures that Aashirvaad atta contains 0% Maida and is 100% Sampoorna Atta. The dough made from Aashirvaad Atta absorbs more water, hence rotis remain soft longer. The wheat for Aashirvaad Atta is sourced directly from farmers through ITC's e-choupals.

You Can Enjoy this atta in preparing Indian fresh flat breads - the soft, round rotis, hot butter naans, ghee-rich parathas and crispy puris, etc.

SWOT Analysis of Aashirvaad Atta

Strengths

· ITC has been able to establish itself as the market leader in the packaged food market. Within 8 years after launching Aashirvaad Atta, it has become number one in branded packaged Atta sector across the country with a whopping market share of 55%.
· The focus of ITC has always been on the providing its customer with best possible quality and in the case of Aashirvaad Atta also, they have emphasized on the quality and freshness. To keep the taste of packaged Atta authentic with respect to Chakki Atta, ITC follows traditional methods to produce it. It obtains finest wheat grains directly from the farmers and then the grains are grounded using modern 'Chakki - grinding' process to produce genuine and authentic Atta. ITC also tries to ensure that Aashirvaad Atta contains 100% Atta and no Maida. In addition, the quality is maintained such that the dough made from Aashirvaad Atta absorbs more water making the Rotis softer.
· ITC has been able to successfully use its E-choupals initiative to obtain finest wheat grains for the production of Atta directly from farmers. This backward integration gives them two distinct advantages. The first being reduction in the cost of wheat by around 2 percent as no middlemen is involved in the process. The second advantage is of course quality since ITC does not have to rely upon the Mandi system where the wheat grain can be of inferior quality.
· ITC offers a wide range of Aashirvaad Atta products to cater to different consumer demands. Apart from the basic brands, there are two high-end brands with some special ingredients.
· ITC has its own packaging business and it utilizes its packaging business to come out with really superior and innovative packaging. The material used for packaging the Aashirvaad Atta is “PET Poly” which keeps the Atta fresh. Further, it also offers carton packaging and vacuum sealing for its premium packs.
· Although ITC already had excellent distribution network for its cigarette products, it needed to develop new and different distribution infrastructure for its Aashirvaad Atta product. However, in the last 8 years it had really developed its distribution network and with its strong E-Choupal network it can compete with its competitors on the distribution front.

Weaknesses

· Aashirvaad Atta can be considered as a premium priced product, as it is very costly when compared to unpackaged Atta sector.
· Currently, the focus of ITC is on urban market with respect to packaged Atta sector and with packaged Atta sector still being less than 3% of the total Atta market; ITC can focus on rural market also to capture more of the unpackaged Atta market.
· ITC has focused more on the retail shop based promotion strategy. However, to attract more and more customers, ITC needs to promote it more using TV and other media promotion strategies.
Opportunities

· Food Industry is India’s sleeping giant. With the rise of modern retail formats, increasing disposable incomes and health awareness, the category is undoubtedly evolving. With the branded Atta market in India being very attractive in terms of size and consumption patterns, growth has also picked up pace with the Government’s proactive approach with the formulation of national food policy, reservation of select segments.
· Apart from North India, which has always been very high in wheat consumption, ITC can concentrate in rice dominant regions such as Andhra Pradesh. Atta is used for mak¬ing puri, which is a popular breakfast item for South Indians.
· ITC can collaborate with fast food chains such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Subway. This has been an untapped market until now and tying up with these chains as their main flour supplier can open up a new window for ITC.

Threats

· Indian market is largely dominated by innumerable local flourmills and ‘Chakki Atta’, which are the biggest threat to Aashirvaad atta. Chakki Atta is still perceived as the best quality Atta and it is cheaper as compared to branded packaged Atta.
· Obvious threat is the domestic competition. Competitors such as Annapurna and Pillsbury are doing their best to increase their market share.
· Until now, the competition is mainly domestic. In future when Western companies will see India as an exciting opportunity for packaged atta, then the competition will get intense.