Apis India adds ‘saffron’ to its product portfolio

With winters arriving, there will be increase in use of saffron, commonly known as ‘kesar’ in India. This incredible spice saffron is a remedy against cold and cough and a popular ingredient in many traditional Indian cuisines. Apis India, one of India’s FMCG brands, has recently expanded its product portfolio with the addition of ‘Apis Saffron,’ which is 100% pure and naturally high in nutritional and medicinal value.

Apis Saffron is available in 1-gram box packaging, priced at Rs 310. The product is available at hyper stores and leading eCommerce platforms, including Flipkart and Amazon.

Speaking on the product expansion, Pankaj Mishra, chief executive officer, Apis India, said, “With a mission to expand the health portfolio, Apis India has added Apis Saffron after the launch of soya nuggets recently. Our aim is to innovate new products as per the changing taste of the consumers and palette. This will help us strengthen the portfolio range as we aim to deliver three folds revenue by 2023”.

“We launched Saffron, citing it’s a niche spice and has demand throughout the year peaking during winters. It has proven medicinal benefits, especially in Ayurveda, and has been put to use in traditional Indian cuisines”, adds Mishra.

The consumption of saffron in India is approximately 100 metric tonnes annually as per the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Himalayan bioresource technology. Amongst this, Southern India is one of the key markets for saffron with high penetration. Thus, the category is expected to see an acceptance well here. Going forward, we will start distribution in other states as well, along with the eCommerce push.

Saffron, apart from having a unique colour and flavor, is rich in vitamins like vitamin A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C – all crucial elements for optimum health. Saffron is high in antioxidants, has the power to reduce free radicals, and helps fight cancer. It also helps in weight loss, acts as an aphrodisiac, and enhances mood. Kesar even has the quality of reducing pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and makes the skin and hair beautiful.

Apis India, established in the year 1924, has been a strong force in the domestic honey market with a substantial share of exports to its name. With three generations of entrepreneurial and extensive hands-on knowledge of the trade, Apis India is one of the largest manufacturer and exporter of honey in India.

In the last two decades, the company primarily focused on the B2B segment with ties with domestic private labels along with exports and entered the B2C segment with its brand ‘Apis’ initially with honey and later diversified the brand into different product categories.

With distribution network spanning across the country, Apis has depots in Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Varanasi, and Kolkata and a 60,000 square feet warehouse in Roorkee. The company has a manufacturing facility spread over 7 acres in Roorkee, with a capacity to process over 100 tons of honey per day with in-house testing lab.

Leveraging its distribution strength and expansion through the acquisition of plants, the brand forayed recently into allied kitchen ingredients categories like honey, dates, pickles, fruit jams, ginger garlic paste, green tea, soya value ads, and confectionery items like imported lollipops, toffees and chocolates.

Apis India has crossed the top-line figure of Rs 118 crore in the financial year 2019-20.