INDIA: Hochland enters India through a venture with local dairy group | Progresiv
Hochland, the German cheese maker, is to enter India through a venture with local dairy group Parag Milk Foods. The companies will launch cream cheese Go Almette, which Hochland will produce in Germany, in India, initially in Mumbai. 
Almette is one of Hochland's top-selling brands and the companies have decided to tweak the brand name for the launch, using the German group's Almette brand and Parag's Go brand. Two products are to go on sale - original and fine herbs.
"India is a country that has a long tradition in consumption of milk and dairy products. Yes, the cheese market is India is still quite small but on a long-term perspective we see India as a long-term future market for cheese," Johannes Rogg, division manager for new business development at Hochland, told just-food.
The cheese is being targeted at wealthier consumers who eat western-style breads. The product will be sold in modern retail outlets, including hypermarkets, supermarkets and smaller outlets. "In India you have a lot of small, neighbourhood supermarkets that does not belong to a chain. Parag has a well-developed distribution network, with partners all over India. At the moment, we are starting in Mumbai but then also go to Delhi, Pune and to Bangalore. This will be the first four top cities we are distributing the product," he said.
The companies will also be looking to distribute the cheese through Parag's home delivery service in Mumbai that sells products under the Indian's group Pride of Cows brand. "The customers of this home-delivered milk will get free samples of Almette," Rogg added. (www.just-food.com)
