Nestlé is betting big on ready-to-eat products under its blockbuster Maggi brand. Can poha and upma replicate the magic of Maggi?
For over three months now, Bhawna Sharma Ningthoujam has been working double shifts, working her day job as well as all the house chores. And what has come handy for the Noida-based communication professional in balancing her home, work and 10-year-old daughter, Gema, is churning out a hassle-free breakfast, using a slew of ready-to-eat variants. “It’s quick, convenient and tasty,” says Ningthoujam, alluding to Maggi noodles, upma and poha, which she makes in the morning on alternate days. Her routine, though, has become stretched by a few minutes. “Earlier it was two-minute Maggi, now it’s four-minute poha and upma,” she smiles. “But I am not complaining,” she adds.
Nestlé, the maker of Maggi noodles, doesn’t have any reasons to complain either. The demand for noodles reportedly surged over 20 to 25 percent over the pre-lockdown period. In fact, nobody knows the nirvana of ‘instant food,’ and magic of branding ‘minutes’ better than Maggi, the ‘two-minute’ meal.
“Maggi,” reckons Nikhil Chand, director (foods and confectionery) at Nestlé India, “provides convenience to lives, and brings taste and goodness in minutes. Just add hot water, and in four minutes, a steaming bowl of upma or poha can be served.”
Yes, it’s not noodles. This time, it’s upma and poha—traditional Indian breakfast food—in ready-to-eat and cook formats.
After cementing its place in households across the country—aided amply by aggressive marketing and branding of Maggi noodles—Nestlé is now trying to go deeper into the kitchen. Though both the products (poha and upma) were rolled out last December in portable cups—targeting out-of-home consumption—the company has recently launched flexible packs. The target now is in-house consumption.
With work-from-home becoming the new normal, and likely to continue over the next few months, there has been a spike in home indulgence. Consumers, Chand says, are finding different platforms of engagement, whether it is convenience of getting brands that they would have otherwise not consumed or experimenting with new forms of cuisine and cooking. “In-home consumption and seeking essential products on the table has become an important behaviour,” he maintains. The response to upma and poha, he adds, has been positive.