KCL launches Murginns brand cereals and snacks

New Delhi, Jul 29: India's leading food packaging major KCL Ltd has diversified into the breakfast cereals and snack foods segment by launching its products under the brand name 'Murginns'.

The refreshing brand of breakfast cereals and snack foods have been launched in over 3,000 shops in the National Capital Region (NCR) and will be available across India shortly.

Using traditional retail and modern trade networks, KCL plans to hit 10,000 shops by August-end and 50,000 shops by December this year.

The products will be available in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Chandigarh by next month-end. By the middle of September, it will be entering Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh followed by other States and will have a Pan India presence by December 2007.

The company is already in the business of contract manufacturing of health food products for several multinationals in the country.

Presently, KCL sells Murginns breakfast cereals in three variants of chocolate and honey flavours -- Choko Poko, Honey Pops and Honey Rings. It also sells cream-filled crispy wafers under the CTIX brand name in three variants which would spread to six variants of favours in the next few months.

KCL food products are available with shelf life of 9 months and its R&D team is working on the prospects to increase the same to atleast 15 months. More such products would be introduced shortly.

''In the next four years, we are looking at a business volume of about Rs 200 crore -- Rs 100 crore each from both cereals and snacks food market -- with an aim to grab at least 20 per cent market share of this fast growing segment of about Rs 400 crore market which is growing at the rate of atleast 30 per cent every year,'' says Mr Sanjeev Khemka, Director of KCL Ltd.

Mr Khemka claimed ''our products are more than 10 per cent cheaper than other products in the same segment available in the market using our own distribution network.'' The Murginns breakfast cereals are equally good while taking with cold or hot milk unlike such other products available in the market which can only be consumed with cold milk, KCL Director said.

KCL has its in-house R&D centre and production facility at Poanta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh having installed capacity of 500 tonnes per month and the same can be enhanced without involving much investment, he added.

With aggressive marketing and quality products at affordable prices, KCL is hopeful to be at number two position by 2007-08 in this sector.

UNI