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India has been recording a high CAGR of 12.15 percent in the confectionery market since the year 2010. Growth has been registered in the eastern India sector, appealing to the manufacturers present in this market. There is a highly fragmented customer segment in this region which causes demands to flicker from time to time. On the other hand, volatility of the raw materials affects the production pertaining to its budgetary concerns. Diversity of customer preferences and evolving tastes with concern over health standards are major challenges faced by manufacturers in this space.
Fragmentation in market results from crucial players diversifying their product range and marketing them under niche market segments. According to Sunil Murarka, the Managing Director of the company, “Muskaan Foods sells its products under Muskaan Biscuits and Snacks in 65 different varieties all over Odisha. Our product diversity ranges from sweet to savory items, helping us cater to the niche target markets with differential tastes and preferences.” To differentiate its products from its competitors, Muskaan Foods has ensured the providence of high quality with each of its packs and the best possible quantity, allowing them to offer the best price for its products.
Unique proposition
The company’s unique proposition is its ability to do the best packaging and marketing. Such operations have enabled it to reach all segments of the Odisha market, making the products unique. Muskaan Foods uses its brand entity, product uniqueness and marketing methods as a unique selling proposition. It attracts its target customers with highly effective packaging that also adds longevity to the products sold. The company's services are expanded over India, including Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha.
Murarka Group of Industries markets with its products under the brand name of Muskaan Foods. The company, established in 1995, is a recognized player in this market in Odisha with a broad product range. Experience earned over a more prolonged market presence and exposure has allowed the company to realize the diversity of demand in the Indian market, which is highly fragmented.
Muskaan Foods is a brand that focuses on product tastes besides product quality. Right from developing packaged spice products, they manufacture biscuits, snacks like chips, kurkure and rings that are bound to tickle people's taste buds. This aspect, coupled with good packaging, has made their products liked by most consumers in their target market.
The managing director of the company, Sunil, has tried to seek attention towards the fact that the products of Muskaan Foods come in packaging like boxes and sachets from the packaging of 50gms up to 300gms. Thus, it is understandable that these products cater to multiple types of demands among the end-consumers. He says, “Our innovation embedded R&D operations effectively produce a buzz in our target markets making us more acceptable to the consumers.” The company markets its products through dealerships which is a strong indicator of the changes in market demands.
Attractive value pack offers
Muskaan Foods recognizes the customary needs of the Indian homemakers, and this is clear from their strategic market segmentation and product placement. Snacks, biscuits, and spices are available in multiple packaging. The value packs are beneficial for regular customers who like to stock up a healthy range of snacks and biscuits on their kitchen shelves. It’s a saver pack specially designed to offer more quantity at a lower price. This is done by significantly modulating packaging by following their special packaging standards to reduce raw materials and processing costs in a large quantity pack. Manufacturing value packs also reduce the cost of transportation, adding to a reduction in the price of the end product for the end customers. These operations are backed by excellent strategic management, product placement, and R&D. The company efficiently manages its distribution system and the challenges that come through in line with its core principles. Along with innovation, agility and empathy have been the company that blends its goal of serving the national market with the revolutionized product outcomes.
Unique Entrepreneurial and Leadership Journey
The entrepreneurial journey of Murarka Group that began with Late Biswanathji Murarka has remained embedded with passion for the industry and compassion for the people of the country right from the start. There could have been many other ways through which the company could have defined its pathway to develop a sustainable business model with a large-scale manufacturing and distribution ability. In Sunil’s words, “Late Biswanathji Murarka opted to integrate the new fortified business category into its core branded biscuits products, positioned to address malnutrition with in-house production of biscuits of all verities.” Thus, the futuristic view of the leader led the company to be an establishment that has resulted in the development of a product range that offers a product to all categories of customers irrespective of their social and economic status. With the baton of the business transferred to Late Biswanathji Murarka’s son, there began a new era of business excellence of Muskaan Foods.
In Muskaan Biscuits, the entrepreneurial skills have been a combination of a range of managerial, technical, and personal skills. These three integrated aspects have defined the performing potential of the company, which is different from any other biscuit manufacturer in Odisha. Sunil believes it is the contribution of future planning that Biswanathji Murarka had done during the establishment of the organization. It has helped in embedding the ability to implement an idea and turn it into results among the workforce of the company. His evolved vision of being a commerce graduate has added value across the company’s stakeholder base. The company stresses acting towards adjudicating Corporate Social Responsibility through its operations. It performs various social activities like providing facilities for the education of children of the employees along with elementary health support to their families. We have started Manufacturing Spices in the year 2018 At present there are 130 SKUs of spices division.
The company to be an establishment that has resulted in the development of a product range that offers a product to all categories of customers irrespective of their social and economic status
Trusted Market Availability
Mukaan Foods have outperformed its competitors in many ways. The company has its greatest focus on the Indian market. India being their domestic market, the company has leverage over the market knowledge, customers’ tastes, and changing preferences. Sunil says, “Covid-19 has changed how Indian’s have been dining for ages. Nowadays, people are looking at more convenient, healthy, and safe food.” Besides, there is also a focus on availability, packaging, and the source of foods people consume. Thus, the company has innovated products’ texture, shape, and amplification of taste & flavor. As a result, t wo categories - Maska Marie and Royal Marie, were produced that ended up winning the hearts of the customers.
Another heart-winning feature possessed by Muskaan Foods and Biscuits is its availability across India. The shelf appearance of these products in retail stores is highly noticeable given the products’ continuous supply. The uniqueness in features of the products extends to the health-conscious product range under the retail name of Muskaan Sugar-Free biscuits. Thus, the products are also found in the ‘healthy snacks’ section in the stores. Thus, vast market reach helps in amplifying customer satisfaction. Sunil says, “You may not easily find this product in supermarkets around you, but you can definitely find it in every retail shop near to your ‘sweet home.’”
Future Prospects
The Managing Director of the company, Sunil, says, “The products are not going to wipe out, but more the variety better is a company’s acceptance to the consumers.” Therefore, the company is currently focused on manufacturing biscuits with new flavors to maintain the product uniqueness. On the other hand, Muskaan Foods is also eager to manufacture snacks mixture varieties like KhattaMeeta and Chatpata. Muskaan Foods will also introduce chips with flavors like Masala and Tomato to maintain its competitive edge in the target market.
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