- the humble one
millet are now popular as a ‘superfood’ because of their rich source of protein, fiber, minerals, iron, calcium and low glycemic index. - Millets are also resistant to climate change.
- According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, millet production has increased from 14.52 million tons in 2015-16 to 17.96 million tons in 2020-21.
- Riding this wave, Indian snack company Troogood aims to become the powerhouse of India’s need for millet and make nutrition affordable.
The Indian snack industry, which offers a variety of fried snacks at an affordable price, has put consumer health on the back burner.
Troogood, a homegrown millet snacks company, wants to encourage the diabetes capital of the world, India, to change its snacking habits and become more health-conscious.
Unlike most other healthy foods, they aim to reach the Indian masses by keeping their costs low. Trogood offers millet parathas, millet chikki and peanut chikki in the same price range as Lay’s, Kurkure and Balaji. Millets checks all the boxes of affordability, taste and nutrition.
“In the ₹5 range, these are mainly fatty snacks or junk snacks. “Mierst is gluten-free, they have a low glycemic index. If you eat the millet, you’ll be almost hungry and won’t be hungry for the next six to eight hours. It is also rich in protein, calcium or magnesium fiber,” Raju Bhupati, founder and CEO of Troogood, told https://londonbusinessblog.com/ India.
The company started selling 1,000 products per day in 2019. Within three years they sell about 2 million products a day. Of these, more than 1.5 lakh chikki are brought by pregnant women.
Thousands of schools under the government of Andhra Pradesh provide Troogood’s millet chikki to children as their morning snack. It hopes to reach 100 million children across the country.
Why are millet known as superfoods?
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, millet production has increased from 14.5 million tons in 2015-16 to 18 million tons in 2020-21. Millets is poised to become the superstar of the Indian commodities sector.
According to Bhupati, more than 4 billion people worldwide consume wheat and rice, and those grains surpass millet in terms of consumption, but in nutrition, millet replaces popular goods.
“Mierst is weather resistant. They are grown in the harshest conditions. Millets are also free of chemicals. Finally, for the cultivation of rice and maize, they use almost 4000 liters per kg of water consumption, while millet accounts for at least 1/4 of the water consumption,” says Bhupati.
The Indian government has declared 2023 the International Year of the Millets. After a little push from the central and state governments, all Indian states are now embracing millet as part of their diet menus.
“If you look at the consumption patterns of the middle class, millet makes up at least 20-35% of the daily meal. It is developing slowly,” says Bhupati.
After COVID-19, urban consumers have become more health conscious and have embraced millet. Due to this growing acceptance, Bhupati is optimistic that millet will become an important part of the snack industry.
“In the next one to five years, millet will account for about 15-20% of the snack pie,” he said.
Humble millet take worldwide
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farming Welfare, India exports about 20% of the world’s millets, and Bhupati believes that number will increase tenfold in 3-5 years.
Building on this global wave of healthy snacking, Troogood also aims to become the powerhouse of the world’s need for millet snacks.
“We process almost 700 to 1000 tons of millet per month and we hope to become the category leader, especially in the millet field. We want to become a world leader in this category within 3 years,” said Bhupati.
Troogood currently exports its products to the UAE and is set to roll out its grid more widely to Europe, Australia and other Gulf countries in the coming years.