GUWAHATI: Keventer, one of the fastest growing food and beverage companies in Eastern India, plans to set up a manufacturing plant in Assam by the end of 2019.
“The main requirement is raw materials for our products and once they are locally available, we can definitely have a plant in Assam. As it is, we are in talks with the Assam government and our farm team is coordinating with farmers for ensuring a sustainable supply chain. By the end of 2019, we hope to have a manufacturing plant in Assam,” Mayank Jalan, chairman and managing director, Keventer, said here on Thursday.
The company also announced the Northeast launch of ‘Keventer Milk’ – UHT (ultra high temperature) milk prepared using Tetra Pak’s aseptic processing and packaging technology.
“Ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment is a food processing technology that sterilises liquid milk, by heating it above 135 °C for three to four seconds thereby killing all the harmful bacteria while keeping the nutrition intact,” Jalan said.
The product is available in three variants – Standardised, Toned and Double Toned (Low Calorie) across 1 litre, 500 ml and 200 ml packs.
Keventer is eyeing sales revenue of Rs 150 crore from the product and 20 per cent market share in Assam and Northeast by 2020. “A distribution and marketing network has been put in place,” Jalan said.
The company has invested Rs 150 crore in a UHT milk plant, which is Eastern India’s largest, at Barasat, West Bengal. The plant, which has a processing capacity of 2,00,000 litres per day, will cater to Assam, North East, West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Bhutan.
“We shall be having other dairy-based products as well in the Northeast market,” he said.