Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting has announced its acquisition of Brahmins, a ready-to-cook and spice mix brand located in Kerala, for an undisclosed sum.
Wipro’s latest acquisition is a result of its announcement last year of venturing into the food business in India with the goal of establishing a prominent presence in the snack food, spices, and ready-to-cook market. In December of the same year, Wipro finalized its purchase of Nirapara, one of Kerala’s top-selling traditional food brands. This recent transaction marks Wipro’s 14th acquisition in the consumer sector.
Vineet Agrawal, CEO of Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting and Managing Director, Wipro Enterprises, said, “In Kerala, Brahmins is a strong heritage brand leading the spice and ready- to-cook category with a significant consumer recall. The high-quality standards adopted by Brahmins have played a key role in making it one of the most significant players in the market.”
Brahmins, which was founded in 1987, specializes in selling pre-mix powders for ethnic breakfast, as well as spice mixes, pickles, dessert mixes, and other products. Recently, Dabur acquired a 51% stake in Badshah Masala for INR 588 crore, while ITC purchased Sunrise Foods Private Ltd (SFPL), a spices manufacturer, for INR 2,150 crore in an all-cash deal three years ago.
Sreenath Vishnu, MD, Brahmins said, “This will enable access to resources that will help the brand grow rapidly. We are jointly focused on developing the brand supported by local consumer insights as well as streamlining manufacturing. We are confident that with Wipro’s distribution strength, network, and marketing expertise we will significantly expand our geographical presence and scale Brahmins to newer heights.”
The market size for sauces, dressings, and condiments is roughly estimated at INR 25,000 crore, as more urban consumers are shifting from unpackaged options to packaged versions of these products.
S Narendrakumar, the owner of the Everest brand, dominates the spice market category, closely followed by MDH. Furthermore, in select regions, domestic companies such as DS Foods, Ramdev, and Eastern, continue to hold the lead in masala, herbs, and spices. In recent years, Kerala-based Keya, Patanjali owned by Baba Ramdev, and Mother’s Recipe have expanded their range of spices, offering convenient and readily available packaging options.
Anil Chugh, President, Foods Business, Wipro Consumer Care, said, “Adding Brahmins under the Wipro fold will further bolster our position in blended spices and ethnic breakfast categories in Kerala and other markets such as the GCC countries, UK, US and Australia.”
