Latest news with #Ching'sSecret
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Packaged food cos turn up the heat with spices
New Delhi: India is having its spice and chilli moment, with makers of noodles, snacks, burgers and even ice-creams doubling down on the spice and chilli quotient, amid escalating demand for these hot flavours, with industry executives terming it "a spice revolution ". While Nestle has a Maggi Spice Plan, Natural's offers 'spicy guava' ice-cream and Tata Consumer's campaign for Ching's Secret noodles highlights its high spice factor. Executives at McDonald's, PepsiCo and Wow Momo said spicy-chilli foods are outselling many other staples. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category MBA Healthcare Management Data Science Data Analytics Others healthcare Digital Marketing Degree Cybersecurity Artificial Intelligence others Design Thinking Data Science Technology Public Policy Operations Management Leadership Project Management Product Management CXO Finance PGDM MCA Skills you'll gain: Analytical Skills Financial Literacy Leadership and Management Skills Strategic Thinking Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Online MBA Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Financial Management Team Leadership & Collaboration Financial Reporting & Analysis Advocacy Strategies for Leadership Duration: 18 Months UMass Global Master of Business Administration (MBA) Starts on May 13, 2024 Get Details "We observed a clear shift that spice is no longer just traditional; consumers are increasingly drawn to global chilli experiences," said Saakshi Verma Menon, chief marketing officer - foods at PepsiCo India. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cardiologist: The Best Method for a Flat Stomach After 50 (It's Genius!) Lulutox Undo The packaged snacks and beverages maker has introduced a series of variants under its mainstay Lays and Kurkure brands with higher spice intensity and regional taste preferences. These have been "designed to cater to India's growing appetite for bold, fiery flavours", Menon said. Live Events Executives across packaged food formats say they have stepped up research on such products for incremental value and volume, more so at a time when regional brands are giving the larger players serious competition. "Spice has become the new normal, with one in every three new product trials over the last 12 months in the spicy category," said Sagar Daryani, cofounder and chief of Wow! Momo Foods. He said spicy momos now contribute 25-30% of the chain's total momo sales, with hot chilli wings, Korean chicken meatballs and its spicy and saucy range as high sellers. "India is currently riding a wave of spice-driven innovation, with Gen Z and millennials increasingly leaning toward bolder, spicier and adventurous flavours," Daryani added. ITC , Hindustan Unilever , KFC and Burger King are among the others which are leveraging spice in their menus, to tap into the current trend and push sales at a time of heightened competition and muted sales. McDonald's, which introduced its Korean range in March, positioned its menu with "an extra kick of flavour" with a spice mix. "Indian consumers appreciate bold, spicy flavours," said a spokesperson of McDonald's India (West & South). Akash Agrawalla, cofounder at spices and ready-to-cook foods maker ZOFF Foods, said: "Consumers are now looking for multiple types of spices in convenient formats, which vary from region to region." Nestle too has extended its Maggi instant noodles range to cheesy, garlic, manchurian and pepper variants. "There's a whole spice revolution going on in this country. Consumers want spicier and spicier stuff, whether rural or urban, GenZ or Gen Alpha," said Suresh Narayanan, the outgoing managing director at packaged foods company Nestle India. The India unit of the Swiss foods maker's Maggi Spice Plan includes focusing on traceability of spices such as black pepper, chilli, cardamom and nutmeg.
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Ranveer Singh came up with bum mein se aag idea': Ching's founder reveals secret sauce behind long partnership with actor
Ajay Gupta, the founder of Ching's Secret, opened up about finding the perfect brand ambassador in actor Ranveer Singh. Gupta said that the goal was to find a celebrity partner whose personality would be a fit with the brand's identity, and Ranveer was the best choice. In fact, their partnership lasted a decade, and Ranveer takes close interest in coming up with ideas for campaigns. According to Gupta, the idea to have the character Ranveer 'Ching' blow fire out of his butt in one campaign came from Ranveer. In an appearance on Zerodha's Exploring Minds podcast, Gupta said that it is vital to find a celebrity who can embody the ethos of a brand, if longevity is what a brand is after. 'India has two religions, cricket and Bollywood. The only difference is that cricket is expensive, Bollywood is cheaper. Plus, with Bollywood, you can reach out to women and North America, which you can't with cricket,' he said, adding, 'When we finally had the money to spend on marketing, our goal was to understand the DNA of our brand, and to find a Bollywood star with the same DNA.' Also read – Sikandar: Anurag Kashyap's right; Bollywood is doomed if stars like Salman Khan enable the Snapchat-ification of cinema They decided on Ranveer Singh. 'We are on the 10th year running with one Bollywood star; he is a partner in our marketing, he isn't just a brand ambassador. The Ranveer Singh and Ranveer Ching combination comes from understand the brand fit, and the person who is going to be the face of your brand… Ranveer Singh is a human being, Ranveer Ching is a human being; both behave in the same way. He brings his values to the table. He'll sit on meetings with us to discuss new campaigns.' Gupta said that typically, brand ambassadors only read off the scripts they're given. But Ranveer comes up with ideas himself. Asked for an example, Gupta said, 'We'd done this film called Rocket Hai Rocket, usme uske bum mein se aag nikalti hai. That was his idea.' Before becoming an actor, Ranveer worked in the field of advertising. The commercial that Gupta was making a reference to was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and also featured Karishma Tanna. It was set aboard a spaceship, and featured Ranveer as 'Captain Ching'. In the ad, Captain Ching saves the world from destruction by a meteor. He licks some schezwan chutney, which turns his butt into a jet engine. Captain Ching is able to race towards the meteor, and destroy it before it destroys the earth. The ad has over two million hits on YouTube.
