Britannia to enter ready-to-drink protein beverage market

INDIA – Britannia Industries Limited has charted a fresh course in India’s evolving dairy and nutrition landscape with the launch of ready-to-drink (RTD) protein beverages.

This strategic move marks the company’s foray into the functional beverage segment, driven by a surge in consumer demand for convenient, health-oriented products.

Under the stewardship of CEO-designate Dakshit Hargave, Britannia aims to strengthen its dairy credentials and tap into the premium wellness market.

Following a robust second-quarter performance, Managing Director Varun Berry highlighted the company’s focus on volume-led growth, competitive pricing, and precise media investments to ensure market traction.

Notably, Britannia is eschewing entry into whey protein powders, choosing instead to consolidate its efforts around RTD formulations that appeal to urban, health-conscious consumers seeking portable nutrition.

This decision underscores a measured strategy to build on its dairy expertise while minimising overlap with established sports nutrition brands.

The move is likely to reshape competition within India’s burgeoning protein beverage segment, currently dominated by players such as Amul, Nestlé, and startups specialising in fitness-focused products.

With Britannia’s extensive distribution network and strong brand equity, its entry could accelerate mainstream adoption of functional dairy beverages, pushing the segment beyond niche fitness markets into broader daily consumption.

For India’s dairy industry, this signifies a transformative shift towards innovation-led diversification, as legacy brands leverage health and wellness trends to capture new value streams in the post-pandemic era.

Britannia, Groupe Bel India venture starts cheese production

Recently, the group inaugurated its new cheese factory in Maharashtra, India.

Located at Britannia’s dairy food park in Ranjangaon, the facility is exclusively dedicated to producing The Laughing Cow cheese, a well-known brand under Bel Group. 

The cheese will be marketed locally under the brand “Britannia The Laughing Cow,” blending the strengths of both companies to cater to Indian consumers.

The plant, built at an investment of US$26.1m, boasts five production lines with an annual capacity of 6,000 tons for natural cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella and 10,000 tons for processed cheese. 

Abhishek Sinha, CEO of Britannia Bel Foods, noted that this state-of-the-art facility combines Bel’s global expertise with world-class manufacturing to elevate India’s cheese sector. 

The factory is part of a larger effort to strengthen Britannia Bel Foods’ presence in the Indian market through an integrated dairy program.

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