Selling curries to India not so silly

Sabi Minhas of Handi Foods believes a high-end, niche market exists in India for his convenience foods. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Curries to India could become a reality for a South Auckland food manufacturer if a free trade agreement is reached between the New Zealand and Indian Governments.

Handi Foods of East Tamaki manufactures a range of ready-to-eat meals, sold in supermarkets under its Handi and Dakshin brands, including mango chicken and lamb rogan josh.

Director Sabi Minhas said a high-end, niche market existed in India for imported convenience foods.

However, high import tariffs meant exporting to that country was not commercially viable at the moment, he said.

Handi Foods' target market might represent only 1 per cent of India's population, Minhas added, but with more than a billion people the scope for sales was huge.

"People [in India] do want our products," he said. "There's a lot of new supermarket chains coming into India as well."

But a New Zealander with experience of doing business in India said the country had a unique consumer culture, which Kiwi firms would need to be aware of if they wanted to succeed on the subcontinent.

"For example, shampoo is sold in single servings in India because people don't have the disposable income for anything larger," said Bridget Beattie, of global consultancy firm Right Management, who was given the responsibility of developing that business in India last year.

"New Zealand firms need to think not just about the product but how it's likely to be used from a local consumer view."

She said New Zealand businesspeople needed to travel around the country, visit customers and recognise India's diversity. Numerous regional languages were spoken in India, which had a vast array of cultures.

"If you don't understand the regionalisation, then you don't understand India and that's a disadvantage."

Beattie said Indians were very proud of their country. "If you're well travelled in India and show a genuine interest they're going to respond a lot more positively."