Tata’s Himalayan sets the stage to make Saffron great again

Tata’s Himalayan forayed into the premium spice category with its Kashmiri Saffron offering in August, banking extensively on genuineness. Now, the brand has unveiled a dedicated campaign that, in addition to pulling together a cinematic montage of picturesque Kashmir with animated flourishes added in, also professes the product’s originality.

In India's culinary heritage, saffron emerges as an age-old jewel, an embodiment of exquisite aroma and unparalleled flavour. Yet, amidst the allure of this coveted spice, a shadowy spectre haunts the category - a tale of adulteration and fraud, where authenticity often succumbs to unscrupulous practices.

Since the launch of Himalayan Kashmiri Saffron, the brand has prioritised authenticity and consumer satisfaction in its marketing efforts. Each product is equipped with a QR Code, enabling consumers to verify Himalayan's claims through relevant documentation.

Vikram Grover, managing director of NourishCo, points out that the market for saffron is riddled with dubious sources, presenting an opportunity for quality goods. “There's a lot of saffron out there which is masquerading to be from Kashmir. There is clearly a lot of adulteration in this category, and that's been highlighted in some of the news articles over the years. What we're offering to consumers is an authentic Kashmiri experience. And we have certificates which validate the authenticity of the product purity.”

The brand maintains its identity rooted in Himalayan origins and a commitment to true-to-nature premiums, a characteristic extended to its new offering. As per Grover, the brand's objective is to meet the needs of consumers actively seeking premium experiences. He says, “Himalayan has really created a very strong equity with a very premium set of consumers. And also it gets distributed in some of the most premium outlets in this country.”

Himalayan is typically identified by its mineral water, which also dominates the brand’s product portfolio. But the genesis of Kashmiri Saffron is firmly rooted in the brand’s expansion plans to tap into other premium segments. 

He says, “In time, what we realised was that the share of wallet that we were getting from consumers was actually very limited as compared to the share of the market that we had. There is also a need amongst these consumers for more of these premium experiences, from distant, and exotic sources. And at that point in time, we saw an opportunity to expand the footprint of Himalayan.”

The brand’s guardrail in manufacturing the product was that it needed to be very minimally processed, to retain its exotic differentiator in comparison with other products that were available in the market.

“What we're offering here is saffron in its esteemed glory, and minimally processed. It's very differentiated because you have Kashmir as the source for world's best saffron. This translates into scientific numbers as well. The quality of saffron is measured by something called crocin content. Kashmiri saffron is significantly higher than saffron from the other source.”

Speaking on the brand’s new ad film for Kashmiri Saffron, Grover points out that the entire campaign was conceptualised while keeping the purity and originality of Kashmiri saffron in mind. The campaign has been created by Schbang.

Grover expounds, “The creative brief really emanated from our strategy, of highlighting our offering as pure Kashmiri saffron free from adulteration. And we also wanted to stay true to the codes of the brand.  And therefore, we've recaptured the original Himalayan storytelling style. Through this communication, we are trying to put together the innocence of Kashmir and the Himalayas, and transport it back to consumers.”

The spice category itself is very fragmented, especially in the more premium echelons of the sector. For Himalayan, this translated into an opportunity in the absence of other big players, as per Grover. 

He says, “The Kashmiri saffron category is valued at 300-400 crore, and the playing arena is very fragmented. The moment you have a brand like Tata coming in, there's an opportunity to disrupt the category. We are trying to leverage the strength of the brand, and the trust credentials backing an excellent product, complemented by our robust distribution system.”