YouTuber Kabita Singh is spicing up recipes with her range of masalas

Over the last few years, the influencer marketing space in India has received quite a boost. As a result, these creators are turning into celebrities and becoming household names. 

There is also a trend where creators and social media influencers are looking to introduce their own brands. With their large social media following, it becomes easy for them to market their products. 

Bhuvan Bam launched a D2C brand ‘Youthiapa’, and Mumbaikar Nikhil launched a clothing brand ‘Label MN’.

Recently, Kabita Singh, who has a popular YouTube channel ‘Kabita’s Kitchen’, forayed into the spice category. She launched a range of spices under ‘Kabita’s Kitchen Masala Mix’. Singh has collaborated with India Food Network to launch a range of blended spices.

Currently, the channel has near 13 million subscribers, the major audience of her channel is demographically from 18-40 years which are looking to make food with basic ingredients. Geographically, her presence is dominant in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. 

With this new brand, she will be directly competing with traditional brands like MDH, Everset, and Tata Sampann. Currently, she has launched a range of spices in three variants: Sabzi Masala, Pav Bhaji Masala, and Chicken Masala. The pack of three variants is available on Amazon at Rs 330. She is looking to compete in the organised packaged masala market.

She takes us through her journey, from being an influencer to an entrepreneur. “During COVID, I was focussed mostly on content creation. But I also realised that my name should be visible in the market in another way. Many content creators were coming up with their brands. I didn’t have any big plans to enter the spices space, then.”

During the pandemic, spices weren’t easily available to people, says Singh. After gathering feedback from her YouTube channel’s audience, she decided to foray into the category.

“I partnered with India Food Network, as they understand the market better. I’m only responsible for making the spices.”

Market size

According to market research firm IMARC Group, the Indian spices market was worth over Rs 14 lakh crore in 2021. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.15% in 2022-27 and reach over Rs 27 lakh crore in 2027. 

On how they are looking to place the brand in the highly cluttered market, Rajeshree Naik, founder, India Food Network, shares, “We have launched our products in the blended spices category. Blended spices present an opportunity, as the category has grown - from unorganised to organised. So, brands are looking to foray into the blended spices category. We’re looking to be in that space.”

Naik mentions that the brand is looking to win over people who’re looking for quick home-made tasty food.

What makes ‘Kabita's Kitchen Masala Mix’ different?

With so many new players coming up in the market, how do you stand out? On what makes her brand different from its competitors, Singh replies, “In the market, spices mostly come in paper bags. But we launched it in an air-tight container so that the spices don’t get stale and are also protected from fungus.”

Another interesting aspect of the packaging is that it contains a QR code. If you scan it, then you will be directed to ‘Kabita’s Kitchen’. Also, you can use one masala for different recipes - chicken masala, for instance, can be used in ‘kadhai paneer’ as well.

Who will be Singh’s consumers?

Talking about the target group, Naik mentions, “The low hanging fruit for our product, will be people who love Kabita, as she has close to 13 million YouTube subscribers.” 

The brand also sees potential outside India, and will be expanding to the US market by the year-end. There are many Indians globally who’re looking for tasty home-cooked food.

The products are currently available only on Amazon, but by March, it will also be available on quick commerce websites and other online delivery platforms. By May-end, the brand plans to expand to modern trade and general trade outlets as well.

The brand wants to create a campaign in the future that will run on digital channels. It also wants to reach out to customers through offline channels.

Talking about partnering with other influencers, Naik reveals, “When Kabita launched her brand, all the big creators talked about it in an organic way. They all have each other’s back, when any creator launches something new in the market.”

The brand is looking to create an entire gamut of kitchen essentials. It wants to launch a range of cookware and serveware under Kabita’s name. But first, it needs to create a name for itself in the general spices space.