We're focused on key markets of AP, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha: P Chandra Shekhara Reddy

Freedom is the flagship brand of Gemini Edibles and Fats India (GEF India). The Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil range is available as Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil, Freedom Physically Refined Rice Bran Oil and Freedom Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil, Freedom Groundnut Oil. Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils has almost 45% market share of the Sunflower oil category in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha. The company has developed a robust distribution network, backed by proactive and innovative marketing, digital and PR strategy with a strategic mix of ATL and BTL activations to connect with the TG and grow in the extremely cluttered, low involvement edible oil space.

In conversation with Adgully, P Chandra Shekhara Reddy, Senior Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Gemini Edibles and Fats India, talks about the company’s stronghold on the South markets, special focus on health consciousness, strategy to differentiate itself from other brands, and much more.

How has Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils’ journey been so far?

The journey of Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils has been amazing. Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil, the flagship brand of Gemini Edibles & Fats India Ltd, which was launched in 2010, is now the No. 1 brand of Sunflower Oil in the country (Source Neilson MAT March 2022), with operations in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka.

This was achieved by working on a well formulated strategy of building a good brand, delivering consistent product quality with attractive packaging, building a robust distribution network that could help us reach the nook and corner of the states, and doing activities with sampling to connect with the end users besides tactical advertising to ensure visibility and encouraging trials. This helped us break the initial clutter of brands with 20+ years of legacy in the category. The policy was always to deliver a good quality product using state-of-the-art infrastructure at a value-for-money price point.

With the basics in place, we conducted several innovative campaigns in urban and rural markets to explain to the customers the benefits of using sunflower oil, and the other variants in our portfolio, that helped expand the market, and capture major market share from the resulting growth. Our promotion and digital strategy ensured we were connected to the end users and engaged with them for their inputs to help us retain the existing customers and grow the customer base. With the success of sunflower oil, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils was able to garner share in the other variants launched for niche users based on regional preferences.

The cooking oil market in India is highly competitive. How has Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils managed to differentiate itself from other brands and gain a significant market share?

Instead of spreading our limited resources over vast geographical areas, we remained focused on the key markets of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, and other neighbouring states as 70% of sunflower oil is sold in South India. We also leveraged our understanding of market dynamics, market penetration, and optimising the resources at our disposal in these states and benefit from consumers’ trust and preference for our brand.

With this strategy and our understanding of these markets, we set up an extensive distribution network, which helped us reach more retail outlets across the states. We have a continuous focus on reinforcing the consumer’s faith in the benefits of using a particular edible oil and trust in the brand ‘Freedom’. This helped us retain and grow our customer base. We also set up dedicated helplines to help customers reach out to us for any issues or suggestions and launched new SKUs/ variants based on consumers’ feedback to add to the convenience of handling Freedom Oil.

To further enhance our engagement with the consumers and improve our position in newer markets, we signed up Yash (KGF fame) and Radhika as our brand ambassadors. We have created campaigns with the couple to focus on true family values and the importance of eating good food cooked in a healthy oil to feel fitter, healthier, lighter, and great.

We have tactically used vibrant consumer connect activities and innovative promotional offers to help maintain loyalty to the brand and rewarded them for their faith and trust through Feedom Gold Dhamaka Offer, Freedom Jar-Car offer, and many others. To enhance the credibility of such schemes the campaign was audited by KPMG.

For the rural markets, we initiated a unique ‘Freedom Aarogya Rath Yatra’ to spread awareness about the benefits of Sunflower Oil in the interiors of the country. We ensured effective product sampling at such consumer connect initiatives to encourage brand trials and adoption. All such initiatives were preceded by an intensive campaign for brand distribution and visibility at the POP outlets. A cohesive ATL, BTL campaign along with a robust distribution helped grow the brand in the selected markets.

We are early adopters of social and digital media tools for communicating about our brand and staying connected with our consumers. This has helped us achieve and exceed our business goals.

These initiatives have helped us gain the leadership position backed by consumer preference, as consumers value Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils’ quality, consistency, and dependability.

Consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious. How does Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils address the changing consumer preferences and position itself as a healthy cooking oil choice?

Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils adeptly caters to the surging demand for health-conscious choices. It distinguishes itself by promoting a comprehensive wellness approach. The oils are meticulously curated to align with varying dietary needs, such as low-fat, high-monounsaturated, or omega-rich options. We have started an initiative, ‘Freedom Oil Knowledge Series’, that disseminates information about health benefits of edible oils. As a part of this series, we also conduct seminars using relevant influencers to bring the spotlight on specific myths about the edible oils and getting experts to discuss and dispel the myths. Most of the communication to our customers is also centred around the benefits of maintaining healthy lifestyle and using the right cooking oil for daily usage.

To educate customers, as a part of ‘Freedom Oil Knowledge Series’, a campaign was introduced with well-known nutritionist Dr Matheen Asrar (PhD Nutritionist) advising people to follow a balanced diet, engage in regular exercise, and switch to a healthy cooking oil like Freedom Rice Bran Oil for everyday cooking. This campaign was very well received and has generated over 1 million views.

Moreover, besides communicating the health benefits of our product range to the customers, we also participate in several initiatives to promote healthy living and healthy eating. We have been associated with a flagship event ‘Freedom Hyderabad 10K Run’ for the last 6 years, which is a platform to engage with the health conscious, spread the right information about the use of edible oils and gain their patronage.

Could you tell us about the innovations and product development initiatives that have been undertaken to keep Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils ahead of the competition?

Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils maintains its competitive edge through ongoing innovations and strategic product development. Significant investments in research and development have enabled the integration of cutting-edge technologies to elevate our oil production processes.

These initiatives reflect our commitment to quality and differentiation, consistently introducing pioneering products, unique SKUs and processes that distinguish Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils within the competitive market.

Distribution and availability play a crucial role in the success of any consumer product. How has Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils managed to establish a robust distribution network across India?

Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils’ success is supported by an extensive distribution network that covers both urban and rural areas of India. Collaborations with local retailers, modern trade outlets, and e-commerce platforms have enabled the brand to ensure widespread availability, contributing significantly to its market leadership and growth.

To further enhance the direct channel of conversation with our distribution partners including retailers, we have developed a new mobile application ‘Kirado’. This helps us design special campaigns, communicate about upcoming new launches and schemes, etc., directly with the retailers. This also provides a channel for two-way communications, where channel partners can also raise issue directly with the organization, which are assigned and attended as per the prescribed matrix. It is encouraging more retailers to sign up. This is enabling better trust, confidence and transparency with the channel partners and helping grow our market reach.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility are becoming more critical concerns for consumers. Has Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils taken any initiatives to promote sustainability in its operations or packaging?

At the factory level, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils stands out as the sole producer with zero liquid discharges in our plants. Unlike conventional setups, where effluent treatment plants are below ground, our unique approach places them above ground, enabling early detection of seepage. Our plants are directly linked to the Pollution Control Board, ensuring emissions are closely monitored.

Moreover, our commitment extends to recyclable packaging. These dual efforts underscore our unwavering dedication to environmental responsibility, ensuring transparency, accountability, and sustainability in every aspect of our operations.

Looking ahead, what are the key strategies and goals for Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils in terms of maintaining its market leadership and continuing to grow?

Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils aims to maintain its market leadership and achieve sustained growth through a multifaceted approach.

We operate in an everchanging world of consumer preferences. This is specifically true for cooking oils. To remain relevant in an ever-changing market, we closely monitor behavioural shifts through market surveys and research data and adapt to changing customer behaviours. We constantly leverage technology to improve our mapping and stakeholder (including channel partners, vendors, and consumers) management and experience.

Increased customer satisfaction results in increased retention and sales. Customers are more likely to re-engage with a brand that provides multiple touchpoints and it is our constant endeavour to provide customers with reasons to continue preferring our brand.

By executing these strategies, we intend to solidify our market prominence, drive growth, and cultivate lasting consumer loyalty.

Could you shed some light on the company’s commitment to quality assurance and how it ensures the highest standards in the production of Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils?

Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils prioritises quality assurance by adhering to strict ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) guidelines. Our fully automated plants streamline the refining and bottling process, reducing human intervention. This ensures consistent quality batch after batch. We are actively incorporating latest technological advancements in our manufacturing and distribution process to ensure complete hygiene and safety of our products.

This comprehensive strategy, guided by cutting-edge automation, ensures that every SKU of Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils meets the highest benchmarks, offering consumers a reliable and wholesome choice for their culinary needs.

In addition to the Indian market, does Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils have plans for international expansion? If yes, how is the company preparing for such a move?

The company is currently focused on serving the Indian market and does not have specific strategies or preparations in place for international expansion.

Lastly, could you share any upcoming product launches or exciting developments that consumers can look forward to from Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils?

We’re planning to introduce ‘Deepa Prajwalam Oil’, a unique addition to our range. This oil is specially designed for traditional lamp usage, adding a new dimension to our offerings.