PURINA’s Expertise in Pet Nutrition

Gaurav Kwatra
The pet food industry size is pegged at Rs 2,500 crore in India, which has a pet population of about 26 million. Out of them, 24 million are dogs and the 2 million are cats, as per industry data. Gaurav Kwatra, Director, PURINA Petcare India Pvt Ltd, shares an insight of the industry’s prospects and potentials.
In his remark on the pet industry of India faring during the pandemic, Gaurav Kwatra says, “Pets have been amongst our saviours during the lockdowns and long days at home. The pandemic has ensured more quality time between pets and their pet parents. Pet parents are getting more and more eager to know about how to keep their pets healthy and are looking to provide them with the best nutrition. The heightened awareness has led to better choices, specifically regarding nutrition.”

With over 24 million dogs and 2 million cats as pets, the pet food industry in India shows huge potential and is expected to double in size in the next five years. There is an increasing awareness about pet nutrition largely driven by increasing digitisation making it easier to gain knowledge and owing to the great efforts by leading veterinarians across the country.

Growing pet parent population
The year 2020 saw many Indians become pet parents. The pandemic, in a way, has made Indians more open towards keeping a pet at home. Continuing this growth trend, the Indian pet industry is expected to continue to register strong growth in the coming years. With that, expenditure and awareness across various spheres of pet lifestyle such as grooming, health & well-being and indulgence is also expected to increase.

“As far as pet nutrition is concerned the calorific coverage is still low in India. We believe the pattern would change in the near future and pet-parents would understand the benefits of pet food better. We also foresee the continuation of the trend wherein cat food, as a category, would grow at a more rapid pace than dog food. However, the dog food category would continue to be a much larger category in terms of volume,” mentions Gaurav.

In addition to routine vet visits (to ensure the best of health of their pets), a rise in the pet salon culture – especially those who provide at-home grooming services for pets, would also be a trend to watch out for in the coming years.

Live longer, happier and healthier
Pet care category is still at an early stage of development with huge potential. While there are players who were enjoying the first-mover’s advantage in India, with increased awareness about pet nutrition among Indian pet parents there is greater headroom for growth for pet food manufacturers. “Since launch we have enjoyed great response to our brands from pet parents and vets. Our brands have helped dial up the taste and the nutrition quotient of pet food which has found widespread resonance with pets and pet-parents alike,” tells Gaurav.
He continues, “At PURINA we have always calendar year 2021.”

Product of The Year
Currently PURINA has three offerings for the Indian market. In the dog food category, the company has the PURINA SUPERCOAT range, which offers a wholesome combination of high-quality natural ingredients. The recently won ‘Product of The Year’ award has been a testament to its supreme quality that customers love and enjoy. “PURINA SUPERCOAT has been at the forefront of our efforts in India and has been instrumental in helping us achieve a strong performance in the first half of the calendar year 2021,” mentions Gaurav.

PURINA SUPERCOAT bagged the award in the dog food category through a survey with 2250 consumers across categories. This sought-after recognition is based on consumer voting conducted by Nielsen India who executed a pan-India survey to determine the winners. The award was established over 30 years ago in France and operates in more than 40 countries. Since its inception, their main purpose has been to guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation.

Super-premium category
In the super-premium dog food category, PURINA has PRO PLAN. It is globally a three-decade-old brand, developed by PURINA vets, food scientists and nutritionists who offer highly nutritious products for different life stages and breed sizes of dogs. The PRO PLAN PUPPY variant contains colostrum, the first milk produced by mother immediately after giving birth and a vital component for newborn pups.

“Awareness around nutrition and demand for quality cat food has also been steadily rising in markets like Mumbai and Bengaluru. To address this trend, we launched Friskies, our cat food offering in India. Friskies provides sensory delight for your cat’s playfulness and boundless curiosity,” says Gaurav.

Pet parents appreciate the quality of PURINA products, its palatability and complete and balanced nutrition backed by more than 100 years of Nestlé PURINA’s expertise in pet nutrition.
 
They were life savers!
During these tough pandemic times it has been the pet who takes care of us to tackle the problem of stress, anxiety and isolation. In this respect, Gaurav shares, “Strange pandemic times this year have highlighted the special bond pet parents have with their pets. In fact, the pandemic saw many people adopt pets for the companionship they provide. From giving us a reason to go out, to providing cuddles that eased the pain of isolation, these furry friends were life savers for millions of us during the months of lockdown.”