People are fed up with the usual stainless steel and non-stick wares: Rohit Rallan

Cookware vessels have always undergone changes in terms of their designing as well as coating. The efforts have always been intended at production of better, hygienic and safe-to-use cookware stuffs. Bringing the technology which can revamp these vessels for users has been the chief motto of many organisations. Since, health conscious customers were not really satisfied with the quality of cookware utensils, the manufacturers have now come up whole new range of cookware that hygienic as well as affordable.

The entire scenario which led to welcoming change in the quality of cookware utensils gave an advent to new technology. This technology is indeed developed in order to cater to the improved needs of customers. Besides, the dire need of an hour is to come up with the advanced cookware utilities. Keeping this in mind, Fujihoro India came into the picture with its operations under the name of Global Intent.

Retail Media caught up with Rohit Rallan, COO, Fujihoro to understand the various aspects of his venture and how the cookware marketing in evolving with the time.

Please share your educational background and was entrepreneurship your sole vision?
I am a post graduate and I started off my career in paper industry. I worked there for over 40 years. I started distributing goods of a sister concern of a company and then joined a company which was a sole importer and distributor. That’s how I came into touch with the market, developed contacts and then, after immense research and observation came Global Intent.

Discuss about initial phase of your brand and story behind its inception in India
I got few samples from an ex-colleague of mine. I was very impressed with the products because they were so colorful and unique. The only thing which interested me was the construction of the products. This was basically a porcelain enameled coating on steel, not exactly steel, but mild or carbon steel. It has its own advantages because surface is non-porous, does not absorb from the previously cooked food, it is easy to clean, stain resistant, it is good for all social inductions, it is bacteria free once cleaned, odor free and whatever you are cooking, it retains the natural taste and flavors of food.

It was a new concept for the Indian market because what you find in market at that time was steel or non-stick ware or ceramic coated utensils. The coated ones are not so hygienic because of lead and cadmium content in it. Most of these products are coming from China and they are not even using branded coating.  They are non-branded and are very harmful. People don’t understand the consequences even if the coating starts peeling off. They continue to cook food in it which is very harmful.

What is the need which you are addressing in the market?
The market is evolving and people are turning more health conscious day by day. They have started buying organic foods and most of the youngsters have started cooking themselves. They use good vessels which are hygienic as its lead and cadmium free, it is easy to clean and light-weighted. So, it was challenging enough for us to launch this product initially.  We started up with setting up premium stores PAN India. Currently we have 4 premium outlets in the country.

How was the consumer response?
The response is gradually increasing. People have started to understand the product and its usability. People are fed up with the usual stainless steel and non-stick wares. Indeed it’s a tough market, but people who understand the product will surely buy it. It is basically for upper middle class who are more health conscious and fond of cooking themselves.

What is your current outreach in the market?
We have 4 premium outlets in pan India. We have around 12 stores in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh and Ludhiana.

Share with us your promotion strategies? 
Currently, we are promoting our business on social media platforms like Facebook. We also have regular advertorials which get published in lifestyle magazines.

What is your current distribution in brick and mortar space? 
We have distributors in all major cities of the country. We have appointed distributors in health setup market too. These distributors make a visit to the market and meet with various dealers and retailers to understand their needs and demands.

How do you see eCommerce as a platform for a product like yours?
We have a website and we are also tied up with leading eCommerce platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon, Pepperfry, Limeroad and others. We are tied up with approx 8-10 online stores.

eCommerce as a medium is absolutely burgeoning but for a product like this offline sales are much more than the online. People prefer to touch and feel the product before making a purchase. They might walk into the physical store, see and understand the product and then buy it.  The offline sales are about 90 per cent.

Shed some light on the investment front of Global Intent
Till now it’s all self funded, but yes we are planning to meet a couple of investors in the time to come. Funds are important in order to expand a business and we would surely raise funds in the near future.