US-based Dole Foods to soon enter Indian market in partnership with Future Group

Future Group has tied up with Dole Foods, the world's biggest producer of fruit and vegetables, to introduce their products in India by year-end.

Dole Foods looks at capitalising on the increasing demand for healthy and preservative-free fruits and fruit derivatives, estimating the market size at $100 billion in the country.

The US agri-multinational will be setting up two facilities in India within a year. Initially, Dole Foods will import tropical fruits and fruit-based beverages from other Southeast Asian countries for launch.

Pier Luigi Sigismondi, Global President of Dole Foods, said, “If we want to grow in the world, we had to have our presence in India. I am not worried about the macroeconomics.”

Future Consumer, the Kishore Biyani-led firm, has a host of other international tie-ups. These include Hain Celestial to manufacture and sell food products in the health and wellness space, Mibelle AG, a division of Migros Group - Switzerland, to make a range of personal care products under the brand Swiss Tempelle, and more recently, with New Zealand-based Fonterra to unveil its dairy products.

Biyani stated, “Consumers in India are limited in their choices of fruit and fruit-based healthy products, as a result of limited seasonality and challenges in the supply chain. It is a part of Future Group's mission to increase the delivery of healthier food to our shoppers.”