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Kurien of the Desert

Introduction
The hot desert sun filled the dimly lit carriage compartment, Rutbeer Pal Singh awoke from his
nap. He looked out the window as the tall golden dunes of the Thar Desert came into view. He
adjusted his suit and sat back to collect his thoughts. As the owner of Nutritional Camel Milk,
USA, this was his first visit to India. He was here to look into the possibility of bringing camel
milk into the main stream dairy industry. As a pioneer in the industry with over 15 years of
experience, he had not foreseen many problems in this idea, but he was in for a shock. He took
out his laptop and began to review what he had learnt so far.
Indian Dairy Industry:
India has a vibrant and healthy dairy industry that has seen exponential growth, since the advent
of operation flood. In 2011, India produced 121 million tons of milk. Today India is the largest
milk producing country in the world, with a market size of USD 48.5 billion and a CAGR of 16
percent. With the market size projected to be 118 billion by 2017, it is a major contributor to the
overall growth of the country. With rapid urbanization and rise of income in both rural and urban
areas, there is also a demand for milk products like ice cream, dahi.

PERCENTAGE
Milk

Ghee

Butter

Yogurt

Khoa

Milk Powder

Paneer

1%
4%2%
7%
7%
46%

6%

27%

Figure 1: Milk Product Usage

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Others

Types of Milk
Double toned Milk
Toned Milk
Standardized Milk
Cow Milk
Buffalo Milk
Full Cream Milk
Skim milk

% Fat
1.5
3
4.5
3.5
5
6
0.5

Figure 2: Composition of Different types of Milk

Currently the Indian dairy industry is highly fragmented, only 20 percent comprise the organized
sector, which is dominated by co-operative dairies. The unorganized sector comprises of 70
million rural households. There has slowly been an increase in the number of private players in
the market. The per capita availability of milk in India is 289.4 grams per day. On the back of
strong domestic demand, the per capita availability of milk is anticipated to reach 336 grams per
day in 2017.
Traditional milk and milk products have dominated the Indian market, but recently there has
been a rapid shift to new products like yogurt, soy milk etc. Buffalo milk accounts for the largest
share of the total milk produced (55%) in the country. Growing health concerns have given rise
to the pasteurized pouch segment, which is seeing a growth of between 40 50 %. The Indian
market is also seeing an 8 10 percent growth in milk products like butter, cheese, and yogurt.
In India, where dahi has been traditionally made at home, the packaged dahi segment has seen
phenomenal growth of almost 20 percent. Health consciousness in India has led to the rise of the
probiotic milk segment and flavored yogurt. Almost 30 percent of the dairy products in India are
sold through modern retail segments. The modern Indian consumer is aware of his choices and is
ready to pay a premium for what they want. Although the majority of the revenue generated is
still through traditional distribution channels.
Brand
Amul
Mother Dairy
Nandini
Avin
Vijaya
Mahanand

Market Share (%)

15
10.5
8.2
5.6
3
2.9

Figure 3: Market Share of Major Brands

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The demand for ultra-high temperature pasteurized milk has risen. This process heats the milk to
high temperatures for a short period of time. This milk has a long shelf-life, is ready to use and
provides a hassle free alternative to traditional milk.
The new UHT segment is popular in urban areas with growth of about 15 20 percent. The UHT
market in India is worth 62.6 million dollars, Amul dominates the market with 34 percent, Nestle
with 24 percent, and Britannia with 15 percent.
The National Institute of Nutrition has recommended a minimum of 300 Gms daily intake of
milk for children between the ages of 1-3 years and 250 Gms for those between 10-12 years.
According to the latest Indian population statistics, on an average every rural household spends
approximately 23.27 dollars per month per person, out of which, 1.87 dollars is spent on milk
and milk products. In contrast every urban household spends 42 dollars per month per person,
out of which 3 dollars is spent on milk and milk products.
Camel Milk
Camel milk is a by-product of camel breeding which is consumed primarily by herdsmen
(especially on migration) and by their families. The average daily yield of a lactating camel is
around 2-3 kgs, although some owners assert that individual yields can be as high as 6 kgs.
The production system for camel milk is extensive camel herds are usually stationed about 10
15 km from the towns and supported exclusively on natural graze, mostly consisting of tree
vegetation. The camels are milked twice or thrice per day, usually during the night, because the
milk is collected in the early morning
Camel milk has a sweet and sharp taste normally, but at times it can also taste salty. The taste of
camel milk viz a viz normal full fat cows milk is drastically different. It would not be easy for
many consumers to adapt to this taste.
The various factors which affect the quality of milk are the age of animal, stage of lactation, the
quality and quantity of feed and the amount of water available.
The next white gold?
Camel milk is scientifically proven to contain three times the amount of vitamin C that is found
in traditional cows milk. Along with special anti-colon cancer properties, it is a treasure trove of
health benefits. It also is shown to reduce the risk of hyper tension due to the presence of certain
ACE inhibitors. Along with having a much lower fat percentage (2.5 percent) as compared to
cows milk, it also shows the presence of anti-bacterial properties which prevents the
transmission of bacteria through the milk. It has been also called the closest thing to mothers
milk.
India is fast becoming known as the diabetes capital of the world, we have 30 million patients
presently with that number set to reach 80 million by the year 2030. This stems from a lack of
awareness among the populous with regard to this disease.

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Analysis of camel milk shows it contains 52 units of insulin per liter which is 60 percent more
than the average external insulin required by type 1 diabetic patients.
Another unique feature is that it can be consumed by many people who are lactose intolerant.
Giving people who were hitherto unable to consume milk based products a chance to consume
them. Recent studies have also hinted at properties that may help treat autism, but the jury
remains out on this.
Problem faced so far
Apart from being about 20% more expensive than cow milk, camel milk contains less vitamin A,
B2, folic acid '&' pantothenic acid than cow milk which can be viewed as a flip side to the
composition of camel milk. Also, camel milk is considered strong in flavor and must be had
slowly to allow the stomach to digest it.
Drastic drop in camel population in India from 500000 in 2003 to 300000 in 2013, this was a
problem that needed urgent attention. Female camels only produce milk when their calf is
nearby, this means increased costs in terms of number of camels.
The Challenge
As the train pulled into the station, Rutbeer closed his laptop and prepared to exit the train. He
had to come up with an innovative way to introduce this new product into an existing market.
The union government has recently allowed the sale of camel milk commercially and he wanted
to have the first movers advantage in this market.

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Event Format
The event will be conducted over two rounds:
Round 1 (qualifying round)
The teams are expected to come up with the following deliverables:
1. Identify and analyze the competitive landscape using an appropriate Marketing tool.
(Note consider both the product and brand while analyzing the competition)
2. Define and elaborate on the target market for your newly developed camel milk product.
3. Keeping in mind the unique properties of Camel Milk, develop a distribution channel
strategy for your product.
Guidelines for 1st (qualifying) round
1. Participants should email their entries in a PowerPoint presentation with a maximum of 10
slides (including the title slide).
2. The assumptions made, if any, should be clearly stated and justifiable.
3. Teams will be shortlisted for second (final) round on the basis of the content of the
presentation.
Round 2 deliverables will be communicated to the qualified teams later.
Judging Parameters
1. Effectiveness of strategy devised.
2. Extent of primary and secondary research conducted.
3. Analytic rigor.
4. Innovation and creativity.

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Rules for the event

1. The team can be represented by a minimum of 2 and maximum of 3 participants.
2. The Participants are required to submit a softcopy of their entry for the qualifying round
before 6th November 2014, 23:59PM to the MarkUp email id (markup.imt@gmail.com).
The subject line of the email should be KOD_<TeamName>_<college name>
For example, if the team ABC is participating then the subject should be KOD_ABC_IMT
3. The Presentation must be in Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation format only (ppt/pptx) and not
exceeding 5MB in size.
4. The cover page/slide should include details about:
The team name
The Participant names, phone numbers and email ids
The Institute Name
5. Please adhere to the timelines aforementioned, otherwise the entries will not be considered.
6. Once the entry is submitted no changes are allowed either in the document sent or in the team
composition.
7. The organizers reserve the right to extend the deadline and/or modify the event as considered
fit. In case any changes are deemed necessary the same will be communicated via the MWC
website: http://mwc.clubmarkup.com
8. The decision of the organizers will be final and binding on all contestants.
Rules for MWC
1. Registration is compulsory to participate in the events of the Marketing World Cup.
2. Once registered the teams need not separately register for any of the individual events.
3. Team size can be minimum 3 members and maximum 8 members.
4. The names of the participating members (from a team) for an event must be sent along with
the entries for the contest. The number of participants for each event will vary and will be
mentioned along with the other details of the event in the event document.

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