Sanjay Sharma, Managing Director and CEO, Orkla India
Orkla India is pivoting its international strategy beyond spices, with plans to build a broader food portfolio across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets as it seeks to diversify its overseas business and sustain double-digit growth.“We’ve been selling spices out there, but now we are going to be focusing on building it as a food portfolio as we go ahead,” Sanjay Sharma, Managing Director and CEO, Orkla India, told businessline.The shift comes even as the company’s GCC business grew 18.1 per cent during the June quarter despite continued geopolitical disruptions in West Asia.The FMCG maker reported revenue of ₹659 crore for the quarter, while profit after tax stood at ₹87 crore.Sharma said the company has returned to double-digit operating growth after navigating eight quarters of deflation.“The operating aspect has grown 11.5 per cent... after navigating eight quarters of deflation, we have returned to double-digit growth,” he said.While inflation in key commodities such as chilli and coriander has returned, Sharma said Orkla’s pricing strategy helped protect margins, with EBITDA margin improving to 17.5 per cent from 16 per cent in the previous quarter.The company is also sharpening its domestic growth strategy through convenience foods and breakfast offerings.“Convenience food is a very big category for us and we are betting very big on convenience food. Marry that with digital commerce... these are going to be the two levers that we are really going to be pushing,” Sharma said.Breakfast roadmapAs part of that strategy, Orkla has rolled out a three-pronged breakfast roadmap. In addition to expanding its dry batter portfolio across the top 28 metros through digital commerce, the company is scaling region-specific wet batter offerings such as rice, rava and idli batter in Hyderabad and has introduced a range of protein-rich breakfast products aimed at Gen Z consumers.The company is also beginning to see early gains from restructuring its distribution network in Kerala. During the pilot phase, sales productivity improved 14 per cent while outlet coverage increased 6 per cent, Sharma said. The dedicated convenience foods distribution network went live in July, while work to strengthen modern trade and spices distribution will continue over the next few quarters.Innovation remains central to the strategy. Orkla launched 23 products during the quarter across digital-first, Gen Z, regional kitchen and international portfolios. Sharma added that acquisitions will continue to be an important growth lever, particularly in regional spices, masalas and digital-first food brands.Published on August 6, 2026
