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MOTHER DAIRY: CREATING A NATIONAL FOOTPRINT1

Neena Sondhi, Supriya M. Kalla and Umashankar Venkatesh wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The
authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised
certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality.

This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized or otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the
permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights
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University, London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 0N1; (t) 519.661.3208; (e) cases@ivey.ca; www.iveycases.com.

Copyright © 2014, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2014-07-23

It was September 2013, and after a very successful run as Delhi’s2 (India’s National Capital Region or
NCR) main supplier of milk and dairy products, Mother Dairy was looking to establish an expanded
national footprint as an essential strategy for corporate growth. The challenge was for a city/region
specific player like Mother Dairy to reinvent itself completely and become a national player in a large and
diverse market like India. This goal would involve exploring new markets, getting into new product
categories and creating new partnership structures, all of which was totally removed from Mother Dairy’s
scope and scale as a company to date, and the best brains in the country and a team of globally acclaimed
consultants (Accenture) had been hired to help with the process. After 38 years in operation, the
challenges faced in the past seemed like child’s play compared to this new task of creating a national
footprint for the Mother Dairy brand.

For Mother Dairy, the proposed national launch was as huge and diverse as the country of India itself.
The year 2012 had been somewhat bleak as the near monopoly of Mother Dairy in the Delhi-NCR market
had been challenged by domestic as well as multi-national players who wooed discerning consumers
aggressively with their value-added products and brand equity in an effort to slowly expand the mind and
wallet-share of the globally savvy Indian consumers. Further, each state in India had its own version of
Mother Dairy and thus was home to local and regional awareness and franchises. For Mother Dairy, the
challenge lay in finding a way to create a national character for itself and its brand.

Milk was a commoditized product, so how could the company create differentiation in the mind of the
consumer to make him move from mundane milk to magical Mother Dairy milk? What brand promise
would work better with the Indian buyer: health or emotions? Was it possible for the endearing but slow-
moving brand to take on the likes of the age-old promise of the ‘Taste of India’ (i.e., Amul) or global
brands like Nestlé and Danone? And what would happen when it moved from Delhi in the north to
Chennai in the south or to Kolkata in the east? Would it be possible to nudge out the existing state players
(especially state co-operatives) from their entrenched positions? What would be the inventory and supply
chain challenges of a national launch, especially when the product was marked by a very short shelf life?

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THE MAGNIFICENCE OF MILK: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

As a commodity, milk assumed a significant role in Indian society as it was embedded in the socio-
cultural fabric of the various communities. Further, milk had a long history of mythological and cultural
significance for India. In ancient times, India was described as a rich and thriving land of plenty. In Hindu
mythology, Lord Krishna (Hindu God) was portrayed as a cattle herdsman, and through association with
him, and the cow has been accorded the status of a holy animal (in Indian culture, the cow is also called
— gau mata or mother cow). To this day, cow’s milk is the holiest offering that one can make to the
gods. Thus, milk is interwoven in India’s cultural landscape and its castes through its role in rituals,
values (e.g., vegetarianism) and beliefs, as well as in people’s livelihood.

However, despite India’s rich heritage and tradition, due to a large number of invasions and development
in other economic sectors, dairy production had been abysmally low at 17.1 million tons up until 1951.3
Immediately after declaring its independence, India languished in a state of poor nutrition vis-à-vis per
capita availability of milk, which, at 5.26 per ounce, was a little more than half of the consumption of 10
ounces (about 300 millilitres) recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Further, even
this low per capita volume was not within the reach of 15 out of the then 21 (pre-reorganized) states of
India.4 As well, with a large part of the population being vegetarian, this deficit accentuated the problem
of malnutrition.

In 1947, post-independence, the Government of India (GoI) decided to focus on the dairy sector with a
view to enhancing capacity and organizing the traditional supply chain, which was unable to cope with
the rate of urbanization in India. Another reason for promoting this sector was that milk production or
dairying was increasingly being recognized as an instrument of social and economic change, one that
could provide livelihood (especially) to small and marginal farmers at one end and reduce the pressure on
(subsistence) farming and dependence on (small) land holdings at the other.

In 1970, in the Fourth Five-Year Plan, the GoI decided to give the sector a boost with the “Operation
Flood” program, which was one of the world’s largest rural development programs. A National Milk
Grid5 comprising 700 towns and cities was formed, linking milk producers throughout India with
consumers. This initiative worked in several different ways: first, it led to a reduction in price fluctuations
due to seasonal or regional changes; second, it ensured reasonable returns to milk producers; and third, it
created a fair and transparent marketing process.

THE CHALLENGES OF MILK PRODUCTION AND MARKETING IN INDIA

In India, the most significant factor that restricted the consumption of milk was its high cost. Since 2009,
dairy farmers had slowly started moving away from the enterprise because of the high fodder and feed
costs involved. Thus, not only did farms close down, but procurement costs for milk giants like Gujarat
Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF) went up by 68 per cent, leading to a proportional
hike in the retail price of milk.6 Apart from aiming at higher production, dairy development would also
fulfil a social purpose if it succeeded in reducing the cost of milk production.

Labour was the second major factor next to feed costs, as far as the cost of milk production was
concerned. This factor assumed greater importance in a rural setting, especially during the sowing or
harvesting season when labour was scarce. The next component of cost was that which was incurred
while raising a calf up to the first lactation stage. This cost may be considered as a capital expenditure
because the alternative would be to purchase a milking animal. The principle of economies of scale would
also mean that the quantity of milk produced had an impact on the per-unit cost. In addition, the

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perishable nature of milk added to the cost of its storage and transportation. Apart from the small-scale
and scattered nature of milk producers, the other characteristics of the Indian dairy sector included
unorganized milk-animal holders. Hence, there existed a multiplicity of channels for milk marketing/
distribution in India, categorized in organized and the unorganized sectors (see Exhibit 1).

Organized Milk Production and Distribution in India

The year 1946 was a ground-breaking year for the milk sector and changed the face of milk production in
India. The co-operative movement, which started at Anand (Gujarat) and was later promoted by the GoI,
(see Exhibit 2), had borne fruit, with India eventually surpassing the United States and emerging as the
highest milk-producing country at 122 million tons in 2011. India ranked first in the world in buffalo and
goat’s milk, and second in the cow’s milk category.7 To further promote and protect the sector’s growth,
the GoI promulgated a set of laws and regulations for the dairy-processing industry in order to ensure
safety, hygiene and service standards (Exhibit 3).

The development of the dairy sector came to represent one of the key focus areas of GoI, and as part of
these supportive policy measures, the government opted against levying any excise duty on most of the
dairy products produced in the country. This sector has been deregulated, and there are no licence
requirements for doing business in the dairy sector, and 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) is
allowed through automatic route.8 Another industry highlight involved India’s 15-year National Dairy
Plan (NDP), which was implemented by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with a budget
of INR 1.73 billion (~USD$3.9 billion). This plan was proposed with the ambitious objective of doubling
the country’s milk production by 2020.9

Market Structure and Players

India was the largest producer and consumer of milk and dairy products in the world. In the country, 85
per cent of the milk supply came from the unorganized sector. The traditional milk supplier, usually from
within the neighbourhood, possessed a small herd of cattle and sold raw milk directly to households.
Thus, the delivery process lacked formal processing and distribution mechanisms. Revenue from the
Indian dairy products’ market was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around
five per cent during 2012-17, and by 2015, the annual turnover of the dairy sector was likely to be INR
500 billion (~USD$79.5 billion).10

Mother Dairy’s 10.9-per-cent share represented the second largest market share in the organized dairy
sector of India, with Amul standing as the market leader at 14.8-per-cent market share (see Exhibit 4).
The two largest players — Amul and Mother Dairy — came from the co-operative sector, highlighting
the efficacy of the small milk producers who were engaged through these cooperatives to seamlessly
procure, process and distribute milk and other value-added products. The other co-operatives sold
regional brands and functioned by and large within state limits. This industry structure posed a
consideration for any organization that wanted to enter the dairy business in India, a country with an
expansive geography and variable climatic conditions, wherein supply chain and logistics defined the
participant’s ability to successfully penetrate and gain market share nationally. Economies of scale were,
at times, constrained by the large numbers of scattered small dairy producers who were India’s key
suppliers of milk. Industry intelligence and experts from the sector indicated that the impact of an
increasing urban population and the corresponding demand for milk was playing havoc with the industry.
With the rising demand for milk and the entry of big, national and international players into the market,
dairy farmers and milk suppliers realized the potential of selling to big players at a price above what they

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would get from the co-operative. Thus, the dairy sector became an open market, with an ever-increasing
number of dairy farmers selling directly to the buyer who would pay them the best price.

In the NCR, Mother Dairy enjoyed an overall 66 per cent market share11 of the branded (loose and
packaged) milk sector and, therefore, replicated in this market the conditions similar to what Amul had
created nationally for other players. However, in the past decade, GCMMF had entered the NCR market
aggressively by setting up its largest plant at Dharuhera (Haryana) with a capacity of three million litres
per day (MLPD), as well as one MLPD-plant at Manesar (Haryana) and another at Rohtak (Haryana).
With Amul having captured a whopping 46 per cent share in the packaged milk segment in the NCR, the
result was visible. “Rising income levels and shift in consumer preferences to packaged milk are driving
Amul sales,” commented GCMMF chairman R. S. Sodhi regarding the success of Amul vis-à-vis Mother
Dairy, which had been earlier recognized as the uncontested leader.12

At the supply end, India’s suppliers of raw milk were small and scattered; however, with the emergence
of milk producers’ co-operatives, some degree of bargaining power was delivered into the hands of
suppliers. The co-operatives sector organized itself in such a manner that it was able to mitigate this
supply-side constraint by creating a National Milk Grid (see Exhibit 2), which provided the co-operative
sector with a unique advantage (in terms of scaling up) over private players. Mother Dairy had the
Pradeshik Co-operative Dairy Federation (PCDF) of the state of Uttar Pradesh as one of its key suppliers
of liquid milk via the National Milk Grid. Consolidating the supply of raw milk was crucial for any player
in the organized sector, especially if they wanted to establish a national footprint. The model of the entire
state-supported co-operatives shared up to three-fourths of the customer sale price with the milk producer
(for example, Mother Dairy and Amul), whereas private players arguably shared only up to 50 per cent.
Barring a few organized players in the private sector in India, who tried to connect directly with
producers, most private dairies depended upon a network of village agents, bulk vendors and
contractors,13 a situation that tended to inflate their costs as well as compromise the quality of their
products.

Mother Dairy, in its reincarnation as a national player, faced competition largely from Amul and other co-
operative sector players as far as liquid milk was concerned, as the state co-operatives and their
distribution networks were well entrenched in the regional markets. After Operation Flood, a number of
private players realized the potential of venturing into dairy farming, and the 1970s saw the establishment
of a number of private players in almost every region of the country. Each one had its own processing
facilities with some big players (e.g., Hatsun Agro) that had their own chilling centres as well as contract
vehicles for catering to a regional customer base. Almost all the players — Anik, Hatsun Agro, Heritage,
Parag Foods, and Kwality — had established brands that were well recognized regionally and purchased
by local consumers. Almost all of these smaller players had also actively and aggressively realized the
potential in exporting milk and milk products to neighbouring states and to other countries. Further,
multinationals like Britannia and Nestlé had been in the country for more than three decades and had
well-established distribution networks. These companies understood the value that a typical Indian
consumer sought from dairy and dairy products.

The scenario in value-added products like milk-based products (e.g., cheese, milk powder, etc.) was more
or less similar. Mother Dairy faced stiff competition from multinationals like Britannia and Nestlé on the
one hand and from Indian players like Hatsun, Kwality, Paras, Devyani Foods, etc. on the other. Ice
creams showed a similar trend: GCMMF had the highest market share of 30.1 per cent, followed by
Hindustan Levers with 20.3 per cent. Mother Dairy was third, with a market share of 13.1 per cent.14 Due
to the local advantage, Mother Dairy, Amul and other co-operative sector players were usually able to

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deliver a price advantage to the price-conscious Indian consumer across product categories like yogurt,
cheese, butter, etc.

Another consumer trait that delivered an advantage to Amul and Mother Dairy was the fact that Indian
consumers held a strongly entrenched belief that, compared to private brands, government-supported
brands were unadulterated and, hence, came with the promise of superior quality. Thus, the advantage
that worked for brands like the Life Insurance Corporation of India (a public sector company) worked for
Amul and Mother Dairy in the milk sector. However, the urban Indian consumer also sought value in
terms of international flavours and quality and did not mind paying a premium for this trait. The desire for
an international experience served as a major advantage for international brands like Danone, Nestlé and
the latest entrant, Yakult.

Socio-Cultural Environment

India’s population of 1.2 billion was expected to rise to 1.4 billion by the year 2025, representing one of
the youngest populations in the world. Thus, despite slow economic reforms and the aftermath of the
current world economic crisis, the Indian consuming class was still forecasted to be a source of great
market value. Another key driver of this optimism originated in India’s burgeoning middle class, which
was expected to swell to a healthy 583 million by the year 2025. Among the high-income families, 2 per
cent (of the total population) was expected to account for 20 per cent of consumer spending in 2025.15

For religious as well as cultural reasons, a huge segment of India’s population was lacto-vegetarian.
Further, even amongst the non-vegetarian population, a large majority could not afford to buy meat
products. Thus, the country’s dependency on milk and milk products was substantial. Another significant
trend involved the country’s rapidly increasing level of urbanization and an increase in lifestyle diseases
like diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. These issues had sensitized Indian consumers to the need for
healthier eating and drinking patterns. Further, as a consequence of increased urbanization and double-
income households, the time-pressed consumer was always on the lookout for products of convenience, in
turn resulting in increased consumption of packaged goods, dairy products and a stupendous increase
(203.5 per cent) of health goods in 1995-2007. Thus, dairy and dairy products emerged as a healthy
option that the Indian consumer actively sought out, and the sector therefore anticipated double-digit
accelerated growth in the years to come.16

Finally, recognizing the emerging young, prosperous and experimental Indian consumer, milk producers
were constantly innovating with new products. Hence, a large array of liquid dairy products, such as
flavoured/pro-biotic milk, homogenized milk, butter-milk drinks (lassi and chach, i.e., sweet and salted)
had become available. Other products included ice-cream, pro-biotic products, packaged/flavoured
yogurt, milk powder, paneer (cottage cheese) and sweet-meats (varying across regions in form and taste).
The ice cream industry was expected to show significant growth in the coming years. Compared to
consumers in the United States (14 liters/annum/person) and China (2.2 liters /annum/person), Indian ice
cream consumption was very low (400 ml/annum/per person).17 However, Euromonitor International
predicted that the current market, which is worth INR 3,500 crore, will reach INR 6100 crores by 2017.18

Consumption Patterns: Milk and Dairy Products

For Indian consumers, milk held a special significance. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)
reported that the urban Indian consumer spent approximately 18.85 per cent of her food consumption

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expenses on dairy products, whereas the rural consumer spent 15.47 per cent. It was expected that the
domestic demand for milk would rise to 156 MT (metric tons) by the year 2020.19 The typical
consumption pattern of milk in India showed that 45 per cent of the milk consumed was in the form of
liquid milk; while butter milk and clarified butter (ghee) accounted for 34 per cent of consumption and
the rest was accounted for by — milk powder, ice cream, cheese and other products.20

MOTHER DAIRY FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRIVATE LIMITED

Mother Dairy, a wholly owned company of NDDB, started its operation in 1974 in the NCR. It merged
with NDDB’s direct subsidiary, Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Ltd. in 2004, with the merged entity
christened as Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Private Ltd. (MDFVPL). MDFVPL was set up as a 100-
per-cent-owned subsidiary company of NDDB in April 2000 by corporatizing the Mother Dairy plant in
Delhi and the fruit and vegetable project that marketed horticultural produce under the ‘Safal’ brand.21
The conglomerate had four separate business units. (The complete brand portfolio is given in Exhibit 5.)
The vision and mission of this joint body was “to provide quality food and beverages to consumers at
affordable prices, while ensuring fair returns to the producers.”22 The mission statement advises
consumers that “Mother Dairy’s heritage is intrinsically linked to the cooperative movement in India.
With determination and pride we will continue to serve our farmers, rural India and our consumers. Our
values reflect who we are and what we firmly believe in.”

The Mother Dairy Supply Chain

Mother Dairy operated as a manufacturer and marketer of milk and milk products. While sourcing its
entire requirement from dairy co-operatives, it was the first to introduce the token system to sell loose
milk in the capital. According to Debashish Das, general manager of marketing in the company’s Milk
Division at Mother Dairy, “Token milk is not just a convenient source of purchasing milk for consumers;
it is also an environment friendly proposition on the part of the company. It saves 5.5 to 6 tons of plastic
entering the Delhi market every day. It also accounts for a third of the daily sale of milk in the city, which
is around 1.0 million litres every day.”23

This vending machine-based network was unique to the Delhi-NCR region. A further advantage of selling
milk in this form stemmed from the fact that loose milk was the cheapest form of branded milk available,
at about INR 2 per litre cheaper than the toned poly-pack milk. The price point made loose milk a
preferred choice for the less-affluent classes residing in the area. In the branded loose milk category,
Mother Dairy was an undisputed leader in Asia. Almost 65 per cent of its revenue came from its loose
milk business, a category marked by low margins. The company had remained predominantly a milk
player, but since 1996, it had consistently enriched its repertoire of ice creams and other dairy products.24

Mother Dairy was able to efficiently capitalize on the three-tier milk grid that NDDB had built over the
years. With a strong focus on farmer welfare and the equally strong equity among milk producers, Mother
Dairy successfully managed to establish supply-side security, and a robust supply chain represented a key
competitive advantage for the organization. Compared to Mother Dairy’s results, big multinationals like
Nestlé and Danone met with only limited success in securing milk supplies in the Indian market, despite
their deep pockets and a long history in the country.

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Milk Procurement

Fresh milk was sourced directly from state-level co-operatives and from Mother Dairy’s own New
Generation Cooperatives (NGC). Milk received from the individual producer was checked on all basic
quality parameters to ensure that it met company specifications and requirements at respective collection
and chilling centres. Company officials claimed that a large part of Mother Dairy’s success in
procurement was due to its efficient supply-chain management, which hinged on ‘sahayaks’ (assistants),
who managed the collection centres and were responsible for making timely payments to farmers. These
sahayaks were appointed by farmers and were compensated through commission on the total
procurement.

Milk Processing

Mother Dairy milk products were manufactured in modern facilities using innovative processes and
technologies, with the milk received at the plant undergoing various processing steps before it reached the
end user. These processes included filtration, clarification, pasteurization, chilling, filling, packing and
storage of liquid milk. Process control parameters were monitored, recorded and reviewed as per the
quality plan to ensure the right product, right at the first time. Manufacturing processes were
benchmarked against best-in-class standards with a view towards continual improvement for
infrastructure and system requirements. A lot of credit went to the company’s robust and streamlined
supply chain, which supported Mother Dairy’s successful operation and planned expansion. Senior
executives at Mother Dairy echoed this belief, with Sunil Bansal, chief executive of MDFVPL’s Fruit and
Vegetable Division, stating, “One of our key strengths, for both the core dairy business and fruit and
vegetable retail is the strength of our supply chain.”25

Dispatch

Due to milk’s highly perishable nature, the process from procurement to consumption was extremely
critical. Over the years, Mother Dairy had been successful in developing a lean and optimal supply chain
model, which enabled it to deliver quality products to its consumers at affordable prices. To deliver to its
diverse and vast customer base, Mother Dairy used different delivery mechanisms:
 Token distribution: Branded loose milk was sold through automated vending machines at exclusive
retail outlets, also called lohey ki bhains (iron buffalo) in the vernacular.
 COW: Container-on-Wheels was a manual milk distribution system in which vendors on tricycles,
each fitted with a tank of milk, went around to residential quarters to distribute milk.
 Retailers: Packaged milk and other value-added dairy products were distributed via a retail network
throughout the market.

The Mother Dairy Brand

In India, the dairy sector had been transformed from a commoditized and low-margin liquid milk market
into a branded business. This evolution was a direct result of the population’s increasing disposable
income, India’s rapid urbanization and the time-pressed lifestyles that drove the consumer towards
packaged food products. As stated earlier, milk was one of the key sources of nutrition for India’s large
vegan population. Mother Dairy started its branding journey in the loose milk category, promoting its

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pure milk products as its key differentiator and benefit. Thus, consumers received a promise of “trust and
confidence” when they purchased milk from Mother Dairy.

Industry Perceptions

Mother Dairy had been involved with various branding and research agencies to gain an understanding of
the composition of the dairy market. Sridhar Ramanujam, founder chief executive officer of brand
communication, offered an interesting insight into the category, which considered milk to be a high-
involvement purchase in India. He said, “Consumers are usually locked into what they drink and do not
usually look for an alternative unless their preferred brand of milk is unavailable. While operating in a
category as crowded as milk, the only challenge lies in the fact that the customer should not reject your
brand.”26

D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), pointed
out yet another significant trend. Conforming to an analysis by Tata Strategic Management Group, he
noted that consumers today were becoming increasingly cautious of impurities in the dairy sector. Thus,
increased food safety, hygiene and adulteration concerns had become the primary reasons for inducing
consumers to move away from unorganized sources towards branded/packaged milk. “Mother Dairy has a
great sense of credibility backing it, owing to the support rendered by the government itself. Challenges
are limited, and all efforts need to be channeled towards aggressive visibility,” said Rawat.

According to Ashoo Advani of Chlorophyll Brand and Communications Consultancy, the primary virtues
that consumers looked for in milk products were purity and freshness. “Most brands operating in this
space will try to own these associations, but owning these will not create any differentiation,” said
Advani,27 indicating that these aspects would become (if not already so) constituents of the standard
expectation from the product rather than being looked at as an augmentation by consumers.

GEARING UP FOR A NATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

The past 38 years had been a comfortable and vastly successful journey, and MDFVPL, which had been
commissioned to essentially take the NDDB initiative forward, had grown into a full-fledged thriving
organization and was recognized as the capital city’s capital brand. The scenario, however, changed with
the onset of regional and international players edging for shelf space in the habitual milk segment.
Therefore, the time for MDFVPL to explore and establish new footprints had arrived.

Change Agents to Take the Brand Forward

In a clear signal that Mother Dairy meant business in terms of expanding its scope, after an exhaustive
organizational study by Accenture in 2007-08, four strategic business units (SBUs) were created: dairy,
dairy products, horticulture and oils. The team that was expected to take the conglomerate to the next
level had been handpicked by the then-chairperson of Mother Dairy and NDDB, Dr. Amrita Patel, the
force behind the Mother Dairy business model.

The breaking up of the portfolios into independent business units also indicated the differentials in growth
plans that were envisioned for these categories. “The accountability matrix was also fixed at that point of
time, implying that each functional head was accountable for everything in their respective domain,” said

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Dr. Saugata Mitra, chief people officer, MDFVPL,28 who had served long stints with Japanese consumer
giants like Sony and Sharp.

Siva Nagarajan (called “Naga” by his colleagues), managing director at MDFVPL, had enjoyed an
extensive and successful career at various FMCG companies. An undergraduate in dairy science and
technology, Naga had completed his post-graduation studies at the prestigious Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad, with advanced management courses from the University of Michigan. Naga, a
well-seasoned strategist, had worked with FMCG majors like Cadbury, PepsiCo and Philips. “We have a
business model, which is proven in Delhi NCR. We have now taken a call to get that model replicated
across India in all top towns.” Naga showed his enthusiasm as he praised the proactive board, supporting
its endeavor. “This board has a sense of appreciation of what the consumer wants and what the farmer has
to go through. It understands fairness and does not do anything with a short-term point of view.”29

In order to assist MDFVPL with the smooth governance of its company, Ernst & Young was appointed as
a consultant to advise on a best-in-class governance pathway and to design a risk management system.
Along with this venture, MDFVPL took on a number of new initiatives — namely, an employee
assessment effort with the help of Thomas International; a training and development initiative with
Franklin Covey; and selling skills training by Carew International. The organization also worked closely
with the National Productivity Council (India) to design productivity improvement measures, while Six
Sigma certification was executed by the Confederation of Indian Industries.

Expanding the Product Portfolio

After establishing itself in the milk sector, MDFVPL progressed conservatively to expand into related
product categories like ice cream in 1996; curds, flavoured milk, lassi and mishti doi in 2000; ghee and
ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk in 2005; and cheese in 2007.

The rate of new-product launches began to gather some momentum when MDFVPL introduced milk-
based probiotics (i.e., live bacteria and substances that are added to other food products such as milk;
probiotics have a beneficial effect on humans by improving and strengthening intestinal microbial
balance). These products were introduced as “b-Activ” (probiotic yogurt) and “Nutrifit” (lassi). In the ice
cream category, MDFVPL had a well-balanced line with international flavours like “cookies and cream”
and “chocolate fudge,” along with local flavours like Kesar-Malai, Shahi Mewa, Paan and Golgappa.
These flavours became instant hits with Indian consumers, which enabled MDFVPL to make strong
inroads in the ice cream category. MDFVPL also launched its low-calorie Dietz range of ice creams in
popular vanilla and mango flavours.

While designing new offerings, the company always considered flavours that would be accepted by the
local palate and taste. In the dairy category, localized products like mishti doi and tadka chach (spicy
buttermilk) were well accepted by consumers. Dr. Prabhakar Kanade, chief research and development
officer at MDFVPL, was responsible for these focused rollouts. With a PhD in food technology from the
University of Mumbai, Dr. Kanade had more than a decade of experience working in food technology
companies like Dumex and Wockhardt.

Changing the Packaging

Since the corporate plan was to go national, the company realized the need for a new look. The earlier
product packaging had focused on the message of abundance, which was in line with the Operation Flood

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drive; however, this concept was no longer relevant since the country had moved from a state of deficit to
one of surplus. The task of designing the new packaging was a difficult one since the visual imagery had
to carry the message of purity and quality, two traits that represented the legacy of the brand. Further, the
rebranding process was constrained by the need to keep the Operation Flood logo and by the mandate of
the Indian Dairy Association to colour-code the cartons to represent the type of milk they contained (e.g.,
green for standardized milk; red for full-cream milk; purple for skimmed milk, etc.). The new-packaging
imperative, however, could not be ignored since distinguishing Mother Dairy’s products from those of the
competition was critical if MDFVPL wanted to explore new geographies. In the end, the new package
portrayed the journey of milk from the farmers’ abode to the customers. The look was contemporary and
would resonate both with young and old, as well as with urban and semi-urban consumers.

New Distribution Initiatives

Mother Dairy had the backbone of a well-planned reach to the Indian consumer. The company had 3,000
milk booths in Delhi and its neighbouring suburbs, 15,000 stores selling its ice cream, 29,000 retail points
vending dairy products, 150 on-premise kiosks in Delhi, and 4,500 ice-cream vending carts. The company
had also meticulously ensured that each one of its 1,350 branded outlets were geographic-information-
system enabled. Annie John Mathew, chief information officer at Mother Dairy, expected to replicate the
capital retail footprint in other geographies as the company went national. Identifying information
discordance as a major efficiency hindrance, Mathew noted, “Details of accurate numbers of monthly
financial cycles were difficult to get, and all we could arrive at was an estimate. Annual closing took
months, and unit reconciliation was a herculean task.”30 Along with its systems partner SAP, Mathews
rolled out an aggressive “big bang” implementation of the management system at 75 locations
simultaneously. This process lowered the cost of ownership by reducing the monthly financial closing
cycle by 50 per cent and the time spent on inter-unit financial reconciliation time by 75 per cent. The next
stage looked more exciting, as Mathews was contemplating analytics and data mining for further
efficiency enhancement.

After entering the Mumbai market in 2009, the company boasted more than 3,000 retail outlets to cater to
the Mumbai consumers more effectively. It also started an ingenious plan to cater to lower income groups
with what was called the “Kamdhenu Project,” and initiative that was put in motion to resolve the milk
adulteration problem in the city. A small tank of milk was loaded onto a half-tonne truck, which then
travelled around, vending loose milk in chosen low-income localities. Managing Director Naga added that
MDFVPL was “contemplating 100 to 200 of [these trucks] running around in Mumbai to solve the
adulteration problem.”31

Another feather in MDFVPL’s distribution cap was its integral supply chain project. “The integral supply
chain project was one of the many initiatives we took to make the organization more efficient and
improve cost management,32“ enthused Nikhil Madgavkar, MDFVPL’s chief finance officer. An accounts
and law graduate from the University of Mumbai, Madgavkar worked strategically towards calculated and
well-structured cost-reduction measures. He was credited with bringing down the company’s net
operating working capital by INR 2,400 million, while balancing it with a 20 per cent growth in sales.
Madgavkar essentially achieved this feat by adopting some stringent measures, such as reducing the
average debt collection period by 25 per cent, removing inefficiencies in stock-holding, lessening the
insurance premium by INR 12.5 million (25 per cent), scaling down energy costs by INR 40 million (12
per cent), and decreasing supply chain costs by INR 100 million (5 per cent) by improving productivity
and efficiencies. In consultation with Ernst & Young as the company’s internal auditors, Madgavkar was
able to achieve a reduction of INR 200 million across all units.

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Rebranding of Mother Dairy

It was essential for the brand to create a positioning that was different from the core benefit of the
category, which is that milk is rich in calcium and essential for health. While most brands targeted the
adult buyer, Mother Dairy decided to take a different route and targeted the apple of the Indian parent’s
eye — the child. The brand had always communicated a “grow up stronger” message to the child, but
this time, the company decided to strike an emotional chord and base its revised branding communication
on the unconditional nurturing and care that a mother devotes to her child.

The brief given to the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather was asked them to amalgamate the essence of
the brand with the care imparted by a mother. The new advertising focused on the reality of an Indian
family, where the circle of life reiterates role reversal for the child and the mother (i.e., the child grows
up and takes care of his elderly mother, just as the mother took care of him when he was a child). The
television commercial was launched across India in October 2012 in Hindi (the national language) as well
as in other vernacular languages (Marathi, Tamil and Telugu).

To further reinforce the mother-child bond, the brand also carried out an ongoing campaign encouraging
the patriarchal Indian to salute his mother by adding her name as his middle name. (For example, a
popular Bollywood film director added his mother’s name as his middle name - Mr. Sanjay Leela
Bhansali.) The company also made aggressive and innovative use of social media by extending the
campaign on its Facebook page, on which it urged consumers to write letters to their mothers expressing
their love and gratitude towards them. Consumers were then asked to sign off with their mother’s name as
their middle name.

ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL PRESENCE

In addition to its growing product options, MDFVPL explored new product categories, both in the milk
segment as well as in its fruits and vegetables unit. The expansion plans were governed by two key
factors: 1) for the first 22 years of its existence, the company had sold only milk and was therefore
recognized as a state-level liquid milk brand; and 2) since the company operated in a freshness-focused
product category, the expansion plans would have to be governed by the shelf-life of the product. Thus,
the phased approach, which had begun with liquid milk, was transferred to dairy products.

After delivering on home grounds (i.e., the NCR), MDFVPL went on to expand to Mumbai, Junagarh in
Gujarat, and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. Next on the agenda was ice cream. Subhashis Basu, head of
business at MDFVPL, said, “We have taken a call to go in for a national footprint. In the next one or two
years, we will have a presence in all the metros.”33

The entire range was launched first in Mumbai, then in Bengaluru and Kolkata in 2012, and in Chennai in
March 2013. This expansion represented a great opportunity since the top line in Mother Dairy’s ice
cream category was growing at 30 per cent year-on-year, as compared to the core industry growth of 10 to
12 per cent. Buoyed by these results, Basu optimistically asserted, “Of course, I am eyeing the number
one position in ice-cream business pan-India in the next five years.”34

THE ROAD AHEAD

Mother Dairy was a conglomerate that did not grow by leaps and bounds but, instead, at a more cautious
and conservative pace. Though progress had been a trifle slow, the company was on the right track as a

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well-loved and well-established brand in New Delhi, the heart of India. But would it be able to resonate
with the diverse and widely spread Indian consumer? Each region had its own existing milk-purchasing
and consumption patterns. Had the Indian consumer really become truly cosmopolitan and so urban that a
food-based firm need not worry about individual differences? It was a complex situation because, if the
consumer truly had developed a typical urban mindset, then competition would come from aggressive and
well-established global brands like Nestlé and Danone. Conversely, if the Indian consumer still embraced
localized preferences, then the familiar state and regional brands would be difficult to dislodge from the
consumer’s shelf. Further, though MDFVPL had government support and credibility of source with the
NDDB lineage, the disadvantage of those connections was that the relationship made it impossible for
MDFVPL to make aggressive and time-bound decisions on its own behalf.

On September 7, 2013, New Delhi’s Economic Times announced that NDDB had made an official
announcement that it would have a new chairman since Dr. Amrita Patel, who had broken new grounds
and handled the reins for 45 years, was preparing to step down in November 2013 when she turned 70.

If NDDB got a new chairperson, the same person would also be the head of Mother Dairy. The main
concern at MDFVPL centred on the fact that the current pace of hard-fought growth had to be maintained
if the company expected to recognize its dream of going national. Would the new captain at NDDB share
the vision and plans that Dr. Patel had painstakingly and meticulously formulated for Mother Dairy?

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EXHIBIT 1: MILK MARKETING CHANNELS IN INDIA

Local retail
Unorganized

customers

Local milk
exchange/
wholesale market

Local milk traders

Village-based small Processors (Co- End user (Urban Retail

farmers and milk operative/ Customer/Resellers/
producers State/Private) Business)
Private
consolidators
Organized

District level milk

Village co-
producers’ co-
operatives
operative

Government
collection centres

Source: Adapted by the case writers from K. Rajendran and S. Mohanty, “Dairy Co-Operatives and Milk Marketing in India:
Constraints and Opportunities,” Journal of Food Distribution Research, 35(2), pp. 34-41.

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EXHIBIT 2: OPERATION FLOOD: DAIRY CO-OPERATIVE MODELS IN INDIA

The national milk grid: Post the highly successful co-operative model of Amul set-up in Gujarat by the
great visionary Dr. V. Kurien, the government of India decided to use the framework to formalize a
national dairy development policy. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was established for the
purpose/was given the mandate of replicating the co-operative model. The initiative was spearheaded by
Dr. V. Kurien as its founding chairperson, and the initiative was titled “Operation Flood.” Dr. Kurien
eventually handed over the operation to his protégé Dr. Amrita Patel in 1998. The overall process
involved setting up a national grid that would connect all dairy farmers across the country to the end
consumer through a well-constructed system of procurement, processing and marketing. This program,
which began in 1970 and ended in 1996, is essentially a three-tier system. At the first level are the
farmer-controlled village co-operatives responsible for procurement, testing and supplying milk to the
marketing chain, which in turn is responsible for distributing the local supply, with the surplus going to the
next tier.

The second tier sits at the district level. This tier is managed by the district union, where three functions
are carried out: 1) processing of milk, 2) transportation of milk, and 3) establishing cattle feed plants,
animal health-care advice and livestock centres. The third level is the state-level apex body that is
responsible for in-state and inter-state sales and marketing.

Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.: The dairy farmer remained at the mercy of
cartelized procurement and price squeezes by middlemen and, thus, could never gain any personal
ground. Farmers in the Anand District of Gujarat, guided by national leaders like Vallabhbhai Patel and
Morarji Desai, formed their own co-operative namely, Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union
Ltd. (eventually known as Amul). Beginning with two villages, the co-operative grew under the leadership
of its founding chairman, Tribhuvandas Patel, and then under Dr. V. Kurien, who, in 1950, was inducted
to manage the cooperative. The Kaira District Co-operative was later joined by five more unions from
Gujarat, with an apex marketing body. The Kaira union then transferred brand Amul to GCMMF. The
unique feature of this model is that it is essentially supported by one state co-operative while the owners
are the three million milk producers, with GCMMF responsible for marketing. Having their own co-
operative ensures that these milk producers meet the demand with a well-managed and “fresh” supply of
liquid milk.

Mother Dairy: Mother Dairy began as a wholly owned company of NDDB and does not have a dedicated
owner-driven co-operative, unlike GCMMF. It relies on the national grid and state-level co-operatives.
Thus, at times, supply becomes erratic and consequently, it becomes a matter of concern for Indian
consumers, who seek the utmost degree of freshness in their milk and milk products. The supply problem
has been handled by Mother Dairy, which is now setting up its own dedicated procurement units at
Saurashtra with partners like Pradeshik Cooperative Dairy Federation (PCDF). As part of the MDFVPL, a
wholly owned subsidiary of NDDB, the members of the co-operative are now suppliers and not owners.
Thus, procurement, pricing and other key strategic decisions are by and large in the hands of NDDB.
Source: K. Cunningham, “Rural and Urban Linkages: Operation Flood’s Role in India’s Dairy Development,” IFPRI
Discussion paper no. 924, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C., 2009; T.V. Mahalingam and S.
Kandavel, “The Milkmen Who Hope to Challenge India's Iconic Milk Co-Operative Amul,” Economic Times, February 12,
2012; http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-02-12/news/31050324_1_parag-milk-foods-amul-private-dairy,
accessed September 10, 2013; “About Us,” www.motherdairy.com/MotherDairyPages/ourcompany.aspx, accessed
September 10, 2013.

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EXHIBIT 3: GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS- DAIRY PROCESSING SECTOR IN INDIA

Milk and Milk Product Order (MMPO) — 1992: (Milk and Milk Product Amendment Regulations, 2009):
The objective of the order is to maintain and increase the supply of liquid milk of desired quality in the
interest of the general public and also for regulating the production, processing and distribution of milk
and milk products. As per the provisions of this order, any person/dairy plant handling more than 10,000
litres per day of milk or 500 MT of milk solids per annum needs to be registered with the Registering
Authority appointed by the Central Government. There is no restriction on setting up of new dairy units
and expansion in the milk processing capacity. The requirement of registration is for enforcing the
prescribed Sanitary and Hygienic Conditions, Quality and Food Safety Measures, as specified in the Vth
Schedule of MMPO-1992.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS): This bureau formulates Indian standards in the processed foods
sector. BIS has on record a list of the standards required for most of processed foods. Manufacturers
complying with standards laid down by the BIS can obtain the “ISI” mark that can be exhibited on product
packages. BIS has identified certain items (e.g., food colours/additives, containers for packing, milk
powder and condensed milk) for compulsory certification.

Source: “Mail and Milk Product Amendment Regulations 2009,” Food Safety and Standards Authority of India,
www.fssai.gov.in/Regulations/MilkandMilkProductRegulationsMMPR2009.aspx, accessed October 2, 2013; “Milk and Dairy
Sector,” www.dsir.gov.in/reports/ittp_tedo/agro/AF_Animals_Milk_Dairy_Intro.pdf, accessed October 2, 2014.

EXHIBIT 4: INDIA DAIRY — BRAND SHARE (ORGANIZED MARKET) IN PER CENT

YEAR 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

GCMMF (Amul) 14.6 14.4 14.6 14.8 14.9 14.8
NDDB (Mother Dairy) 10.8 11.2 11.3 11.5 11.2 10.9
Major state co-operatives 34.5 34.1 33.9 33.9 33.9 33.5
Major private brands 6 6.5 6.9 7 7.2 7.3
Others 34.1 33.8 33.3 32.8 32.8 33.5

Source: www.euromonitor.com/dairy-in-india/report, accessed September 10, 2013.

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EXHIBIT 5: MDFVPL’S STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNITS (MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS ONLY)

Mother Dairy (milk): Mother Dairy sells 2.5 million litres of milk per day in the NCR while it sells close to
0.7 million litres per day in the markets of Mumbai, Saurashtra and Hyderabad. The company sells its
dairy products through a vast network of approximately 1,400 retail outlets and more than 1,000 exclusive
outlets. Though owned by Mother Dairy, the operations of these outlets are franchised to local
franchisees. The vast liquid milk portfolio includes loose milk (token milk) and packaged milk, wherein
packaged milk is sold in the following variants: skimmed milk, double-toned milk, toned milk, standardized
milk, full-cream milk, premium full-cream milk, cow’s milk and UHT milk.

Mother Dairy (dairy products): Mother Dairy manufactures and markets a wide range of dairy products.
This portfolio is heavily enriched through flavours and different variants of each. The dairy products’
portfolio is listed here:
 Dahi (yogurt):- plain, probiotic, mishti doi (sweetened yogurt)
 Lassi (buttermilk) :- sweet, mango, strawberry, salted, plain and spiced (chach and tadka chach)
 Nutrifit (probiotic milk):- mango, strawberry and chocolate
 Butter: butter, Ghee (clarified butter) (buffalo and cow milk based)
 Cheese: Fresh paneer (cottage cheese), cheese slices, cheese cubes and cheese spread
 Ice creams: international flavours like “cookies and cream” and “honey almond fudge”; national
delights like - kesar malai pista; popular ice cream flavours;
 Ice and milk lollies: mango duet, etc.,
 Mithai (Indian sweets):- khoya, milk cake, chenna, kheer (milk based rice pudding).

Fruit & vegetables: Safal is the fruits and vegetables arm of MDFVL. It currently sells through 350
exclusive retail outlets. Besides seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, the unit also sells frozen products
like peas, corn mix-veg, corn chatkara (spicy corn) and aloo tikki (potato patties), juices and fruit
beverages; processed foods and groceries. Safal currently operates through more than 400 retail outlets
in the NCR region. These outlets are owned by Mother Dairy but franchised for operations. Thus, they
can sell other products/ brands from the same location, with the approval of Mother Dairy authorities.
Safal has also been exporting to markets spread across 40 countries, such as— the United States,
Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Edible Oil: Launched under the “Operation Golden Flow” program of the NDDB, Dhara is today a INR 4
billion cooking oil brand that accounts for 15 per cent of Mother Dairy’s total revenues. With taste,
freshness, purity and value for money, Dhara is one of the most trusted brands in India. The aim behind
this launch was to aid the larger cause of Indian farmers/ producers and consumers by attempting to
balance the erratic and inadequate supply of quality edible oil and offering it at an affordable price. Based
on the co-operative framework, Dhara facilitated the transactions of Indian oil seed farmers by providing
the right price for their oil seed crops. This move by Dhara also helped further by reducing dependence
on import of edible oils. The existing variants of Dhara include several kinds of refined and filtered oils
such as soya bean, rice bran, sunflower, cottonseed, groundnut and mustard. Dhara now reaches nearly
200,000 outlets directly and indirectly across 384 towns.

Source: www.motherdairy.com/MotherDairyPages/home.aspx, accessed December, 1, 2013 and author’s observations of

10 MDFVPL milk booths and 25 fruit and vegetable outlets in the NCR.

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END NOTES
1
This case has been written on the basis of published sources only. Consequently, the interpretation and perspectives
presented in this case are not necessarily those of Mother Dairy or any of its employees.
2
The states and union territories of India include Uttar Pradesh; Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Orissa, Kerala, Jharkhand, Assam, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Haryana,
Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Goa, Arunachal
Pradesh, Puducherry, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and
Diu, Lakshadweep (in descending order of population). “States Census 2011,” www.census2011.co.in/states.php, accessed
June 24, 2014.
3
S. Acharya and R. K. Yadav, Production and Marketing of Milk and Milk Products in India, Mittal Publications, New Delhi,
1992.
4
I. Chatterjee, “Milk production in India,” Economic & Political Weekly, 1960, 12(36), pp. 1347-1348,
www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/1960_12/36/milk_production_in_india.pdf, accessed July 5, 2013.
5
K. Cunningham, “Rural and Urban Linkages: Operation Flood’s Role in India’s Dairy Development,” IFPRI Discussion
Paper No. 924, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C., 2009.
6
Sohini Das, “Creamed by Costs, Dairies Pin Hope on Value Addition,” Business Standard, November 21, 2013,
www.business-standard.com/article/markets/creamed-by-costs-dairies-pin-hopes-on-value-addition-113112000341_1.html,
accessed February 3, 2014
7
http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx, accessed September 10, 2013.
8
Dun & Bradstreet, “Sectoral Risk Outlook: Dairy and Dairy Products,” Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Private
Limited, Mumbai, India 2013.
9
“NDDB Gears Up for India’s Second White Revolution,” The Times of India, July 15, 2010.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-07-15/vadodara/28281025_1_milk-production-national-dairy-plan-white-
revolution, accessed February 3, 2014.
10
T.V. Mahalingam and S. Kandavel, “The Milkmen Who Hope to Challenge India’s Iconic Milk Co-Operative Amul,”
Economic Times, February 12, 2012. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-02-12/news/31050324_1_parag-
milk-foods-amul-private-dairy, accessed September 10, 2013.
11
“About Us,” www.motherdairy.com/MotherDairyPages/ourcompany.aspx, accessed September 10, 2013.
12
Vishwanath Kulkarni, “There is a Flood in Delhi,” The Hindu Business Line, November 15, 2012,
www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/weekend-life/theres-a-flood-in-delhi/article4095238.ece, accessed June 1, 2014.
13
Harish Damodaran, “It ‘Pays’ to Work with Farmers,” The Hindu Business Line, September 22, 2013,
www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/harish-damodaran/it-pays-to-work-with-farmers/article5157095.ece,
accessed December 8, 2013.
14
“Dairy in India,” www.euromonitor.com/dairy-in-india/report, accessed September 10, 2013.
15
Vishwanath Kulkarni, “There is a Flood in Delhi,” The Hindu Business Line, November 15, 2012,
www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/weekend-life/theres-a-flood-in-delhi/article4095238.ece, accessed June 1, 2014.
16
International Markets Bureau, “Market Indicator Report 2010: Agriculture and Agri-food Canada: Health and Wellness
Trends in India,” Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, http://gov.mb.ca/agriculture/market-prices-and-statistics/trade-
statistics/pubs/india_health_wellness_en.pdf, accessed June 24, 2014.
17
Sunita Nathi, “Ice Cream Brands Roll Out New Products, Packaging and Territory,” Indian Express, March 30, 2014.
www.newindianexpress.com/business/news/Ice-cream-Brands-Roll-Out-New-Products-Packaging-and-
Territories/2014/03/30/article2138369.ece, accessed June 1, 2014.
18
Ibid.
19
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, “India - Household Consumer Expenditure, NSS 63rd Round: July
2006 - June 2007,” Government of India, New Delhi, accessed July 15, 2014.
20
C.S. Edhayavarman, “Growth and Development of Dairy Industry in India,” 2012.
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/5129/9/09_chapter%203.pdf, accessed June 1, 2014.
21
Harish Damodaran, “NDDB Winds up Mother Dairy Foods,” The Hindu Business Line, December 23, 2004,
www.thehindubusinessline.in/2004/12/23/stories/2004122300861000.html, accessed October 10, 2013.
22
www.motherdairy.com, accessed September 17, 2013.
23
Neha Goel, “Mother Dairy Milks Opportunities in New Markets,” March 3, 2012,
http://pitchonnet.com/blog/2012/03/16/can-mother-dairy-milk-success-in-new-markets/, accessed October 10, 2013.
24
Malini Goyal, “Billion Dollar Mother Dairy’s New Strategies to Win Back and Go National,” Economic Times, May 15, 2011,
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-05-15/news/29545772_1_new-strategy-base-home-turf, accessed
October 10, 2013.
25
James Jose, “Mother Dairy: A Story of Indian Entrepreneurship,” www.indiaafricaconnect.in/index.php?param=news/30,
accessed October 10, 2013.
26
Aditi Malhotra, “Going National: Can Mother Dairy ‘Milk’ Success in New Markets?” November 9, 2012,
http://pitchonnet.com/blog/2012/11/09/can-mother-dairy-milk-success-in-new-markets/, accessed October 10, 2013.
27
Ibid.

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28
M. Mitra, “How a Transformed Mother Dairy is Spreading its Wings,” Economic Times, December 7, 2012,
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-12-07/news/35670616_1_mother-dairy-dhara-vegetable-oil-nddb,
accessed October 10, 2013.
29
Ibid.
30
E. Birnur, “Mother Dairy Goes Big Bang with ERP,” January 21, 2012, http://biztech2.in.com/casestudies/erp/mother-dairy-
goes-big-bang-with-erp/98622/0, accessed October 10, 2013.
31
M. Mitra, “How a Transformed Mother Dairy is Spreading its Wings — From Delhi to Dublin,” Economic Times, December
7, 2012, http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-12-07/news/35670616_1_mother-dairy-dhara-vegetable-oil-
nddb, accessed October 10, 2013.
32
Sanjesh Kumar “Great Shakes,” Economic Times, October 15, 2013,
http://mobileet.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=26&sectid=edid=&edlabel=ETD&mydateHid=07-12-
2012&pubname=Economic+Times+-+Delhi&edname=&articleid=Ar02600&publabel=ET, accessed October 11, 2013.
33
“Mother Dairy Eyes No.1 Spot In Ice Cream Business,” October 1, 2012https://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/mother-dairy-
eyes-no-1-162214196.html, accessed October 12, 2013.
34
Ibid.

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