August 31, 2010
 

Yakult Danone India expands probiotic business

Established in 2005, the Indian joint venture between Yakult and Danone to bring Yakult probiotic drinks to the Indian market is now expanding, with Bangalore targeted as the point of entry for southern markets.
 

The 50/50 joint venture put products on Delhi shelves in 2007 and 65ml Yakult little bottles that contain 6.5 billion colony forming units of the strain Lactobacillus casei Shirota are now present in that city as well as Chandigarh, Punjab, Jaipur, Mumbai and Pune.

"Our India expansion plans are on track and soon we would enter into other markets in the south," said Yakult Danone India managing director, Kiyoshi Oike.

The Indian market remains minute by European standards with Frost & Sullivan estimating its worth at a mere INR20.6 million rupees (US$440,000), but it should push through the EUR1 million (US$1.27 million) mark around 2013-2014 and be worth EUR1.3 million (US$1.65 million) in 2015.