100% Sin. 0% Guilt.

By
Mariyam Habibullah
M.Sc. F.P.P (II)
Roll No. 07
Introduction :
For centuries, Indians have beaten the heat with cool dairy treats such as
buttermilk, lassi and badam doodh.
Now, thanks to serial entrepreneur GS Bhalla, one more item has joined that list: frozen
flavoured yoghurt.
Cocoberry is India's first premium frozen yogurt chain.
G S Bhalla (Founder and CEO) along with his brother, Raja Inder Bhalla, opened the first
Cocoberry outlet in New Delhis tony Defence Colony in February 2009 after a detailed market
aptitude survey.
Cocoberry launched a range of frozen yogurts, recognising substantial potential in the Indian
health and wellness foods segment.
January 2012 | Suburb life | pg.29 ;
http://business.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?277272
Today, the company has a chain of around 50 outlets scattered across Ahmedabad, Bangalore,
Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Faridabad, Goa, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Mumbai and Noida.

With 95% market share, Cocoberry has almost no competition, apart from a few local vendors.
Food and beverage majors such as Nestl and Mother Dairy sell flavoured yoghurt and ice-creams but
are yet to get into the frozen flavoured yoghurt space.

Moreover, Cocoberrys positioning as a healthy lifestyle brand has helped it carve a unique identity
quite distinct from the FMCG players, including Baskin Robbins, which has a pure indulgence
orientation.

The premium positioning leverages the uniqueness of Cocoberrys product, the caf-like atmosphere
of its kiosks, and their high street/mall locations.

Cocoberrys popularity can be gauged from the fact that it has over 138,000 Facebook fans.
The turnover in the first year was Rs 5 crore.

http://business.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?277272
About the Founder
G S Bhalla, graduated in economics from Khalsa College, Delhi University in the year 1992.

Rather than pursuing higher studies and taking a corporate route, in 1993 he founded Universal Paper Traders
with a Rs. 10,000 loan from his mother. The firm trades in finished paper products like greeting cards,
calendars and corporate gift articles. He ran the company till 2000 and then left it under the supervision of a
team.

In May 2000, he decided to shift to the buzzing KPO(knowledge process outsourcing) space and founded the
Horizon Group, which was a group of back-end operations companies looking after the healthcare vertical
and catering to the American market.

In 2007 he signed up for a crash course in entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School.


http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-19/news/31210678_1_greeting-cards-yogurt-flavoured
In 2008 he started conducting rigorous market research in various sectors
and industries in India, seeking the next big idea.

He found out that the food & beverage space was a goldmine which was
relatively unexplored. At that time, the Indian demographic was undergoing a
change, leaning towards healthier food options.

Bhalla kept the sweltering Indian summer in mind, but instead of going for
the tried-and-tested ice cream, he tried something conventional with an
urban twist.

He took yogurt and mixed it with myriad flavours and fruit toppings. The
outcome was Cocoberry, a frozen yogurt treat.

Story behind the name
The name Cocoberry was given by his daughter who was 7 years old at the time. It is a blend of
the words "Coco" from Cocoa beans and "Berry from the assortment of fruits that they serve
along with freshly made Non-Fat Frozen yogurt.

The name kept both fun and health in mind; while consumption of cocoa is an anti-depressant
and known to fight certain ailments, berries are rich in antioxidants.

He trademarked the brand name and registered the company in April-May 2008. The seed capital
of Rs. 5 crore came from personal savings and a loan from a nationalised bank.

The first question that was asked was, What will you do with a big dahi ki dukaan (curd
shop)?" . Three years on, he has the answer: introduce a fad, create a brand and generate
healthy profits.

January 2012 | Suburb life | pg.29 ;
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-19/news/31210678_1_greeting-cards-yogurt-flavoured
A Little about cocoberry
Cocoberry outlets are designed featuring a contemporary style interior with a touch of natural and classic
colours. The colour theme blends are cozy and upbeat, appealing to all ages.
Cocoberry Frozen Yogurt is 100% Natural, with no artificial colours and no preservatives.
They serve an assortment of fruits and dry toppings along with freshly made Non-Fat Frozen yogurt.
Also serve a selection of hot and cold beverages such as coffees, teas and smoothies.
http://www.afaqs.com/news/company_briefs/?id=54154_Cocoberry+opens+25+newly+designed+outlets+in+first+qtr+2012-13 ;
www.cocoberry.co.in
Currently serving 4 flavours of "froyo" in three portions sizes, S,M,L .
All of which are customizable with fresh fruit such as Blueberries, Strawberries, Kiwi,
Mango, Pomegranate, Musk Melon and Black Grapes or dry toppings such as Oreo
Cookies, Snickers, Granola, Sliced Almonds, Walnuts. Cocoberry also serves a variety
of freshly made sandwiches.

Cocoberry has recently introduced some exciting product variants like Cocoberry
Sundaes and a Rs.34 mini cup. It has also introduced some interesting new flavours
like Dutch Chocolate, Raspberry, Peach, melon and a variety of toppings for the first
time in India.

The combination of the finest premium quality product, superior service,
aesthetically designed stores and a wide range of flavours and toppings sets
Cocoberry apart.

www.cocoberry.co.in
Achievements
It is now the top 20 Retail Food and Top 100 FMCG Facebook fanbases in the world.
Cocoberry has received numerous awards and accolades, most recently the Most Admired Food
Service Retailer-2012 by the Coca Cola Golden Spoon awards and the 2012 award for
Marketing Excellence by Zee Business.

www.cocoberry.co.in
Target ?
Initial target market was a more educated, well-travelled urban population, but even
there it was a struggle. Marketing the product and educating customers were the
toughest challenges. When cocoberry started, people were not aware of the word
'yogurt', so thats where they decided to leverage the power of social media. Along with
the first store, a Facebook page for Cocoberry was launched.

Cocoberry also has in its crosshairs women in the age group of 15-35 years, who are not
only the largest chunk of fro-yo consumers globally but also in India.

Young working mothers in a fitness-conscious nuclear family who have to serve up a good
breakfast but has little time to prepare one.


http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-19/news/31210678_1_greeting-cards-yogurt-flavoured ;
Business Standard: August 31,2011
Marketing
In a short span of few years, it has been able to establish its brand name among
the young and urbane, thanks to its guerrilla marketing tactics.
The frozen yogurt (fro-yo) fever is heating up as the tart treat tries to lure
consumers as a healthier alternative to ice cream.

Main idea/objective to create a brand around the health & wellness proposition.
Hence focussed on two key nutrition categories
Anti-oxidants ( through berry toppings)
pro-biotic ( referring to yoghurt )

Social media Facebook and twitter
4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING| 16 DECEMBER 2011 - 12 JANUARY 2012
Why has Cocoberry, primarily offering low-
fat frozen yogurts, diversified into offering
sandwiches and beverages?

The products main category is health food.
To serve customers the healthiest food options blended with taste, flavour and
variety. Hence, prime area of focus is innovation in food.
Cocoberry entered the market with low-fat, low-sugar and low-calorie yogurts.
But, as the chain expanded, it introduced other products too. They now also
serve a selection of hot and cold beverages like coffee, tea and smoothies, and a
variety of freshly-made sandwiches.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/sme/q-a-g-s-bhalla-founder-ceo-cocoberry-111020100043_1.html
Next big thing

Cocoberry is set to play in the breakfast segment with its 'long-life' yogurt. The take-home tubs
of yogurts, to be launched soon, are expected to grow sales by 15 to 20 per cent for the brand.
Usually frozen yogurts cannot be stored or refrigerated. But to seed the product as an off-the-
shelf breakfast meal, Cocoberry had to ensure longer shelf-life. That is why it brought in
technological changes to make its yogurts last at least six months in refrigeration. That beats
the shelf life of even regular yogurts (10 days or so). No other yogurt manufacturer has
marketed such a product till now, giving it the first-mover's advantage.
The company had launched a sugar-free and a sweeter yogurt range in April. The sweeter
yogurt is less tangy than regular yogurt.
It has also launched kiosks in high traffic areas called Cocoberry2Go, and Cocoberry cafs,
which offer coffee, tea and slushes besides the signature frozen yoghurt.
http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/coolest-start-ups-how-cocoberry-was-born/1/191469.html
Ambitious Plans

Cocoberrys business has grown 300% over the last two years. And its Rs. 5
crore-plus turnover increased to Rs. 10-12 crore by 2012.
Going forward, Bhalla plans to take the franchisee route to expand. Currently,
nearly 80% of Cocoberrys outlets are company-owned with the rest being
franchisees.
The Cocoberry CEO has drawn up an ambitious expansion blueprint for his
company. He plans to have 150 outlets by the end of this year and invest Rs.
120 crore over the next three years.
http://business.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?277272
Investors
Cocoberry was self-funded when Bhalla started.
Later, Ajay Relan, Head of CX Partners, invested in it in his personal capacity.
Other investors include Westchester Advisors, a New York-based boutique
investment fund.
Bhalla has also roped in IIM Ahmedabad alumnus Rahul Deans, formerly with
Hindustan Unilever and Aditya Birla Retail, as President of his venture.
http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/coolest-start-ups-how-cocoberry-was-born/1/191469.html
Being Everywhere

Bhalla also plans to enter the packaged food space and grab a bigger slice of
the health food and beverages pie. He feels that the dedicated company
outlets will help Cocoberry have a widespread distribution network. Home
delivery, catering and a presence in corporate cafeterias are other income
streams Cocoberry will explore.

The company eventually plans to expand to South East Asia, the Middle East
and North Africa. For now though, its focus is firmly on India.

http://business.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?277272