Nestlé looks beyond Maggi, bets on India petcare boom

Nestlé SA sees India as a potential top-three global petcare market after the US and China

- Vaeshnavi Kasthuri & Sowmya Ramasubramanian

For Swiss food giant Nestlé SA known for its Maggi instant noodles, Nescafé coffee powder, and KitKat chocolates, India is emerging as a major market for another product line.

According to a senior Nestlé executive, India is among the fastest-growing markets for the company's global petcare division, Purina, and holds the potential to become one of the world's top three petcare markets.

Purina, which launched in India in 2017, sells food and supplements for cats and dogs. "India is a mega-market in the making," said Hubert Weiser, chief executive of Nestlé Purina petcare Asia, Oceania and Africa, in an interview with Mint. "The US is the largest, followed by China, and India will one day be among the top three. All the ingredients are in place." India's pet food industry is at a pivotal moment, driven by a new generation of pet owners who are actively seeking better nutrition for their pets.