In an interview with BW Businessworld, Vishal Gupta, Managing Director of Borges India, discussed how the idea for Olive Leaf Infusion was conceived and shared more insights into its development.
For centuries, olive oil has been known for its health benefits like boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, and supporting heart health. Most of the people also have switched their oils following a healthy lifestyle. Olive leaves also have beneficial properties. To use the benefits of entire olive plant, Borges, took the advantage of right time and unveiled Olive Leaf Infusion under beverage category at World Food India 2024.
In an interview with BW Businessworld, Vishal Gupta, Managing Director of Borges India, discussed how the idea for Olive Leaf Infusion was conceived and shared more insights into its development.
Excerpts:
How do you plan to tackle the challenges of changing consumer habits, especially regarding tea, and what are your distribution strategies for your products in India?
Consumer experience in a whole lot of things, because changing consumer habits is not an easy task, especially when it comes to tea. Tea is very, very close to all of us, all the people who consume tea. So I think the road ahead is challenging; it’s a long road.
We are very keen to educate the consumer, to get them to experience the product, and we are closely watching this. So a lot of marketing initiatives are planned, which will unfold in the months to come, and we should be able to do that. I would not be able to comment on any specific amount, but what I would say is we would like to invest, or we would like to do whatever it takes to make it successful.
So we have built a robust distribution network; we have distribution in e-commerce channels, in modern trade, in the top end of the traditional trade, and some food service. Because of the huge portfolio that we have now, ranging from olive oils to seed oils to pastas to vinegars and stuff like that, we are utilizing that particular distribution network, or we are going to be pushing it across all such platforms. As of today, we’re already available on Amazon, Big Basket, and certain other traditional trade and modern trade stores.
As we go along, we will be expanding our distribution footprint in terms of geography as well as practice. Most of the products that we have—let’s say olives—are not grown in India. Rajasthan was a one-of-a-kind experiment.
Why was Rajasthan chosen for olive cultivation in India?
Scientists believed that the climate and soil conditions in the region could be favorable for growing olives.
It was a well-thought-out plan by the scientists; we didn’t initiate it. The Rajasthan Olive World Council and a firm from Israel conducted numerous experiments before deciding on this specific region. They went all in—planting trees, convincing farmers—there’s been a lot of effort put into this. Unfortunately, the fruit hasn’t reached commercially viable quality and quantity yet. The fruit exists, but whether it makes commercial sense is the question.
That’s where things stand. We’ll see how we progress from here. As I mentioned earlier, more innovations could emerge. It’s difficult for me to comment, but we remain optimistic. Not only from a domestic market perspective, but this concept could also be exported globally. That would be a game changer.
How does your product contribute to the global market, and how do you manage its pricing?
Revenue is one aspect. The second is what we can contribute to the world. What I am saying is that, as a concept and a product, it has the potential to make a global impact. The pricing is quite manageable—we have kept it reasonable, so it’s not an expensive product.
How does Borges ensure the quality and consistency of its olive oils compared to other brands, especially in terms of taste and production?
I cannot comment on other brands, but regarding Borges, we are very quality-conscious—that’s point number one. All our olive oils, seed oils, and blended oils are packed in our own facilities in Spain. The product you receive in India is the same as what’s available in Spain, the US, Singapore, or anywhere else.
So, there is no differentiation in that regard. We do have our unique formulations, and it’s a natural product, which we strive to maintain. Quality is a top priority for us, and one aspect of quality is taste. While it’s not the only aspect, taste and other organoleptic qualities are crucial to our brand.
What about the packaging?
We use both glass and PET for our oils. For smaller sizes, such as 250 ml, 500 ml, and 1-litre packs, glass is easier to manage. However, we opt for PET for larger sizes, like 2-litre and 5-litre packs, as glass can be difficult to handle.
