Chilli-garlic paste !! . Review on Kelkar's Varhadi Thecha

Why there is a need to write on a chilli-garlic paste labelled as Kelkar's Varhadi Thecha ?

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There are a few special reasons to do that ...... Before u hit that Very Useful (I presume) or Not Useful (My wish for long long time) button, read on a fantastic marketing-distribution story supported by a nice product.

Reason no. 1 : Exploiting loyal readers ? If you think like writing a review on a simple chilli-garlic paste is exploiting a few(!!) loyal readers(??) of ur reviews who like ur writing skills (??), its not that way.... I'm a loyal consumer of this product for last few months and almost addicted to it.

Reason no. 2: WinningA gimmick to win the newly announced contest at MS to write 5 reviews on topics never discussed before. It possibly wrong again...This was product was added a long time back now...I'm reviving it now ! My intensions are as pure as Mandakini in Ram teri Ganga maili !

Reason no. 3: Emotional Fool : The unknown words ''Varhadi Thecha'' would probably be understood by a few readers here.

Varhadi refers something belonging to the Varhad i.e. a large area referred proudly by the people staying in and around nagpur areas of Maharashtra. It is also popularly referred as Vidarbha. Its something like Gadhwali to people from Gadhwal, Punjabi from Punjab i.e. Gadhwali cuisine, punjabi songs, etc. Since I originate from this part of the world, anything conencted to this place makes me emotional..emotional fool sometimes ! This formula of emotional fools connected to their native places is best used by the filmwallahs(Pardes, Swades..)...I can possibly ask the producers of this product to rename it as Swadesi Thecha and market it overseas...I can charge a hefty amount as Consultancy fees...

Reason no. 4 :Mouthwatering treat:The word Thecha makes me remember the nicely grinded green chillies alongwith raw garlic spiced up with a table spoon of grounnut oil. This sounds to raw...but its tastes great with any indian preparation like roti, chapati, parathas, bhakris, etc.

At any point of time if I feel like eating something spicy, I open the pack of Kelkar's varhadi thecha and spread it on the roti...roll it and yum yum yum ! I bet...it tastes better than any frankie available on the street !

Ask any person from vidarbha about thecha and see his lit up eyes, mouth watering and heart crying for thecha !!

Reason no. 4 : Versatility thy name: The thecha in its original form lasts only for a few days...But this being product to be marketed all over has made it to paste form making it more versatile. One can add it as in place of usual masala while making sabzis, currys and spiec it up.

Reason no. 5 : A Success story : Right from conceptualising this product, shaping it up in paste form, packing it in a way to have extended shelf life and distributing it widely makes this product something to cheer about...this of course from the 4 reasons mentioned above.

Conceptualising the product :Kelkar Udyog is a small scale producer and obvious with limited resorces in terms of money and distribution lines as referred in FMCG circuits. So conceptualising a product thats known over for its spicy character itself was a great start.

Paste form:As mentioned earlier, the thecha in its original form is perishable item, can last only for a few days. It was so practical for them to make it in paste form so that it has extended shelf life. Unless any food item has enhanced shelf life, its reach is restricted to its manufacturing base only.

Wide distribution and price : This product can possibly be found on shelves of many grocery shops across Maharashtra. Not to mention, they are found typically occupying the prime space too... Price is too economical considering the ingredients.

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My marketing fundas tought me something about four Ps in my initial professional life ... Then we moved to kotlers, BCGs, Mckinseys...I sometimes wondered about practical applicability of the basic marketing principles in fiercely fought FMCG market....The same fundas tought me about all hi-fi in the ever-interesting world of marketing...but this product reminded me to stick to basic principles of 4 Ps...Hail the strategist at Kelkar's

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