Client Need

A leading global big 5 consulting firm approached Knowledge Ridge to get first-hand insights into the Food and Agricultural Products space in India. This included consultations with experts from companies involved in spice manufacturing and export in the Indian market. The experts for these consultations were required to be senior professionals well versed with the export of spices and ancillary products along with experts involved in the procurement of spices from farmers/traders. In-depth insights into the spice value chain (both domestic and international) were essential for this expert engagement. Perspectives on key players in the value chain along with the value captured by each element in the value chain were touched upon. Expert insights on competing markets like China and Vietnam along with their effects on the Indian spice value chain also needed to be delivered.

Knowledge Ridge Solution

Knowledge Ridge researchers selected relevant experts from the pre-drawn list of companies provided by the client that operated in the food and agricultural space. They were phone interviewed to understand their direct involvement and were shortlisted based on their expertise and experience in providing a deep dive into procurement, processing, packaging, and export of spices in India. This included Senior General Managers, Key Account Managers, and Supply Chain Managers from leading food and agricultural companies. Subsequently, experts were identified and shortlisted, and their biography was drafted as per Knowledge Ridge’s phone interviewing process. The final list of experts was sent to the client for their selection.

Knowledge Ridge Impact

Knowledge Ridge identified 14 experts from food, agriculture, and spice companies. The client selected 12 experts and conducted hourly phone consultations with each of them. This resulted in the client gaining first-hand perspective and actionable insights into the entire value chain of spices in India both, on the supply and the demand side. Some of the experts selected provided the client with insights on the key players in the space along with the value of each of the players in the value chain. Other experts provided the client with perspectives on SPS issues, export promotion, key markets, competition from other countries like China and Vietnam along with supply-side intelligence like domestic consumption, low yields, inconsistent supply, linkages to farms, infrastructure deficiency like cold storage, post-harvest processing, and processing infrastructure.