Harsh Mariwala says one Marico product failure taught company a key lesson about Indian consumers, shares Saffola Oats success formula

A failed Saffola snack launch taught Marico a valuable lesson about what Indian consumers really want: health alone is not enough if a product does not deliver on taste. The experience later shaped the company’s approach to Saffola Masala Oats, highlighting how consumer insights, regional preferences and the freedom to experiment can turn an initial setback into a successful product strategy.

Harsh Mariwala, the founder and chairman of Marico Limited posted on X captioning “One of our failures at Marico taught us an important lesson about the Indian consumer.”

Marico’s Saffola Baked Snacks Did Not Succeed

Marico had earlier launched baked snacks under its Saffola brand, believing there was an opportunity for a healthier snacking option. Given Saffola’s established association with health and wellness, the company believed the product would fit naturally within the brand. However, the product failed to gain the expected traction.


When Marico revisited the launch to understand what went wrong, it found that the company had placed too much emphasis on the health proposition and not enough on taste.

“When we went back to understand why, we realised we had focused too much on health because it was under brand ‘Saffola’ as it stands good for health and not enough on taste. In a category like snacking, consumers may appreciate the health proposition, but they will come back only if they enjoy the product. “ Harsh Mariwala said in his post.

Why Taste Matters In The Snacking Category

The experience highlighted an important consumer behaviour in the snacking segment. While consumers may appreciate a healthier proposition, taste remains a key factor in whether they continue buying a product.

The company realised that simply associating a snack with a health-focused brand was not enough. For consumers to return to a product, they also need to enjoy the eating experience.

This lesson later influenced how Marico approached another category under the Saffola brand.

What Marico Learned Before Entering The Oats Category

When Marico entered the oats segment, it found that oats were already widely recognised as a healthy food. However, the company noticed a difference between how oats were commonly consumed in international markets and what Indian consumers preferred.

Globally, oats were often consumed in sweet preparations. Marico's research, however, indicated that Indian consumers generally preferred savoury options for breakfast.

The company also found that preferences varied significantly across different parts of India.

Regional Tastes Shaped Saffola Masala Oats

Marico used these consumer insights to develop flavours suited to regional preferences. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the company developed a Pongal variant. In other markets, consumers showed a preference for spicier flavours.

Rather than simply replicating global consumption patterns, the company adapted the product to Indian eating habits and regional tastes.

From Consumer Insight To Masala Oats

Harsh Mariwala then continued in his post said “That understanding eventually led us to Saffola Masala Oats and multiple flavours designed around Indian tastes. New Category of masala oats with an 80% of market share, our combined strength in both plain and masala oats gives market leadership."

The Leadership Lesson: Let Teams Experiment

“For leaders, the challenge is to give teams the freedom to experiment while maintaining rigour. A well thought through experiment may still fail. Poor execution is a different matter. Knowing the difference allows an organisation to keep experimenting without becoming careless.” He concluded the post.