Kurkumbh, Maharashtra – Marking three decades of brand Gemini, Cargill today opened the doors to its Kurkumbh plant in Maharashtra, offering a closer look at its world class manufacturing standards, stringent food safety and quality practices, while outlining plans to strengthen its edible oils business in India through its flagship consumer brand, Gemini.
The visit was hosted by Dheeraj Talreja, Vice President & Managing Director, Cargill Food South Asia, who shared Cargill’s growth priorities and strategic importance of Maharashtra market, where Gemini is a market leader. Well-known Marathi actor Priya Bapat also joined the visit along with select consumers, influencers and media, adding her perspective as a long-standing consumer of the brand.
Maharashtra is a key market for Gemini, where the brand has strong presence and consumer base. With highest per capita GDP in the country, high consumption of multiple oils including sunflower, soybean, groundnut and cottonseed, Maharashtra is a strategically important geography and logistics backbone for Gemini’s diversified portfolio of cooking oils. Cargill has had manufacturing presence in Kurkumbh, Maharashtra since 2005. Today this plant employs over 500 people (full time and contractual), engaged in refining and packaging the full range of Gemini oils.
With a strong legacy of 30+ years behind us, Gemini is known for its unshakable consumer trust and superior product quality. As we look at the next 30 years, Gemini is transforming into a future ready edible oils brand, deeply rooted in India’s traditions, while evolving with modern consumers through premiumization, digital engagement, and presence on next generation distribution channels”, said Dheeraj Talreja during the plant tour.
Advancing Portfolio to Meet Health & Wellness Preferences
Gemini offers a comprehensive portfolio, including sunflower oil, soybean oil, groundnut oil, rice bran oil, kachi ghani mustard oil, vanaspati, and blended oils. The brand today reaches over 5 million households catering to diverse consumer needs and is available across 1 lakh+ retail outlets in the state.
With evolving consumer preferences towards premium, health led and lifestyle-oriented oils, Gemini is considering expanding into a range of premium cold-pressed oils. This reflects a premiumization push for the edible oil brand aimed at driving future growth, while focus on maintaining leadership across its core product categories of sunflower and soyabean oil continues.
Channel Expansion Across E-commerce and New-age Retail
Gemini’s presence across e-commerce and quick commerce platforms is also being strengthened, indicating the growing online consumer purchasing pattern. While a large percentage of business is still driven by physical retail stores, Gemini recorded strong growth in its e-commerce business over the past year, increasing its contribution to overall sales. As online platforms gain momentum amongst urban audiences seeking convenience and easy product discovery, Cargill is also expanding across these channels to remain close to consumers.
Recognized for Food Safety and Quality
Cargill’s Kurkumbh facility has been recognized at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Food Safety Awards 2024, for ‘Outstanding Performance in Food Safety’ in the ‘Large Manufacturing Food Businesses – Fats & Oils’ category.
Gemini was also ranked as No. 1 sunflower oil brand in India in 2023 (extended for two years), as per a brand study by Consumer Voice, a Govt recognized testing organisation. These recognitions reflect the company’s adherence to stringent food safety protocols, consistent quality practices, and alignment with regulatory standards.
Community Development
As an active member of society, Cargill has been collaborating with local stakeholders and government programs on community programs in the state, focused on improving education, nutrition, and public health. Infact, Cargill leadership today inaugurated a school development initiative, Project Vidya Vikas, at the local State Reserve Police School, Daund which includes new playground flooring, provision of additional benches and building toilets for the school, benefitting over 1500 students from local communities.
Past initiatives include, ‘Badhte Kadam’, a program to address health and nutrition deficiencies among school children, reaching over 5,000 children in Kurkumbh over three years. ‘Project Sahyog’, a comprehensive village development program was implemented in Kurkumbh Village of Daund Block of Pune District. In addition, Cargill has been supporting maternal and child health programs by providing monthly micronutrient-fortified food and conducting awareness sessions on nutrition and healthcare in partnership with Anganwadi workers, benefitting over 4,200 beneficiaries across 168 Anganwadi centers. Cargill also supported local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic through relief initiatives, as part of its ongoing community engagement efforts.
