Now, buy Aavin products from ration shops

Coimbatore: In a first in the state, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation, which is popularly known as Aavin, has started selling its dairy products with long shelf life through 140 ration shops in the district.
Until recently, Aavin dairy products were sold either at its outlets or through its wholesale agents in the city. Due to lack of outlets in rural areas, people there had no other option but to buy private company products so far.
R Ravikumar, general manager, Aavin Coimbatore, said, “We have decided to sell our dairy products through ration shops, some of which are located in interior parts of villages, with an aim to reach out to more people in rural areas and increase the sales volume and revenue.”
Referring to lack of refrigeration facilities in ration shops, he said products with a shelf life of at least a month in room temperature would only be sold there. Some of such products include ghee, palkova and milk powder. He said there were practical difficulties in selling other items such as milk, butter and milkshakes through ration shops.
Pointing out that they have been planning to make their products available in another 200 ration shops in a week, he said all the ration shops in the district would be covered gradually. “We are expecting to generate at least Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh revenue from the ration shops in the first month. We will ensure steady flow of our products to these shops.”
K Kathirmathiyon, secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said the move would be beneficial both to the public and Aavin, which has a good reputation among the people. “It will be a huge hit in rural areas, if implemented properly. Aavin should sell its products at competitive price and maintain quality. A low-quality product might force people to shun the brand. They should also sensitize salesmen in ration shops.”
Recently, Aavin had started selling its products, expect milk, through online food delivery platform Swiggy. The decision was taken after it received a lot of inquiries on door-to-door delivery of products.
Ravikumar said they were generating Rs 10,000 a day from the online platform, which is just 2% to 3% of its total daily revenue. Aavin makes about Rs 5.5 lakh a day.