Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting said it is acquiring Brahmins, a spice mix and ready-to-cook brand based in Kerala for an undisclosed amount.

This acquisition comes after Wipro’s announcement of its entry into the food business in India last year and its ambition to become a significant player in the snack food, spices, and ready-to-cook market. Last December, it signed a definitive agreement to buy Nirapara, one of the largest-selling traditional food brands in Kerala and the latest deal is Wipro’s 14th acquisition in the consumer space.

“In Kerala, Brahmins is a strong heritage brand leading the spice and ready- to-cook category with a significant consumer recall. The high-quality standards adopted by Brahmins have played a key role in making it one of the most significant players in the market,” Vineet Agrawal, CEO of Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting and Managing Director, Wipro Enterprises, said.

Established in 1987, Brahmins sells ethnic breakfast pre-mix powders, spice mixes, pickles, dessert mixes, among others. Last year, Dabur bought a 51% stake in the Badshah masala for Rs 588 crore, while ITC acquired spices manufacturer Sunrise Foods Private Ltd (SFPL) in an all-cash deal valued at Rs 2,150 crore three years ago.

“This will enable access to resources that will help the brand grow rapidly. We are jointly focused on developing the brand supported by local consumer insights as well as streamlining manufacturing. We are confident that with Wipro’s distribution strength, network, and marketing expertise we will significantly expand our geographical presence and scale Brahmins to newer heights,” Sreenath Vishnu, MD, Brahmins said.

Sales of sauces, dressings and condiments is estimated to be around Rs25,000 crore crore driven by urban consumers increasingly switching from unpackaged to packaged variants.

Within the spices category, S Narendrakumar, who owns Everest brand, is the market leader followed by MDH. Also, in masala, herbs and spices, domestic players including DS Foods, Ramdev and Eastern retain the upper hand in select geographies. Over the past few years, Kerala-based Keya, Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali, and Mother’s Recipe have also ramped up their portfolio with spices in convenient and ready-to-use packaging.”Adding Brahmins under the Wipro fold will further bolster our position in blended spices and ethnic breakfast categories in Kerala and other markets such as the GCC countries, UK, US and Australia,” said Anil Chugh, President, Foods Business, Wipro Consumer Care.