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08-09-2026

DS Group in Food and Beverages: The F&B Strategy That Spans Mass Confectionery, Premium Spices and Artisan Bakery

Introduction: Why the Same Group Makes Pulse Candy and L‘Opéra Croissants

From Pulse candy sold at kirana stores to authentic French pastries at L‘Opéra, DS Group has built one of India’s most diverse food and beverage portfolios. The mass segment includes Pulse, Pass Pass, Rajnigandha Silver Pearls, LuvIt and Chingles, Catch spices, Ksheer and OvinO dairy products. The ultra premium portfolio includes L‘Opéra, Le Marche. Consumers exploring DS Group‘s complete product range can see how DSgroup India conglomerate serves Indian consumers across every stage of aspiration, lifestyle and food experience.

The Three Tier F&B Architecture

The first layer of the strategy is the mass segment. This tier includes brands such as Pulse, Pass Pass, Rajnigandha Silver Pearls, LuvIt, Chingles and FRU. Products are priced for everyday consumption and distributed widely across kirana stores, modern trade and quick commerce platforms.

The second layer focuses on trusted, quality-led food categories. This includes Catch spices and OvinO dairy products, catering to consumers who value consistency, product quality, and reliability in their daily food choices.

A separate growth pillar is the beverages business, where DS Group has built a strong presence through products designed to meet evolving consumer preferences across refreshment and functional beverage segments.

The third layer is the ultra premium segment. This includes L‘Opéra, Le Marche. These brands focus on experiences, craftsmanship and international quality standards.

This structure allows DS Group to serve the same consumer throughout different phases of life. The child buying Pulse candy today may eventually become the consumer shopping for Catch spices, imported groceries at Le Marche or artisan pastries at L‘Opéra.

Tier 1: Mass F&B and the Confectionery Portfolio That Reaches Every Kirana in India

The DS Group confectionery business represents the broadest and most deeply distributed part of the organisation’s F&B portfolio. With more than 27 lakh indirect retail outlets, the confectionery business reaches consumers across urban and rural India.

The company does not compete only on price. Instead, it competes on innovation, flavour experiences and cultural resonance.

Pulse: The Hard Boiled Candy That Became a Cultural Phenomenon

Pulse transformed India’s hard boiled candy category through a simple but highly differentiated idea. The candy combined a fruity outer shell with a tangy masala filled centre. This “tangy surprise” became the defining characteristic of the brand and helped Pulse become India’s hard boiled candy category leader for nine consecutive years.

Pass Pass Pulse was inspired by a time-honoured Indian summer ritual—eating raw mango with a tangy masala that elevates its taste. DS Group recognised the enduring appeal of this flavour combination and reimagined it in a branded candy format. By blending cultural nostalgia with product innovation, Pulse brought a familiar Indian taste experience to consumers across the country, creating a brand that resonated across generations.

Pulse Kachcha Aam remains the hero product in the range. Over time, the brand expanded into Pulse Pops, Pulse Natkaare Chana Jor, Pulse Golmol Imli, and Pulse Natkaare Peanuts, extending the tangy flavour identity into adjacent snacking categories. Pulse offers a diverse range of five unique flavours: Kaccha Aam, Guava, Orange, Pineapple, and Litchi.

Pass Pass, LuvIt, Chingles, FRU and Rajnigandha Silver Pearls

Beyond Pulse, DS Group has created one of India’s most diverse non chocolate confectionery portfolios.

The Pass Pass brand remains closely associated with mouth fresheners and impulse confectionery. It comes with five irresistible flavours. This includes Pass Pass Meetha Magic, Pass Pass Mint, Pass Pass Frutti Bits, Pass Pass Katha, and Pass Pass Fresh Mint. Products such as Sweet Magic Mix and Frutti Bits occupy a unique position between confectionery and refreshment categories.

Rajnigandha Silver Pearls combines saffron blended silver coated cardamom seeds with a premium ethnic confectionery identity. The product balances cultural familiarity with aspirational positioning and remains a leader in Indian ethnic confectionery.

The Chingles brand targets younger consumers through fruit and mint flavoured chewing gum and liquid filled gum products. FRU soft chew jellies strengthen DS Group’s presence across multiple confectionery texture formats.

The LuvIt brand expanded the portfolio into chocolate inspired confectionery through products such as Chocorich Eclairs. This gave DS Group access to chocolate adjacent categories while maintaining its strength in impulse confectionery.

Together, these businesses have helped DS Group become the second largest player in India’s non chocolate confectionery segment. The company’s growth journey is often highlighted in the DS Group confectionery success blog, which showcases how the group evolved from mouth fresheners into a major confectionery player.

Tier 2: Premium F&B and the Quality Driven Centre of the Portfolio

The premium layer of the DS Group food and beverages business is where the company’s focus on quality differentiation becomes most visible.

Catch Spices: 125 Plus Variants and a Technology Led Identity

Since its launch in 1987, Catch salts and spices has differentiated itself through both technology and packaging innovation.

Consumers visiting the Catch brand page or reading the Catch FAQ can see how cryogenic grinding technology adds to brand’s product value and quality. Conventional grinding methods generate heat that can reduce the aroma and flavour of spices. Cryogenic grinding preserves volatile aromatic compounds and essential oils, helping Catch spices retain stronger flavour profiles.

Today Catch offers more than 125 variants across blended spices, pure spices, whole spices, herbs, seasonings, cooking pastes and gourmet gravies. The development of this portfolio is explored in the Catch spices range blog, the Catch evolution blog, the Catch mixed spices blog and the Catch whole spices blog.

Catch also expanded beyond spices into beverages. Catch Natural Spring Water became India’s first Himalayan source spring water. The portfolio now includes tonic water, ginger ale, flavoured water and club soda, helping Catch participate in premium hydration categories as well.

Ksheer and OvinO: The Dairy Tier

The dairy business extends DS Group’s food positioning further.

The Ksheer brand has established itself strongly in Rajasthan through products including milk, paneer, dahi, ghee, lassi, flavoured milk and dairy sweets. Through the DS Group dairy business, the company has expanded manufacturing capacity in Reengus.

At the premium end sits the OvinO brand, which focuses on single origin A2 milk delivered directly to consumers in NCR. OvinO targets urban consumers who value provenance, transparency and premium sourcing.

Together, Ksheer and OvinO mirror the broader DS Group strategy by serving both accessible and premium dairy consumption occasions.

Tier 3: Ultra Premium F&B and Experience Led Food Consumption

The ultra premium layer is where the DS Group luxury retail business becomes most distinctive within the Indian FMCG landscape.

L‘Opéra: Bringing the French Salon de Thé to India

L‘Opéra represents DS Group’s entry into authentic French bakery culture. Inspired by the Parisian Salon de Thé tradition, the bakery offers croissants, macarons, éclairs, artisan breads, pastries and cakes prepared using French methods and premium ingredients.

Rather than adapting French bakery culture for mass appeal, L‘Opéra focuses on authenticity and craftsmanship. It targets urban consumers who seek genuine international quality experiences within India.

The F&B Strategy Thesis: How the Three Tiers Connect

The most important aspect of the DS Group strategy is that these businesses are not isolated categories. They are connected parts of a single consumer journey. The wide range of products offered by DS Group are an active part of a person’s life starting from their mornings to their evenings.

This is what separates DS Group from many FMCG competitors as they compete across consumer aspiration levels instead.

DS Group builds independent brands like Pulse, Catch and L‘Opéra, enabling each to target different consumer segments effectively.

DS Group’s Position in the Indian FMCG Landscape

Among Indian food conglomerates, DS Group occupies a unique position.

The company combines mass confectionery leadership through Pulse and Pass Pass, spice leadership through Catch and premium food experiences through L‘Opéra. Few Indian origin conglomerates operate successfully across all three layers simultaneously.

Pulse has remained the No. 1 candy brand for consecutive years, while Catch has established itself as a leading spices brand. Rajnigandha Silver Pearls and Pass Pass have also created and defined their respective categories, strengthening DS Group’s leadership across multiple consumer segments.

The company’s portfolio also balances scale with premium upside. High frequency confectionery and spices create stable revenue opportunities, while luxury retail and artisan food businesses provide premium positioning and aspirational value.

Consumers looking at the DS Group products complete map can clearly see how the group’s food businesses stretch across impulse, household and luxury consumption occasions.

Conclusion

DS Group confectionery remains one of the strongest pillars of the organisation, supported by innovation, cultural relevance and one of India’s widest retail networks.

DS Group’s F&B portfolio spanning Pulse, Catch, Ksheer, OvinO, L‘Opéra, and Le Marche represents one of the most distinctive food ecosystems in India today. It is a portfolio designed not just around products, but around the evolving journey of the Indian consumer.

FAQs

What food and beverage businesses does DS Group own?

DS Group’s food and beverage portfolio operates across three tiers. The mass segment includes Rajnigandha Silver Pearls, Pulse, Pass Pass, LuvIt, Chingles, and FRU. The premium segment includes Catch spices, Catch beverages, Ksheer dairy and OvinO A2 milk. The ultra premium segment includes L‘Opéra, and Le Marche.

Which DS Group brand is biggest in the F&B segment?

Catch remains one of DS Group’s largest food brands because of its deep distribution reach and category leadership. The brand has led India’s hard boiled candy segment for nine consecutive years and is available across millions of retail outlets. Pass Pass, Rajnigandha Silver Pearls are other major brands with strong national visibility in spices and beverages.

Does DS Group make confectionery?

Yes. DS Group is one of India’s leading confectionery companies. Its portfolio includes Pulse candy, Pass Pass, Rajnigandha Silver Pearls, Chingles chewing gum, FRU jellies and LuvIt chocolates and eclairs. The company is also recognised as one of the fastest growing players in India’s non chocolate confectionery market.

What is Catch Spices and who owns it?

Catch Spices is a brand under DS Group. The brand launched in 1987 and created a name for itself for preserved flavour and aroma. Catch offers more than 125 variants across spices, seasonings, herbs and beverages. The brand also introduced India’s first Himalayan source natural spring water.

What is L‘Opéra and who owns it?

L‘Opéra is a luxury French bakery and DS Group holds majority of stakes in it. The brand serves authentic French pastries, cakes, macarons, breads and croissants through outlets in Delhi NCR. Inspired by Parisian bakery culture, L‘Opéra focuses on artisanal quality and premium dining experiences.