From Lay’s to luxury: PepsiCo taps gourmet trend with Red Rock Deli’s India debut
Snack and cola maker PepsiCo is finally giving foodies a chance with the launch of Red Rock Deli chips. ₹60 and ₹125 per pack, moving away from Lay’s, which has focused on the mass market for years. ₹5.
The move marks PepsiCo India’s most aggressive foray yet into the premium segment of the salty snacks market, where consumers are constantly on the lookout for more gourmet flavours.
This shift is important because India’s organized snacks market is growing; chips are now among the fastest growing food categories. As consumers pay more for better flavors and premium packaging, Beyond Snacks, Too Yum! and Cremica’s Opera Chips hit shelves, backed by new rounds of funding.
With increasing demand from metros to small towns, the premium snacks segment has become the rapid growth engine of India’s FMCG market and Red Rock Deli is positioning itself to ride the wave.
“Consumers are evolving. They want new experiences, new tastes, new technologies, new textures. This is our first venture into true gourmet snacks,” said Saakshi Verma Menon, food marketing manager, PepsiCo India. Mint.
The demand for careful and deliberate tolerance has accelerated in recent years. He added that a few years ago neither the company nor the industry could have predicted that premium snacks would reach this size.
price change
PepsiCo’s new gourmet launch includes four flavors at the premium end of the category: ₹60 (58g) and ₹125 (75g). In comparison, a 52-gram package of Lay’s ₹The 20.75 gram Doritos package is sold for the following price: ₹48.
The products are manufactured at PepsiCo’s facilities in Channo (Sangrur, Punjab) and Kosi Kalan (Mathura, Uttar Pradesh). Red Rock Deli is now a locally produced Australian premium brand.
Indian buyers today are much more sophisticated, health-conscious and willing to experiment with price points, Menon said.
“The acceptability of artisanal, handmade products extends beyond what we originally thought of as metropolitan cities,” he said. Pepsi launched its nacho brand Doritos in India in 2015; It is now available for sale at prices starting from 2015. ₹10.
Crowded premium aisle
This move by PepsiCo means that supermarket shelves, Beyond Snacks, RPSG-backed Too Yum! It comes as premium foods are seeing renewed activity, thanks to innovations from startups such as Apple and Cremica’s Opera Chips. Earlier this year, Beyond Snacks raised $8.3 million in a Series A round led by 12 Flags Group.
With increasing competition and a mass market segment under pressure, FMCG companies are doubling the prices of premium products, from high-end ghee and yoghurts to gourmet snacks. Established names like Marico, Emami and ITC have also entered new age snacks and packaged foods.
Aditya Goel, founder and CEO of Love In Store, a retail scaling partner of FMCG companies, said this change is due to fast commerce platforms. In micro markets like Gurugram, premium snacks already have more than 50% share on these platforms; This is a warning sign for legacy brands to innovate or risk losing out.
Production and rollout strategy
Red Rock Deli will hit online channels first, with plans for expanded retail sales as demand grows.
“As consumers evolve, we will ensure our products are available regardless of where they shop,” Menon said.
PepsiCo sees this launch as part of a broader hedging strategy that serves both ends of the snacking spectrum: daily staples and occasional indulgences.
PepsiCo India reported revenue of: ₹8,877 crore and profit after tax ₹883.4 crore for the 12 months ending December 31, 2024. The results reflect both the packaged food business and the concentrate sold to bottling partner Varun Beverages; This underscores PepsiCo’s broader ambitions in food and beverage.
On the competitive front, PepsiCo will battle companies like Coca-Cola, ITC, Bikaji and Haldiram’s in India.
Category acceleration
The Indian packaged ready food industry is expected to reach: ₹4.883 billion as of FY26, growing at a CAGR of 11% ₹3.194 billion in FY22, according to Deloitte’s 2025 estimates. Global influences (Szechuan sauces, Korean kimchi, Thai curry mixes) are increasingly shaping chips and convenience foods.
“This dual trend has led to more hyper-local varieties (e.g. millet-based snacks, regional Indian sauces and heirloom rice wraps) and niche brands that highlight origin. Small-scale food manufacturers are scaling up to meet this demand under modern retail and D2C models. This geographically diversified portfolio offers originality and innovation to the market,” analysts at Deloitte said about India’s consumer market in 2025, citing trends in the broader snacks market. he said.
