METRO Cash & Carry unveils ‘Fine Life Bio’ brand

METRO Cash & Carry, leading largest modern wholesaler and food specialist, on Tuesday introduced a pesticide-free grocery range Fine Life Bio.

The move to come out with an in-house own brand comes after the company piloted the pesticide-free product range with 30 select products in Hyderabad and Bangalore last year.

After receiving an overwhelming response to the products, METRO has expanded the range to provide complete kitchen grocery and has made the pesticide-free range available across its 27 wholesale outlets in India.

With the proposition of making healthy living affordable, Fine Life Bio has been rolled out with over 120 products at a very competitive price in different categories such as pulses, grains, rice, millets, flours, dry fruits, spices and sugar.

Speaking about the launch, METRO Cash and Carry India MD & CEO Arvind Mediratta said consumers today are becoming increasingly conscious about their health and what they eat.

"Organic products have been gaining steam, but has limited acceptance due to its premium pricing. At METRO, we firmly believe in providing value-proposition to our customers, and have introduced a new pesticide-free produce category," he said.

Mediratt said the company is extremely focused on nurturing a healthy and sustainable living and through Fine Life Bio range METRO wants customers to consume healthy, pesticide-free good food in an affordable and sustainable manner.

METRO Cash & Carry has collaborated with over 65,000 small and marginal farmers directly and indirectly through associated partners to source around 2,700 metric tonne of pesticide-free produce for Fine Life Bio range.

Each product is thoroughly tested and undergoes multiple checks right from the farm till the store. The products are tested for over 150 pesticides in order to qualify as pesticide-free.

With the tagline ‘Choose Health, Choose Fine Life Bio’, the entire range has been launched with a focus on a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating in daily life.

As part of its efforts to fortify the agrarian eco-system, METRO runs a ‘Direct Farm Programme’, wherein it has set up six collection centres to procure fresh Fruits and Vegetables directly from farmers.

The company sources over 12000 metric tonne of produce per annum positively impacting over 5000 registered farmers across the country.

METRO procures 40% of total produce requirement by direct sourcing from the local farmers. In addition to this, METRO conducts regular training programs for native farmers covering wide range of topics leveraging in-house and external agricultural experts.

The program includes intervention such as trainings on production enhancement, farming techniques, quality improvement, optimum pesticide usage, soil nutrition and management and post-harvest techniques. The direct sourcing from farm benefits local farmers in reducing their transportation cost; eliminates farmer’s produce being exchanged through many hands; and supports them in sustainable production of high-quality fruits and vegetables.

METRO Cash& Carry anchors close to a 3 million customer base in India. The company operates 27 wholesale distribution centres, catering to over 5000 suppliers, and has created over 13,500 direct and indirect jobs across the country.