Ghee: Clarified butter derived from cow or buffalo milk, often considered premium (especially “desi ghee,” “cow ghee,” “Bilona ghee,” “A2 ghee” etc.).
Edible Oils: Vegetable oils like mustard, soybean, sunflower, groundnut, sesame, palm, etc. Branded oils are processed, refined / cold‑pressed etc.
Company / Brand Key History / When Founded / Entry into Ghee/Oil Business
Amul (GCMMF – Gujarat Co‑operative Milk Marketing Federation)- Founded as a cooperative dairy in Anand, Gujarat. The “Amul” brand has been around since early years of GCMMF, which was formed in 1973. Amul Ghee is one of their staple products.
Adani Wilmar – Fortune- Adani Wilmar, formed in 1999 (joint venture between Adani and Wilmar International), owns Fortune which is a large edible oils‑&‑food brand.
KS Oils- KS Oils Limited is an Indian edible oil company, with brands like Kalash Mustard Oil, K S Gold refined oil, Double Sher Mustard Oil, etc. It was founded in 1985.
Idhayam Group- Specialised in sesame oil etc. Idhayam (brand) produced by V.V.V. & Sons Edible Oils, founded in December 1986, headquartered in Tamil Nadu. They later diversified to other oils like groundnut via Mantra brand.
BL Agro Industries- Long‑standing edible oil & food company, originally oil‑trading, now owns brands like Bail Kolhu etc. Founded ~1950s / oil trading business then later formalised.
Newer / Premium Ghee Brands- Brands focussing on A2 ghee, Bilona‑method ghee, “organic” etc. Examples: GirOrganic, Kapiva, Anveshan among others. But public info about exact founding years / outlets for these is less detailed in sources I found.
Top 5 Indian Amul Ghee Brands
Aspect Details
Brand Name- Amul
Founded by- Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel
Key Leader- Dr. Verghese Kurien (Father of White Revolution)
Founded Year- 1946 (Kaira District Milk Union), Amul brand launched officially in 1955
Cooperative Model- Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) established in 1973
Structure- Federation of 18,000+ village milk cooperative societies, owned by farmers
Product Range- Milk, Butter, Ghee, Cheese, Ice Cream, Dairy Products
Impact- White Revolution in India; India became world’s largest milk producer
Famous Campaign- “Utterly Butterly Delicious” (Amul girl ads)
Business Model- Farmers are owners; profits go back to them via cooperatives
Location- Anand, Gujarat, India
Year GCMMF Formed- 1973
Significance- Helped millions of farmers become self-reliant, India achieved milk sufficiency
Why Amul Cow Ghee is Famous
Brand Trust & Legacy: Amul is a highly trusted dairy cooperative in India, strong brand recognition.
Pure Cow Ghee Variant: Offers cow ghee (rather than buffalo or mixed) which many consumers prefer for flavor / tradition.
Good aroma: High Aroma Cow Ghee variant emphasizes aroma.
Packaging Variety: Different pack sizes and formats (tin, pouch, jar) help for different use‑cases (home, gifting, export).
Export Reach: Because exported to many countries, people abroad know the brand.
Quality Control: As part of GCMMF cooperative, using dairy from many milk producers, but with established processing standards.
Outlets
Grocery / kirana stores across India (very widely distributed)
Modern retail chains, supermarkets
Online retailers (BigBasket, Amazon, Flipkart etc.)
Export to stores abroad for the Indian diaspora etc.
Export Market
Amul exports ghee (along with butter, cheese, paneer etc.) to around 35 countries.
Some of the countries Amul serves with ghee product exports: United States, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar are among top importers for Amul Cow Ghee.
According to export‐shipment data (Mar 2023 – Feb 2024), Amul Cow Ghee was exported to 31 different countries.
Price Range
Pack / Format Approx Price*
500 ml jar~ ₹330‑₹345
500 ml pouch~ ₹340
1 L pouch- ₹620‑₹650
1 L Tin (High Aroma)~ ₹680‑₹700
1 L regular tin~ ₹665
Aashirvaad
2015: ITC decided to enter the ghee market with “Aashirvaad ghee.
February 2018: Fresh dairy under the Aashirvaad Svasti brand was formally launched. This includes milk, curd, paneer etc.
2018: The dairy operations began from Munger (Bihar) with pouch/pasteurised milk options.
What Makes It Famous
- Brand Equity of Aashirvaad
The “Aashirvaad” prefix is already known in Indian households (atta, spices, etc.), which gives instant trust to new products under that brand umbrella.
- Quality Assurance & Farm / Supply Efforts
They have set up their own milk procurement network (farmers) under Project Gomukh. This includes sourcing, vetting, separation of cow vs buffalo milk at source.
Multiple quality checks, hygiene, etc.
Outlets
Fresh dairy products (milk, curd, paneer, etc.) are currently sold in selected cities in West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
Ghee (and organic ghee) is more widely available. For instance, Pure Cow Ghee is sold in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi‑NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, etc., and via pan‑India e‑commerce platforms.
In Jharkhand, the dairy line was rolled out across ~ 2,000 general and modern trade outlets.
In West Bengal, “Aashirvaad Svasti Daily” milk launched at Rs 20 for a 470 ml pouch, across ~ 4,000+ outlets.
In Kolkata, the Lassi product was made available in over 3,000 outlets.
Price Range
Cow Ghee 1 L ₹690 – ₹1,015
Organic Cow Ghee 500 ml ~₹592
Low-Cholesterol Ghee 500 ml ~₹550
Lassi 160 ml ₹10
Milk Pouch (Daily) 470 ml ₹20
Patanjali Ghee
Brand: Patanjali Cow Ghee
Company: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.
Founded: In 2006 by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna
Headquarters: Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
Why Patanjali Ghee is Popular
Swadeshi appeal – “Made in India” + Ayurvedic values
Widespread availability – Available even in Tier-2/3 towns and rural markets
Brand trust – Backed by Baba Ramdev’s image and Patanjali’s Ayurvedic positioning
Health-focused advertising – Ads focus on digestion, purity, and immunity benefits of ghee
Export Market
Retail Presence:
~ 47,000 retail counters across India
~ 3,500 distributors
Presence in 18+ states through warehouses
Export Countries:
Patanjali exports to countries like USA, Canada, UK, Russia, UAE, and some European nations
Exact ghee export volumes not publicly disclosed
Price Range
Cow Ghee 1 Litre ₹650 – ₹730
Cow Ghee 500 ml / 200 ml ₹300 – ₹400 approx
Sri Sri Tattva Ghee
Legal / Corporate name: Sri Sri Tattva is operated by Sriveda Sattva Pvt Ltd, also known earlier as Sri Sri Ayurveda.
Founded: The company was established in 2003 in Bangalore, Karnataka.
Founder / Inspirational Leader:
The brand is under the inspiration of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (founder of Art of Living) in its ideology.
Managing Director is Arvind Varchaswi.
Why It Is Popular
Ayurvedic / Natural: The brand emphasizes Ayurvedic heritage, natural ingredients, no chemical adulteration etc. That appeals to consumers seeking purity.
Certifications: Manufacturing units have multiple certifications (e.g. GMP, HACCP, AYUSH Premium Mark, etc.) which helps build trust.
Wide Product Range: Ghee isn’t the only product — they also offer food staples, oils, personal care, wellness products. This helps cross‑selling and presence in multiple categories.
Distribution & Retail Strategy:
They have many general trade outlets (over 200,000 general trade touch‑points).
Franchise / retail stores formats (Sri Sri Tattva Mart, Wellness Place, Home & Health etc.).
Export Market
It exports / operates in many countries — at least 35‑53 countries depending on the source.
Some of the countries / regions mentioned: USA, Australia, UAE, Argentina, Germany, Nigeria, Middle East countries, Russia, Mongolia.
It has done strategic partnerships for retail overseas (e.g. with Al Maya supermarket chain in UAE) for various products including food/ghee etc.
Price Range
1 L Cow’s Ghee / Pure Ghee~ ₹775 (BigBasket)
500 ml Pure / Desi / Granular Ghee~ ₹335
Desi Ghee 1 kg Tetrapack~ ₹690 MRP, discount lower
Premium Ghee / A2 / Bilona etc. higher variants ₹1,300‑₹1,500+ for special types (e.g. A2 or premium)
