The carton made Tetra Pak a familiar name in India. Since their entry into India four decades ago, the company has expanded into food processing, equipment manufacturing, services, automation & digitalisation, while also setting up a robust ecosystem for carton recycling
Speaking on an episode of the LiveMint Podcast recorded at Tetra Pak's facility in Chakan, near Pune, Cassio Simões, Managing Director of Tetra Pak South Asia, explained how the company’s role has evolved over the years. Alongside its packaging business, it now supplies food processing equipment, automation and digital solutions, as well as maintenance, marketing support and recycling ecosystem to food and beverage brands across India.
The Chakan plant sits at the centre of this shift. Operational since 2012, the 45-acre site employs around 1,500 people and is Tetra Pak's largest facility outside Sweden. Under one roof, it houses packaging material production, food processing equipment manufacturing, a straw factory, a renovation center, a recipe formulation centre and back-office support hubs that cater to the world.
Manufacturing locally has become a central part of that strategy. Simões said 85 per cent of equipment supplied in India is now manufactured at Chakan, with 75 per cent of those components sourced from Indian suppliers. Last year, the plant exported more than 400 pieces of equipment to 56 countries. Local production, he said, has lowered costs and helped Indian vendors meet global quality standards.
Tetra Pak tailors its support to different types of customers. Large, established brands receive dedicated account managers and on-site engineering support. Smaller and newer businesses get assistance with formulation, market research and co-packing through a network of 450 machines across India. The approach reflects a broader shift from supplying packaging to supporting production and operations end-to-end.
The discussion also turned to food waste and shelf life. Simões cited estimates suggesting that roughly 30 per cent of food produced globally is lost or wasted. Better packaging and processing, he argued, can help reduce those losses. Using UHT milk as an example, he explained how six-layer aseptic cartons and ultra-high temperature processing extend shelf life for up to six months without preservatives by eliminating contact with air and external microorganisms, also helping expand its reach into remote areas.
On sustainability, Simões said Tetra Pak has invested approximately €10 million in building recycling infrastructure in India over the past two decades, years before extended producer responsibility rules made such investments mandatory. The network now includes collection points and aggregation centres that help recover used cartons for conversion into secondary materials such as roof tiles and school furniture.
The carton remains Tetra Pak's most visible product. Increasingly, however, the company's India business is being shaped by what happens before a package is filled and after it is discarded.
