MegaBrands · Frozen foods

McCain: How a Potato Grown in Gujarat Became India’s Benchmark in Frozen Foods

McCain, selected as the Mega Brand for Frozen foods by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC, began its Indian journey in 1998 with farm research rather than a product launch. Today its fries and snacks are made in Mehsana from potatoes grown for it by Gujarat farmers.

By WCRC Leaders Editorial · Published October 2026 · 9 min read

At a glance

McCain is the frozen foods brand of McCain Foods (India) Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the family-owned McCain Foods Limited of Canada, founded in 1957 by brothers Harrison and Wallace McCain. In India since 1998, McCain makes French fries and vegetarian frozen snacks at its plant in Mehsana, Gujarat. Led by Managing Director Aditya Krishna, McCain Foods (India) reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,214 crore in FY2023-24. It is the Mega Brand for Frozen foods in WCRC MegaBrands.

McCain did not start in India by selling fries. It started in the fields. In 1998, the company began agricultural research in India, along with work to develop the market for frozen food. That order of work, farm first and freezer second, still explains the brand.

The company behind the name is older still. Brothers Harrison and Wallace McCain founded McCain Foods in 1957 in Florenceville, a small town in New Brunswick, Canada, with a frozen fries business. The company remains family-owned and describes itself as “a family and values-driven company”. In India, the brand is run by McCain Foods (India) Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Canadian parent.

In FY2023-24, McCain Foods (India) reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,214 crore, according to its filings with the Registrar of Companies.

WCRC MegaBrands covers 501 categories in India and selects one benchmark brand in each. It looks at brands through five pillars: Brand Positioning & Recall; Consumer Trust & Sentiment; Product, Innovation & Delivery; Sustainability, Governance & ESG; and Digital & Financial Soundness. McCain has been selected as the Mega Brand for Frozen foods by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting). Here is how McCain’s record lines up with each pillar.

Pillar 1: How McCain Makes Frozen Food Feel Familiar

Brand Positioning & Recall · weighted 28% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this

Frozen food has long had to win over Indian shoppers who prize fresh cooking. McCain’s brand work aims squarely at that. The company says it wants frozen food to be seen not as cold and artificial but as fresh, natural, restaurant-quality snacks shared by families. In August 2025, the company unveiled a new logo and packaging in Ahmedabad, the city it describes as the place where its India journey began. The new look came with a platform called “Rooted in Real”, and McCain says the logo, inspired by warmth, rolling hills and sunshine, stands for the journey from farm to family.

A familiar face helps. Actor Karisma Kapoor, whom McCain called its long-time brand ambassador in 2025, fronted the 2022 campaign “#FreezerMeMcCainGharMeKarishma”. The brand also builds recall around moments rather than products. Its 2024 monsoon campaign, “McCain Banega, Baarish Ka Maza Badega”, paired McCain snacks with tea on rainy days and used live weather data to drive its digital outdoor billboards.

The brand has backed this with money. McCain Foods (India) raised its advertising spend by 63% to Rs 88 crore in FY2023-24, according to its Registrar of Companies filings as reported by Entrackr.

Speaking at the brand refresh, Mainak Dhar, then Managing Director of McCain Foods India, explained where the brand’s pride lies: “This transformation is deeply rooted in our pride for the farmers who grow our ingredients, the dedicated teams who bring our products to life, and the families who welcome McCain to their tables.”

Pillar 2: Why Indian Families Trust McCain

Consumer Trust & Sentiment · weighted 26% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this

Trust in a frozen food starts with a simple question: is it still fresh? McCain’s answer lies in its process. Products are frozen quickly after they are made. In 2023, Aditya Krishna, then McCain India’s head of sales, marketing and retail, said its flash-freezing technology lets the company keep products “fresh for up to 12 months”.

Trust also comes from knowing where the food begins. McCain buys its potatoes from contract farmers in Gujarat and has put that link at the centre of its brand story. The company names four values: family, authenticity, trust and quality.

The brand now invites consumers to taste that promise outside the home. At the end of September 2026, McCain opened its first Signature Café in India, at Max Mall in Sector 129, Noida. The menu turns McCain products into burgers, hot dogs, frankies, loaded fries and desserts, and the company says it plans to explore the concept in other locations. “McCain has always enabled consumers to enjoy restaurant-like snacks and food experiences at home,” Aditya Krishna, now Managing Director, said at the launch.

McCain also listens closely to how India eats. Its first Spud Report, a global consumer survey released in May 2026, found that about 74% of Indian respondents eat fries after 10 pm, and that India was the only surveyed market where fries outrank hash browns as a breakfast potato. Shreyashi Keshri, Head of Marketing at McCain Foods India, said what stands out in India is “the spirit of experimentation and the role fries play across occasions”.

Pillar 3: The Field-to-Freezer Engine Behind McCain

Product, Innovation & Delivery · weighted 20% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this

McCain’s biggest Indian innovation happened before any pack reached a shelf. Most potatoes grown in India were not suited to fries. “Indian varieties tend to be low on solids and very high on water, the opposite of what a good French fry potato should be,” Devendra Kumar, then General Manager of Agriculture at McCain Foods India, told Business Today in 2009. The company’s agronomists spent years introducing suitable varieties and better farming methods to Gujarat. Business Today reported that the effort began in 2005 with a single farmer and that farmers grew for McCain on fixed-price contracts, which shielded them from swings in market prices.

The factory followed. McCain set up its plant at Mehsana, Gujarat, in the mid-2000s, and it remains the brand’s production base in India. The first product was the Favorite 9mm French Fry, followed by Smiles. As retail grew, the range moved toward Indian tastes. Aloo Tikki, Veggie Fingers, Cheese Bites and Mini Cheese Samosas sit beside the classic fries today. Its new Managing Director describes McCain as “pioneering the development of French Fries potato varieties suited to Indian conditions”.

Innovation keeps pace with Indian kitchens. In June 2026, McCain introduced Air Fryer Masala Crispers, a V-shaped potato snack designed for air fryer cooking. Keshri said that rather than adapt an existing product, McCain “engineered Air Fryer Masala Crispers specifically for air fryers”. For chefs and restaurant operators, McCain’s culinary team cooked signature recipes live at the Aahar food trade fair in March 2026, built around an “AM to PM” idea of menus that run from breakfast to late evening.

Pillar 4: McCain’s Roots in Regenerative Farming

Sustainability, Governance & ESG · weighted 16% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this

A potato business depends on healthy soil, and that is where McCain’s sustainability work begins. In 2021, McCain Foods committed to growing 100% of its potato acreage with regenerative agriculture practices by 2030. India is part of that plan. In June 2025, McCain Foods India opened its first Regenerative Agriculture Demonstration Farm, at Hajipur village in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district. The farm shows growers cover cropping, crop rotation, lower chemical use and better water use. Dhar, then Managing Director, said the aim was “enabling farmers to adopt practices that restore soil health, conserve resources, and strengthen resilience over time.”

McCain India has also reported on its progress. Its second India Sustainability Report, released in 2022 and covering 2020-21, said that 83% of its contracted potato volume was certified under GlobalG.A.P., an international farm standard.

The brand’s community work centres on the villages around its operations. Project Shakti, started in 2018 in the Mehsana and Kadi blocks, organises women into self-help groups and trains them in tailoring, beauty services, food processing and digital skills. By McCain’s own account, it has grown to 118 groups and 1,398 women. Project Utthaan, in Sabarkantha, helps farmers add vegetable crops, organic methods and vermicomposting to their fields. Krishna named both programmes in his first statement as Managing Director, alongside the brand’s work with growers.

Pillar 5: McCain’s Financial Strength and Digital Reach

Digital & Financial Soundness · weighted 10% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this

McCain Foods (India) does not publish brand figures, and its latest reported accounts are for FY2023-24. Its revenue from operations rose from Rs 1,172 crore in FY2022-23 to Rs 1,214 crore in FY2023-24, according to standalone figures from its regulatory filings. Net profit was Rs 89 crore in FY2023-24, down from Rs 126 crore the year before, in a year when its advertising spend rose 63%.

Behind the Indian business stands a family-owned parent with almost seven decades in frozen potatoes, and the Indian team shapes the range for local tastes.

Digital channels are part of how McCain reaches shoppers. Its 2024 monsoon campaign ran across Google, Meta, YouTube and Spotify, used live weather data to trigger digital billboards, and drew more than 30 e-commerce brands into a social media conversation. The new Signature Café gives the brand a physical home alongside that digital presence.

Leadership continuity supports the next phase. In September 2026, McCain promoted Aditya Krishna, its Commercial Director for more than three years, to Managing Director of McCain Foods India. “It is a privilege to lead McCain Foods India at this important stage of our journey,” he said, adding that the company would continue “to grow the category, strengthen the McCain brand, and create long-term value for our growers, customers, consumers, and communities.”

The McCain Benchmark

Every category has leaders. A MegaBrand is the brand its category is measured against. McCain holds that place in Indian frozen foods because its record is strong on every pillar at once. It is well known in Indian homes, trusted for food that stays fresh in the freezer, built on a farm-to-factory chain it helped create, committed to regenerative farming and backed by a growing business.

Above all, McCain shows that a frozen food brand in India has to begin with the soil. It spent years making the right potato grow in Gujarat before its packs reached Indian homes. That patience is the base on which the rest of the brand stands.

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About McCain

McCain is the frozen foods brand of McCain Foods (India) Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of McCain Foods Limited, the family-owned Canadian company founded in 1957. At work in India since 1998, McCain makes French fries and vegetarian frozen snacks at its plant in Mehsana, Gujarat, from potatoes grown by Indian farmers. McCain Foods (India) reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,214 crore in FY2023-24. McCain has been selected as the Mega Brand for Frozen foods by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting).