food & beverage business review ( dec-jan 2014)

2 Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review Dec-Jan ’14

E d i t o r i a l

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma

[email protected]

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Swarnendu Biswas

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Narender Kumar

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine,

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Editorial Policy: Editorial emphasis in Hammer Food & Beverage Business

Review magazine is on educational & informational material specifically

designed to assist those responsible for managing institutional food &

beverage business. Articles are welcome and will be published on the

sole discretion of the editor.

These days fusion food has gained popularityacross Indian food service industry. Thedemand for fusion food or the food productswhere there is blending of one or moreculinary traditions or culinary culture in theIndian restaurant business can be attributed tothe greater predilection towardsexperimentation among the eating out crowdacross urban India. This is in turn can bereasoned towards increased impact ofglobalisation and also to the increased

disposable incomes among select but sizeable pockets of urban Indiansociety.

But though the awareness and appreciation towards global tastes andflavours have made us go for food products which not so long before wereforeign to mainstream Indian tastes, but at the same time we Indians arelooking for our local ingredients and flavours in the burgers, pizzas orsmoothies. This has paved the way for the trend of fusion cuisine in theIndian restaurant business.

However, strictly speaking, though the idea of fusion cuisine may beonly four decades old, its reality dates back to several millennia. In fact,fusion cuisine came into being with the advent of imperialism and travelin the ancient age, which resulted in mutual influencing of differentcultural traditions, which of course, also included mutual influencing ofdivergent culinary traditions.

However, in those days, when food of one country or region weregetting enriched by the culinary culture of other countries or regions andthe amalgamation of two or more gastronomic realms were resulting increation of myriad hybrid dishes time and again through the course ofhistory, the fancy term of fusion cuisine was unknown. Today the age-oldreality has become a new-age trend in the restaurant business of India.

In the Cover Story of this issue, we have endeavoured to holisticallycover the role of fusion cuisine in the food service business of post-moderntwenty-first century India, where globalisation of tastes, that was always areality, has graduated to be a fashion in terms of food & beveragepreferences.

The organised retail sector in India, especially, the organised food &grocery retail in India has great potential, which may help the organisedretail business in general and the organised food & grocery retail businessin particular to overcome their various challenges and script an impressivegrowth story. The realities, potential and challenges of organised retail inIndia are being discussed in our Business Story.

Besides these highly relevant topics for the industry, we have alsocovered a gamut of other issues which are expected to garner considerableindustry interest, through our regular and additional sections; through awealth of information, opinions and analysis. We hope that our esteemedreaders would find our efforts to be an enriching experience for them inthis brand new year, which we believe would unfold with encouragingresponses for the Indian food & beverage industry.

3Hammer Food & Beverage Business ReviewDec-Jan ’14

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS

Cover Pix: Crowne Plaza Today Okhla

Cover Story 36

India Takes to Fusion Cuisine

Business 42

Groceries to Gross High

Feature 48

Healthy Eating Gains Weight

Processed Food 62

Catching Spices

Dairy 64

Growth Potential and Challenges

Beverage 68

Waking up to the Aroma

Theme Cuisine 72

The Parsi Platter

Operations 82

Interactive Kitchens

Departments

Event 04

News 10

Report 24

Industry 32

Agri 58

Restaurant Review 76

Chef Voice 78

Profile 80

Product Preview 86

Business Opportunity 87

Interview 92


E V E N T

Attracting Global ParticipationAttracting Global Participation

Chef Joan Roca

Maximum internationalisation will bethe premise of Alimentaria 2014

that, more than ever before, has set itssights on foreign markets. Alimentaria2014 will be held during 31st March-3rd

April 2014, at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran ViaExhibition Centre in Barcelona, Spain. Thisleading international trade show will beorganised by Alimentaria Exhibitions, aFira de Barcelona company specialising inevents for the food and beverageindustry.

The show has doubled its efforts forits forthcoming edition to attract buyersfrom all over the world so that the 3,800plus participating companies can see anincrease in their export opportunities.

The forthcoming edition of Alimentariawill again champion innovation andquality of agri-food brands, allying itselfwith gastronomy and haute cuisine toachieve greater exposure andinternational recognition of the food andbeverages showcased by exhibitors. It isestimated that the event would attract140,000 visitors; 35 percent of thembeing international. The event will bespread across 85,000 sq. m net space.

The Managing Director of AlimentariaExhibitions and the Chief Executive of theshow, J. Antonio Valls, explained thatAlimentaria 2014 had put all its effortsinto attracting the best of internationaldemand. “In the fair, foreign operatorswill find the magnitude, strength,innovative character and export potentialof our agri-food industry”, elaboratedValls while stating that “Alimentariastrengthens this industry’s natural foreignmarket goals, providing an effectiveplatform to help participatingcompanies, above all SEMEs, gain accessto new markets.”

With a little more than three months togo, 88 percent of available space atAlimentaria has already been booked.The forthcoming edition of thisemblematic Barcelona trade fair, which

covers all product families inthe food & beverageindustry, showing theinterrelations between themand their connections withthe world of gastronomy, isdivided into 12 monographicshows, which are:

• Intervin, Wine and

Spirits

• Intercarn, Meat andMeat Products

• Interlact, Milk and DairyProducts

• Multiproducto, General FoodProducts

• Olivaria, Olive Oil and Vegetable Oils• Mundidulce, Sweets, Biscuits and

Confectionary• Expobebidas, Water, Soft Drinks and

Beers• Expoconser, Preserves and Semi-

Preserved Products• Interpesca, Seafood, Aquaculture

and Farmed Fish Products• Congelexpo, Frozen Foods• Alimentación Ecológica, Organic Food• Restaurama, International Eating OutThere will also be a pavilion for the

different Spanish AutonomousCommunities (Pabellón de las

Autonomías) and an international pavilionfor foreign companies and institutionalrepresentatives from over 50 countries.

The Alimentaria 2014 will also beincreasing the number of specific micro-events, such as the Premium area, forhaute cuisine and delicatessen firms; the‘Gluten-Free Isle’ with productsappropriate for coeliacs and solutions forother food intolerances; the ‘Cocktail &Spirits’ space in Intervin, in whichcompanies of distilled beverages willpromote high quality products andbrands and will carry out demonstrationsof cocktails and mixed drinks; ‘Pizza&Pasta Project’ dedicated to these Italianspecialities; the ‘Sweet Business Area’ for

the confectionery industry and‘Olive Oil Business Meetings’ foroil manufacturers.

The important new featureof this edition will be the spacetitled ‘The AlimentariaExperience,’ linked to theRestaurama show, which willencompass all the activitiesrelated to restaurants andgastronomy. There will be liveculinary demonstrations,culinary master classes and

workshops, tasting sessions andconferences among other activities, withthe aim of showing trends and providinginspiration and solutions to restaurateurs.

‘The Alimentaria Experience’ will alsoinclude a wine tasting space in ‘Vinorum’entitled ‘50 Rompedores’’(GroundBreakers), which will showcase a series ofwines that are breaking the traditionalmould of the industry in order to attractnew consumers, mainly young people.

At the Alimentaria 2014, differentmanufacturers of pre-prepared products,which usually supply to the Horeca sector,will be exhibiting. Here they will showportions of fresh, clean foodstuffs thathave a longer shelf life thanks to vacuumor modified atmosphere packagingtechnology or heat treated cooked foodwhose expiry date is extended by weeks,months or even years.

The trade fair will again feature theAlimentaria Hub in Pavilion 2, which willhost simultaneously multiple initiatives,congresses, seminars, business meetings,themed and product exhibitions,presentations of publications, launches, etc.

The list of activities that will be takingplace in the Alimentaria Hub will includethe International Mediterranean DietCongress; the Innoval Awards and thenew initiative, The Food Factory, whichwill bring together innovative start-upswith high growth potential and businessangels willing to invest in them.


E V E N TE V E N T

E V E N T S’ C A L E N D E RE V E N T S’ C A L E N D E R○

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A Mega Exhibition for

Snacks and Dairy IndustryMyanmar Hotels, F&B and

Travel Show 2014

17-19 Feb 2014

Yangon, Myanmar Convention Centre

www.mhft.sphereconferences.com/

Gulfood 2014

23–27 Feb 2014

Dubai International Convention &

Exhibition Centre, Dubai

www.gulfood.com

HOSTECH by Tusid

12-16 March 2014

Istanbul, Turkey

www.hostechbytusid.com

Aahar 2014

10-14 March 2014

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

www.aaharinternationalfair.com

EDT Expo

27-30 March 2014

Istanbul, Turkey

www.cnredtexpo.com

Alimentaria 2014

31 March -3 April 2014

Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

www.alimentaria-bcn.com

HOTELEX 2014

31 March -3 April 2014

Shanghai New International Exhibition

Center, Shanghai,China

www.hotelex.cn/

FHA 2014

8-11 April 2014

Singapore Expo, Singapore

www.foodnhotelasia.com

SIAL China 2014

13-15 May 2014

Shanghai New International Exhibition

Center, Shanghai,China

www.sialchina.com

Thaifex- World of Food Asia 2014

21-25 May 2014

Impact Exhibition and Convention Center,

Bangkok, Thailand

www.worldoffoodasia.com

Sweet & SnackTec India and Dairy Universe

India 2013, which was held during 10th-

12th December 2013, at the Gujarat University

Convention & Exhibition Centre, Ahmedabad,

received an overwhelming response. 5008 trade

visitors across the country witnessed the

exhibits displayed by 182 exhibitors from 17

countries.

Following the tradition, the exhibition was

inaugurated by the leading exhibitors of the

show, which included Sanjeev Gupta from

Kanchan Metals, Manoj Paul from Heat &

Control, Narendra Kochar from Kiron Hydraulics,

KK Menon from Menon Technical Services, and

Ashwani Pande from Koelnmesse YA Tradefair

Pvt Ltd., and other dignitaries.

The latest developments in the field of dairy,

milking, processing, cooling systems, cold

chain management solutions, sweets and

snack processing, packaging equipment &

material, testing instruments, data

management, automation solutions,

distribution solutions, etc. were on display

during the show. The complete gamut of

exhibits on display attracted impressive

visitors as the event came across as a one

stop-solution of all their needs.

Out of the total 182 exhibitors, 89 were from

India. The exhibition area was spread across

5000 sq.m. Sweet & SnackTec India and Dairy

Universe India 2013 attracted individual

participation from foreign countries like

Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany,

Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands,

Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey,

United Kingdom, and USA. The event had 450

delegates.

Ashwani Pande, Managing Director,

Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt. Ltd. in his

welcome speech acknowledged the support and

co-operation extended by all the exhibitors for

supporting these trade fairs and making them

huge success year on year.

“This is a very appropriate platform provided

by Koelnmesse YA Tradefair, not only to Indian

exhibitors to widen their growth potential, but

also to the international companies who are

looking forward to get into the ever growing

Indian market,” pointed out Sanjeev Gupta from

Kanchan Metals. He urged all the companies to

participate in bigger numbers in the next edition

of the show.

Manoj Paul from Heat & Control appreciated

the decision to organise the show in

Ahmedabad as many companies were looking

forward to tap the huge potential of snack and

dairy market in the western region of India,

particularly of Gujarat, but were unable to do so

due to absence of international class exhibition

pertaining to the snack and dairy sectors, in the

western region of India.

Apart from the number of the visitors, the

major highlight of the show was the quality of

the visitors, which included top management

from companies. This resulted in high

conversion ratio of business deals finalised

during the exhibition.

The event hosted some concurrent seminars

too. The National Seminar on ‘Quality Initiatives

in Dairy Value Chain – Producer to Consumer’

was organised by Indian Dairy Association

(Gujarat State Chapter) & Mansinhbhai Institute

of Dairy & Food Technology during 10th – 11th

December 2013; on the first and second day of

the trade fair. The two day seminar was attended

by 350 delegates coming from dairy

cooperatives and private dairies from all across

the country.

The other concurrent seminar was titled

‘Emerging Global Trends in Ice Cream Industry,’

which was organised by Indian Ice Cream

Manufacturers Association (IICMA). The

seminar was held on 11th December 2013 and

was well attended by leading ice cream

manufacturers and related industries. Most of

the 90 delegates in the conference included the

Managing Directors and senior officials of

leading ice cream brands from all across the

country.

The next edition of International FoodTec

India, PackEx India, Dairy Universe India and

Sweet & SnackTec India together will be

organised during 14th-16th November 2014 in

Mumbai, India.


E V E N T

Vinexpo Asia-Pacific: AttractingExhibitors in Huge NumbersVinexpo Asia-Pacific: AttractingExhibitors in Huge Numbers

For the forthcoming sixth edition of

Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, which is to be

held in Hong Kong during 27th- 29th

May 2014, the international wine and

spirits exhibition has increased its total

area for stands by 50 percent. There is

still six months for the exhibition to open,

but the sales are brisk. Already 87

percent of the total of 15,000 sq. m

(161,500 sq. ft) has been sold and the

number of stand sites reserved already

exceeds the total floor area of Vinexpo

Asia-Pacific 2012, which hosted 1,050

exhibitors from 28 countries.

“Our exhibitors know very well that by

being present at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific they

are visible at the very heart of the whole

Asia-Pacific market. The exhibition is

obviously a way of gaining direct access

to China, but it also raises exhibitors’

profiles in all the emerging markets of

south-east Asia. We need to bear in mind

that 40 percent of the wine consumed in

Asia is drunk outside China,” pointed out

Guillaume Deglise, the Chief Executive of

Vinexpo Asia-Pacific.

Non-French exhibitors have already

reserved nearly 40 percent more stand

space than in 2012 (6,500 sq. m – 70,000

sq. ft reserved already compared to 3,810

sq. m – 41,010 sq. ft in 2012), thereby

confirming their interest in the exhibition

as a springboard and business

accelerator in Asian markets. At this time,

Italy and Spain have increased their

presence at the coming exhibition the

most. There will also be more German

exhibitors than participants from

Argentina, Chile, Australia, South Africa or

China.

Uptil now, French exhibitors have only

slightly increased their reservations of

stand space (5,555 sq. m – 59,793 sq. ft

as ompared to 5,150 sq. m – 55,434 sq. ft

in 2012: a 9 percent increase). Sales of

course continue in the coming weeks.

Here it deserves a mention that

launched in 1998 in Asia, Vinexpo Asia-

Pacific has gained maturity and built a

significant reputation over the years. A

total of 15,800 visitors attended Vinexpo

Asia-Pacific 2012.


Capital has its Monkey BarMonkey Bar, India’s first gastropub brand

owned by Olive Cafés South Pvt. Ltd., a

subsidiary of Olive Bar and Kitchen Pvt. Ltd.,

now expands its footprint to Delhi at a stand-

alone location in Vasant Kunj.

Here it deserves a mention that the

renowned restaurateur AD Singh, in partnership

with award winning Chef Manu Chandra and

hospitality operations expert Chetan Rampal,

did set up the first Monkey Bar in Bangalore, in

April 2012. In a short span of a year-and-a-half,

the brand has attracted recognition as a unique

F&B destination that is set to revolutionise the

concept of dining out in India.

The Times Food Guide awarded Monkey Bar,

Bangalore as the Best Bar 2012 within a few

months of its opening in the city. Having firmly

established itself as a quality dining out destination in Bangalore, Monkey Bar now

opens its doors to the people of New Delhi.

Monkey Bar is a gastro-pub by definition, a F&B trend that has been popular

internationally and is finding currency in India lately. Monkey Bar offers the essence

of a pub, backed by excellent food and service, at accessible prices. Monkey Bar

has set a benchmark for its innovative food and its often irreverent take on the

concept of traditional cuisines.

In the words of its Partners, Chef Manu Chandra and Chetan Rampal, “We

believed there was a gap in the market, specifically for a product that combined

great food, a great vibe with affordable prices. Monkey Bar is designed to be a

bonafide dining out option when one is looking for a great evening out with

friends. Almost any large Indian city with a savvy crowd will not only appreciate but

embrace a product like this. Delhi was the logical next move in the expansion story

for Monkey Bar.”

Olive Cafés South Pvt. Ltd. endeavours to come up with a second Monkey Bar

outlet in Bangalore and will also expand in Mumbai, during 2014.

PepsiCo to Plant Huge InvestmentPepsiCo has announced the setting up of its largest beverage plant in the country.

The plant will come up at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. It will be more accurate to say

that Sri City, which is a special economic zone in Chittoor district, is located in the

border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The plant will be spread across 80

acres, and will involve an investment of Rs. 1230 crore.

The ambitious plant will be completed in three phases. The first phase of the

project entails an investment of Rs.450 crore. The first phase will attain completion

by the third or fourth quarter of the financial year 2015. The second phase will have

an investment of Rs 400 crore, and it will commence in 2015. In the third phase

PepsiCo will inject another Rs.380 crore. The third phase of the project is expected

to begin in 2017.

This plant will produce the entire range of beverages of the snacks and

beverage giant, which will also include the sports drink Gatorade. It is expected

that the plant at its full operational capacity will generate approximately 8000

direct and indirect jobs. After completion, the Sri City plant will have eight

production lines.

According to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Kiran Kumar Reddy,

50,000-60,000 mango farmers in the region will be benefited because of the fact

that an estimated 2 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes per year will be acquired by

PepsiCo for its juice business. According to the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo India,

D. Shivakumar, the plant at Sri City will give an impetus to PepsiCo India’s

production capacity and support the growing demand for beverage products of

PepsiCo India. He also informed that the Sri City facility will play a crucial role in

the growth plans of PepsiCo in India.

This plant is slated to be PepsiCo’s second plant in Andhra Pradesh, its first one

being a beverage manufacturing plant at Medak district of the state.

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N E W S S C A N

California Walnut Commission Hosts Trade SeminarIn the recent past, California Walnut Commission organised a

trade seminar in Delhi to create awareness about the health

aspects and benefits of walnuts. In the past two years,

California’s walnut industry has made concerted efforts to

increase awareness about the health properties of consuming

walnuts and how consumption of walnuts helps preventing

major illnesses, especially those that happen because of lifestyle

issues. The trade seminar was marked by the visit of Michelle

McNeil, Senior Marketing Director, California Walnuts

Commission who was present amidst leading trade distributors.

Here it deserves a mention that California’s walnut industry is

made up of more than 4100 growers and more than 90 handlers.

The growers and handlers are represented by two entities, the

California Walnut Board (CWB) and the California Walnut

Commission (CWC). The California Walnut Commission is an

agency of the state of California that works in concurrence with

the Secretary of the California Department of Food and

Agriculture (CDFA). The CWC is mainly involved in health

research and export market development activities.

“India is on our list of priorities. With growing health

concerns, our visit to India is very strategic. It is estimated that

California walnuts is in high demand in India as the Indian

consumers want to experience the quality and taste distinctions

that makes California walnuts unique. Furthermore, they have

positive impact on the cardiovascular health, which is a leading

health concern in India,” explained Michelle McNeil. She also

informed that California walnuts were “going to be retailed in

India soon.“

She also discussed on the

health benefits of walnuts in

general. “Not only are walnuts

delicious to eat but are also

good for your heart and overall

health. They are a healthy

snacking option and are

considered as a super food.

Walnuts are high in protein,

vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids,

trace minerals, lecithin and

oils. Compared with other

nuts, which typically contain a

high amount of

monounsaturated fats, walnuts

are unique because the fats in

them are primarily polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

Furthermore, walnuts are the only nut with a significant amount of

alpha-linolenic acid. Besides all these, walnuts have insignificant

amounts of sodium and are cholesterol free,” elaborated Michelle.

Keith Sunderlal, Managing Director, India Representative of

California Walnut Commission remarked, “We are on an

expansion drive to create awareness about the distinctive

qualities and health properties of California walnuts. We are

working closely with key players in the dry fruits market to bring

quality walnuts for the consumers and delight them.”


N E W S S C A N

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GAIA’s SugarFree BitesCombining the miracles of nature with

the wonders of science, GAIA has been

producing a range of nutritional

supplements and natural substitutes

which facilitate the body’s natural

regeneration. The portfolio of the Delhi-

based company includes nutritional

supplements, green teas, green ice teas,

muesli, cookies, Stevia tablets and

sachets

as well

as health

bars.

Recently

GAIA has

come up

with

GAIA LITE Sugar Free Bites. These bites

have no added sugar, are without

cholesterol and are made of six nutritious

grains. These bites are available at

leading harmacies and general stores.

They can be healthy snacking options.

Parents can even allow their children to

binge on them without health

apprehensions as they contain no

sucralose.

SinQ Beach ClubIntroduces SinQ BrewSinQ Beach Club at Candolim, North Goa, is a complete

party haven for food, dance, music and leisure lovers. It

was launched in December 2012. SinQ Beach Club has

now come up with SinQ Brew in the recent past. It is

the in-house brewery of SinQ Beach Club. This brewery

happens to be the first micro-brewery in Goa.

SinQ Brew is serving more than 15 international

varieties of beer in exquisite flavours. From American

Ale, Canadian Light, Irish Stout, Vienna, Porter to Honey

Beer, SinQ Brew has lots of intoxicating options to

infuse ecstasy among the beer lovers.

Sahil Adwalpalkar, Director, SinQ Hospitality Group,

said, “We are

happy to

announce that Goa now has its first and till now

the only micro-brewery. SinQ Brew is an in-

house brewery of SinQ and we have launched it

in association with HouseBrew.”

Furthermore, according to the company

release, SinQ Brew is the first micro brewery

in the world that doesn’t require ETP (effluence

treatment plant), thereby making it one of the

finest breweries in the world.

“Here all of the popular beers are being brewed in the HouseBrew system from a

premixed package. These packages require only the addition of water and the

appropriate brewer’s yeast for the desired style and flavour”, explained Amit Adatia,

Brewer, SinQ Brew.

13Hammer Food & Beverage Business ReviewJune-July ’13


N E W S S C A N

New Menu at MEGU

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MEGU, the Japanese restaurant at The

Leela Palace New Delhi, recently

celebrated two years of its serving of F&B

options to the discerning diners across

the globe. The menu of the restaurant

has recently undergone a makeover.

The winter menu at the restaurant

presents an array of new delicacies. It

presents itself as a stylish confluence of

exotic flavours of rare and authentic

Japanese ingredients with unique cooking

techniques. Heart of each dish remains

true to its origin, but the presentation is

laced with a touch of European style. It is

interesting to note that Chef de Cuisine,

Yutaka Saito, has not used any Indian

spices in his culinary creations, but has

sourced the Japanese ingredients that are

closest to the taste and aroma of the

popular local produce.

At MEGU one can indulge in a variety

of meats like duck meat, chicken, pork,

etc, a wide-selection of vegetarian

options like the appetising rolls with

tempura, cheese and avocado, and the

interesting additions like a spider roll,

which is a unique combination of crab

with Asian salsa. Apart from new

delicacies, Chef Saito has also introduced

variations to the existing dishes.

From the moment you step in at

MEGU, the oriental accents, opulent décor

and the warm service can together help

you to transport your senses to the reigns

of Japan. Whether you choose to revel in

the fine selection of sakes, combined with

sushi & sashimi at the bar, or savour the

winter flavours in any one of its dramatic

dining spaces including the Buddha Hall,

or the intimate origami room and the

private dining Kimono, or the M Lounge

—the comfortable multi-level alfresco

seating amidst the lush green lawns —

the dining experience is expected to be

memorable one.

Vegit Expands its ‘Mix’ PortfolioVegit, the agro division of Merino Group, having a pan India

presence with a network of over 5000 dealers and outlets, has come

out with a new product named Pav Bhaji Mix. This is in addition to

its already existing range of ready to cook mixes, thereby

strengthening its presence in the Indian market. Vegit offers a

range of snacks mixes which are all simple, fast, neat and ready to

make. It reaches out to the retail sector and also the industrial

catering units, restaurants and hotels, and also exports its products.

This mix could be prepared within minutes, without involving

much time and effort in cooking, thereby giving a fillip to the

convenience factor of the consumers, which is a crucial factor in

deciding food product and food ingredient purchases in these time-

starved times. One may also add new twist to the mix to create

some creative snacking options. Here it deserves a mention Pav

Bhaji Mix is a spicy Indian cuisine, which is a dish from Maharashtra.

Vegit Pav Bhaaji Mix is available at an affordable price point of Rs.60 and comes in

an innovative, refreshed, clutter free packaging. The product has low cholesterol and is

spruced with essential vitamins and nutrients. The product is available at general &

modern trade outlets, mom and pops shops, hyper and

super markets across Delhi, and will be soon available

across the country.

Speaking on the launch of Vegit Pav Bhaji Mix, Rajneesh

Sharma, General Manager, Sales, Vegit, said, “We are

delighted to launch the Pav Bhaji Mix. Today’s consumer

demands convenience and we are committed to provide

healthy, tasty and affordable ready to cook products to the

Indian consumers, especially to ease the life of homemakers

and offer solutions of convenience to the next generation.”

He also added that, “With key growth drivers — quality,

consistency and ability to understand Indian consumer

preferences, Vegit today is a well entrenched player in the

Indian market.”


Meet us at

Aahar 2014

Hall No. 12

Meet us at

Aahar 2014

Hall No. 12


MOFPI and Invest India Enter intoan AgreementThe Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Invest India have entered into an

agreement for the setting up of an investors’ ‘Help Desk’ for offering online

support to investors; both domestic and foreign, with regard to their queries, and

also guide them and provide hand holding services to them, particularly at the

initial stage of setting up their units.

The help desk will handle online investment related queries from domestic and

overseas investors, support investors in locating local partners and consultants and

provide hand holding and facilitation services to investors.

Invest India is the country’s official agency dedicated to investment promotion

and facilitation. Set up as a joint venture between FICCI, DIPP (Department of

Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry) and State

Governments of India, its mandate is to become the first reference point for the

global investment community. Given its mandate and expertise, Invest India is

favourably placed to guide the investors in setting up their food processing units.

It was in this background that the Ministry of Food Processing Industries entered in

to an agreement with Invest India for online support for the investors in the food

processing sector.

The agreement was signed by Gajendra Bhujabal, Economic Adviser, Ministry of

Food Processing Industries and Dr Arbind Prasad, Managing Director, Invest India

in the presence of Sharad Pawar, the Minister for Agriculture and Food Processing

Industries.

Speaking on the occasion, Pawar, observed, “The initiative is first of its kind not

only for the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, for that matter the Government

of India, but also for Invest India. It is a prestigious venture for all of us and we

hope that investors in the food processing sector will immensely benefit from this

initiative.”

It should be noted that the Government has been offering a number of fiscal

incentives for promoting the food processing sector in the country. A number of

schemes are being implemented for promoting this sector by extending grant in

aid. These include setting up of mega food parks, cold chains, abattoirs, and

setting up and upgradation of technology of food processing units. Government

has also launched a National Mission on Food Processing in April 2012 with a view

to ensure active participation of state governments in this endeavour, and has also

permitted foreign direct investment up to 100 percent in the food processing

sector through automatic route.

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Parle Cuts PricesParle Products has introduced price cuts

of some of its popular and mass market

brands, which many industry experts

claim could pave the way to a price war in

the mass-end biscuits segment. Yes, the

rivals of Parle Products following price

cuts in their mass market biscuit products

now seem to be a possibility in the near

future.

Parle Products’ Parle G brand has been

subjected to an indirect price reduction. Earlier a pack of 72 gm of Parle G biscuits

used to cost Rs.5, but now for Rs.5, one can get a Parle G biscuits packet of 75 gm.

According to Religare report, this makes Parle G 10 percent cheaper than

Britannia’s Tiger. Parle Products has also lowered the price of its Bourbon biscuits

by 17 percent. Its price has now been reduced from Rs.24 for a pack of 150 gm to

Rs.20. This price reduction is despite the fact that the price of wheat has

experienced a hike of up to 8 percent during the last six months. These discounts

in price can attract more consumers to Parle Products.

Many analysts are suggesting that this reduction in prices of some of the Parle

Products’ mass-market brands is a reaction to the slow growth in the glucose

biscuits segment, and is eyed with the objective to enhance the volumes. Here it

deserves a mention that the glucose biscuits market is experiencing a slowing

down in the country as compared to its pace of growth witnessed a decade earlier.


N E W S S C A N

Asia’s 50 Best

Restaurants Awards

• The S. Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Asia

• The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award

• The Veuve Clicquot Asia’s Best Female Chef

• Chefs’ Choice

• One to Watch sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro

• Best Pastry Chef sponsored by Cacao Barry

• Highest Climber sponsored by Zacapa Rum

• Highest New Entry sponsored by LesConcierges

• Individual country awards

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Individual Awards Categories:

Asia’s 50 Best

Restaurants, an

event with an

award

ceremony, will

be sponsored

by S. Pellegrino

& Acqua Panna

and will be

organised by

William Reed

Business Media. The mega event will welcome some of the

world’s leading Chefs to Singapore to participate in a series of

interactive workshops and a forum on global culinary trends. The

event will be held during 23rd-24th February 2014.

The two-day-long programme will comprise a one-day forum

on 23rd February, titled ‘The Future of Food: Back to our Roots’,

and a series of ‘Signature Dishes’ workshops on 24th February.

As a culmination of the two-day-long event, the Asia’s 50 Best

Restaurants Awards will be given on 24th February, at Capella,

Sentosa Island, Singapore.

The Future of Food: Back to our Roots will be presented as

an engaging and educational forum which will explore current

and future gastronomic trends through a series of talks,

discussions, short films and spirited debates. Divided into

three sessions, the forum will conclude with a cocktail party

where attendees will have the opportunity to network and

meet the presenters.

The Signature Dishes workshops will be targeted at aspiring

Chefs, food lovers or epicurean experts. The workshops, which

will be held at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy — Singapore’s

leading culinary school.— are expected to present a good

opportunity to learn from the culinary masters. Each workshop

will be hosted by an international, award-winning guest Chef

who will reveal the inspiration, techniques and processes behind

some of her/his most prized and beloved dishes.

At the ‘Signature Dishes’ workshops attendees will have the

chance to interact with the celebrated Chefs, learn their secrets,

gain insights into current culinary practices and sample the

dishes cooked in the class. Classes will be small and will have a

duration ranging from 2 to 2.5 hours.

Overall, the forthcoming Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2014 is

expected to come across a snapshot of opinions and experiences

of international restaurant industry experts. Here the attendees

will have an opportunity to learn the culinary nuances from

celebrated Chefs. Joan Roca, Bjorn Frantzén, Yoshihiro Narisawa

and David Thompson will be among some of the celebrated

Chefs gracing the event.

A Festival of CurriesMix by The BrewMaster, a 100-cover multi cuisine restaurant with

a classy banquet, located at Moments Mall, Kirti Nagar, Delhi,

recently held a two-week-long food festival titled ‘Curries of

India.’ The food festival began on 10th January of this year. The

festival offering was available both for lunch and dinner with

meal for two costing an affordable Rs. 1100 plus taxes. The

festivity of culinary senses presented exclusive curries served

with wide variety of pulao to the

guests. Of course that was not

all…

According to the Executive

Chef of the restaurant, Sanjeev

Sharma, ”In our Indian culinary

tradition curries play important

roles. Each region of the country

has its own specialty in terms of spices, taste and curries. In the

festival we strived to serve delicacies from each region of India

in their authentic form.”

Overall, the delicious festival had plenty to offer for both non-

vegetarians and vegetarians. For non-vegetarians, curries

like Dhabba Jeengha(tiger prawns cooked dhabba style with

special spices) and Safed Maas(a Rajasthani fare) and Goustaba

(a Kashmiri specialty, it is a dish of minced mutton balls, cooked

in curd and spices) could have been among some of the out-of-

the-world treats. Nadri Curry, Rugaan-e-Chaman and Hyderabadi

Baigan Mirchi Ka Salan could easily had been the highlights of the

vegetarian fare at the recently held food festival. The delectable

desserts to culminate the food festival included Anjeer Badam ka

Halwa, Chocolate Jamun among others.


N E W S S C A N

West Coast ForgesAssociation withBelgium Major

AgristoWest Coast Fine Foods (India) Pvt.

Ltd. has announced the signing of an

agreement with Agristo N. V.,

Belgium, for launch of the latter’s

range of high quality and authentic

Belgian frozen potato products in

the Indian market.

Agristo, a leading manufacturer

of potato products, has partnered

with West Coast, a leading frozen

products distribution company

based in Mumbai, to bring its

products into India. The MoU was

signed in Mumbai, in the presence

of HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium,

Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime

Minister of Belgium and Kris

Peeters, Minister-President of the

Government of Flanders.

Speaking on the occasion,

Antoon Wallays, Promoter of Agristo,

said, “We are happy to partner with

West Coast in bringing our authentic

Belgian potato products to India. We

see an exponential growth potential

in India and are confident of

delighting the Indian consumers

with our world-class products.”

Commenting at the event,

Kamlesh Gupta, CMD of West Coast,

said “We are extremely delighted to

enter into a strong association with

Agristo and look forward to

promoting authentic Belgian potato

products in the Indian market. These

quality and innovative products will

surely be admired by the discerning

end-consumers.”

“We aspire to be the brand of

choice for the Indian consumers who

seek frozen food products of the

highest quality, offered and

delivered in the most convenient

way conceivable. The products from

Agristo add a new strategic

dimension to our product basket

besides complementing our existing

offerings across leading retail stores

in the country”, added Rahul

Kulkarni, Director & Business Head

of West Coast group’s India

distribution business.

The entire range of ‘frish’ potato

products from Agristo is going to be

made available at leading retail

stores across more than 60 cities in

India.

Octaga Green Introduces ‘InvincibleVodka’Octaga Green Power & Sugar Company Ltd. has

launched Invincible Vodka, that honours the roots of

Russian spirit-making tradition. It is made from fine

grains grown in the rich fields of the Himalayas. This is a

crisp and intricately distilled vodka. The wonderful

combination of handpicked grains from the flourishing

Himalayan fields and the pure spring water is what

makes ‘Invincible’ a really smooth vodka. One can also

say that the superior distillation process of Invincible

Vodka makes it an exceptionally smooth vodka; distinct

in flavour, and different in style.

Micro-oxygenated like fine wines, this vodka has

been produced in an 8 column distillation process,

through activated carbon and triple Russian filtration (silver, gold and platinum).

Speaking of Invincible Vodka, owner of Octaga Green, Basab Paul stated “Invincible

Vodka is a trendsetter. We wanted to express a new vision for vodka, something

unbelievably pure. Natural ingredients are what we use to create our special spirit, as it

is our commitment to serve the people with nothing but the best. “

‘Invincible Vodka’ is encased in an eye-catching hour-glass shaped bottle with a

polished aluminum ABS push cap.

The Signature of Le Cirque at TheLeela Mumbai Inspired by the success of its first foray in Asia, the globally-renowned Maccioni Restaurant

Group has announced the launch of Le Cirque Signature at The Leela Mumbai.

Le Cirque Signature offers the most popular specialties from the brand’s fabled

restaurants around the world, along with new creations for Mumbai’s epicures by

celebrated Chef Matteo Boglione from the flagship Le Cirque, New York. The gastronomic

experience is complemented by

a repertoire of exotic wines.

Commenting on the occasion,

Capt. CP Krishnan Nair, Founder

Chairman and Chairman

Emeritus, The Leela Palaces,

Hotels and Resorts said, “We are

thrilled with the overwhelming

response the first Le Cirque in

Delhi has received and

undoubtedly Le Cirque Signature

at The Leela Mumbai will add a

new dimension to dining in the

financial capital of India.”

Sirio Maccioni, Founder, Maccioni Restaurant Group observed, “India is on the brink of a

culinary revolution and bringing the Le Cirque experience to Mumbai is an early tribute to a

trend that is here to stay. We aim to surprise the Indian audience with eclectic French-

Italian cuisine, designed especially for their increasingly discerning palate. The Leela

Mumbai with its location and hospitality philosophy is the perfect fit for a Le Cirque

experience.”

Ashish Kumar Rai, General Manager of The Leela Mumbai concurred, “We are delighted

to present the celebrated Le Cirque Group to Mumbai, which is the melting pot of flavours

and fragrances. The same classical dishes and exotic ingredients that the discerning palate

of Mumbai identifies with Le Cirque will be served, albeit in an ambience that reflects the

culture of this vibrant city.”

Located on the hotel’s top floor, Le Cirque Signature offers a 65-seat dining space. Here

the wine connoisseurs can choose from an impressive list of wines from major wine

growing regions around the world.

The restaurant will be helmed by Chef Matteo Boglione, who has been much acclaimed

by the revered critics of New York City.

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25Mar-Apr ’13

AppointmentsHOTEL Business Review


Oats are Also for India

R E P O R T

Bagrry’s, which has been offering a wide

range of wholesome and nutritious

breakfast cereals & health foods, has

recently unveiled Oats for India — which

can be construed as a another

innovation by the company.

Here it deserves a mention that oats

helps manage weight and is rich in

beta-glucan, a form of soluble fibre,

which facilitates to reduce cholesterol.

The amount of soluble fibre required in

a healthy diet, which may help reduce

cholestrol and the risk of heart disease

is about 3gm, for which the requisite

amount of oats intake is at least 70gm a

day (or 2-3 bowls of porridge).

However, to most people, eating 2-3

bowls of porridge on a daily basis does

not sound very appetising. Bagrry’s new

initiative can help to address this health

need in an effective manner. Bagrry’s

focus on the nutrition needs of the

Indian consumer. Consider this, what if

you could have oats as a staple grain,

using it in the form of rice, poha or suji,

to prepare scrumptious traditional

Indian dishes like pulao, upma,

uttapam, idli or any other preparations?

Oats for India comes in four exciting

variants, which are Oats for Poha, Oats

for Suji, Oats for Rice and Oats for Atta.

The Oats for India range comprises

healthy oats staples from which one can

prepare one’s favourite Indian dishes.

According to the company, every

product of the Oats for India range is

essentially 100 percent whole grain,

making it the perfect way to add health

to the diet, while at the same time

enabling enjoyment of the taste of the

Indian dishes.

Addressing the media at the launch

of Oats for India, Shyam Bagri,

Chairman, Bagrrys India Ltd.,

commented, “Since our inception, we

have been driven by our core philosophy

to offer food products that are

genuinely healthy, natural and of

exceptionally high quality. With the help

of our innovative milling technology and

over 50 years of expertise in grain, we

have transformed imported oats from a

boring western porridge to a healthy yet

sumptuous range of Indian staples.

Bagrry’s Oats for India is our latest

offering, which is a simple way of

making your Indian meals healthy,

without any compromise on taste.”

Aditya Bagri, VP Marketing for

Bagrry’s added, “The initial trials have

been very encouraging and we are now

rolling out the range in select markets

in India. Available in four exciting new

options — Oats for Suji, Oats for Poha,

Oats for Atta and Oats for Rice —the

Bagrry’s Oats for India range is

available in modern retail format stores

such as Big Bazaar, Hypercity and in

local supermarkets.”

Elaborating on the nutritional

benefits of oats, the renowned dietician

Dr. Ritika Samaddar, the Chief Dietitian,

Max Healthcare, Saket, who was also

present at the conference, commented,

“Oats are rich in a bulky, viscous type of

soluble fibre called beta-glucan.

Consuming just 3 gm of soluble oat

fiber per day typically lowers total

cholesterol by 8-23 percent. Soluble

fibers in oats also help to reduce

hypertension and consequently reduce

the need for anti-hypertensive

medication. Lignans in oats have been

seen to reduce risk of breast cancer.”

While dishing out some wholesome

and nutritious oats recipes using Oat for

India, the nationally renowned culinary

diva Nita Mehta explained, “We are all

aware about the nutritional benefits of

oats. However, cooking of oats has

always been a big challenge for people.

But Oats for India is an innovative

offering which gives consumers a host

of cooking options with oats. It gives

ample scope for experimentation to

dish out new recipes without

compromising on nutrition.”


R E P O R T

Viraj Behl

Veeba Food Services Emerges onthe F&B SpaceViraj Bahl of the erstwhile Fun Foods Private Limited, (the company

was later taken over by a Germany-based company), has re-entered the

processed food space wth Veeba Food Services. Veeba Food Services

is now backed by the Bahl family and the company’s plant is up and

running in the Neemrana reigon of Rajasthan.

This plant is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in one of

the best industrial areas on the Indian Golden Quadrilateral (the road

connecting all the 4 Indian metros). The size of the plant is reportedly

more than 35000 square feet and more than the same size is available

for future expansion. The plant is ISO 22000:2005 certified by TUV and

is said to be one of the youngest plants to get such a prestegious

certification.

“The industry has been extremely kind to us. Within a short span of

six months we are already key

vendors to Domino’s Pizza & Dunkin’

Donuts. It is needless to say that we

have passed their extremely

stringent quality audits,” explained

Viraj Behl.

According to him, the new

company also has a robust

distribution network already in place

exclusively catering to the HORECA

clientele across the country. The

impressive product range of Veeba

Food Services Private Limited

include mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, salad dressings, chocolate

toppings and other fruit toppings to name a few.

Bahl informed that the research and development team is headed

by his brother and according to him, it is one of the best in the country.

They are equipped to provide a one-stop solution for all clients,

whether big or small. Besides sound knowledge about the sauce/

emulsion business, Bahl believes that unwavering passion for food that

people at Veeba Food Services have are among the strengths of the

company that would strive it ahead towards the path of growth. “This

is one business, which one shouldn’t enter if she/he doesn’t have a

passion for it,” asserted Bahl with passion.


R E P O R T

The Taste of Amritsar in MumbaiBy Ashok Malkani

The Taste of Amritsar in Mumbai


As you drive down the Khar Linking Road you can’t miss the

prominent signboard of Amritsari Tadka, a restaurant that

gives you a chance to experience authentic dishes from Amritsar,

in Mumbai. As you prepare to clamber up the few steps to the

restaurant, the bellboy greets you with a warm welcome. On

entering the restaurant you find the right ambience, with pictures

of Amritsar’s village scene, which can create nostalgia among

people hailing from Amritsar or from any Punhab village, but are

living in Mumbai for years due to career or business compulsions.

The menu has an impressive collection of dishes — of both

vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings. You have an array of

starters, from which we ordered for Veg Seekh Kebab and Murg

Tikka. The Veg Seekh Kebab was delicious and the Murg Tikka

was equally lip smacking. Our trepidations on whether it would

be another tall claim about genuine fare from Punjab were put to

rest, with these two delicacies. And the true blue taste of Amritsar

continued in the rest of the food that followed!

Among the Tandoori Chaska you should try the Murgh Achari

Tikka and the Ajwaini Fish Tikka. Ajwain, known as carom or

bishop’s weed, is an uncommon spice except in certain areas of

Asia. It has medicinal values and fish tikka with its ajwaini taste

is indeed a dish that you are likely to relish. The Tandoori

Prawns, which are priced as per the size of the prawns, are also

simply sumptuous.

For the main course, you could have the typical Punjabi Sarson

da Saag and Makkai di Roti or Methi Mutter Malai. The Paneer

Kali Mirchi Masala is also worth trying. Having a

peppery taste, it is a delicacy that you are likely to

love. There are a variety of other vegetarian dishes,

each of them worth a try.

Among the other non-vegetarian dishes you

could go for the Murgh Lahori Tikka Masala,

which can remind a veteran citizen of the aromas

which emanated from the streets and by-lanes of

Lahore. Amritsari Murgh Tamatar Masala will truly

give you the taste of those restaurants serving

authentic Amritsar’s fare in the streets of the city

of the Golden Temple. Amritsari Boti Bhuna

Masala, Amritsari Gurda Kapoora and Amritsari

Bheja Masala are also delicacies not to be missed.

Coming to the breads, Amritsari Pudhina

Garlic Naan is an Indian bread worth trying at

this restaurant. The Rice ki Karamat offers you

a variety of rice dishes, each one competing in

excellence with the other. And of course, you

could drench this rich gastronomic experience

with the Punjab di Lassi.

For the desserts, Malai Kulfi Falooda

(Delhi Style) did satiate my sweet tooth. We

also recommend that you try their Jalebis.

The novelty about this dish is that it is not

dripping with sugar syrup. It is crispy and

absolutely dry from the exterior but has

syrup within.

While there are Punjabi restaurants

galore in this metropolis, a

food outlet that specifically

caters to the Amritsar

region is rare. Amritsari

Tadka sates the appetite

of those seeking genuine

Amritsar’s food in this city

known for its glamour and

commerce.

Many food enthusiasts know the delectable tastes of

Amritsar’s cuisine. Yummy, flavourful and rich, it is a combination

of spicy non-vegetarian palate teemed with healthy and tasty

vegetarian dishes. Amritsari Tadka, with its authentic Amritsar

cuisine, is expected to become a haven for food lovers, and if you

aren’t a foodie, this place is likely to make you one.

For those looking to track a different taste, it should be stated

that Amritsari Tadka also has a range of Chinese dishes.

How have the flavours of Amritsar wafted down to Mumbai?

Well, it is not really a surprise, when you find that the Founder/

Director of the place, Anil Singh aka Pappi Singh, is an ardent

lover of food from Amritsar. Pappi has had traversed the dhabas

of Amritsar to pick out the best of the Amritsar’s cuisine.

In fact, Amritsar is supposed to be the unofficial food capital

of India. The variety, quality and taste wafting from the streets

of Amritsar are unmatched. Pappi Singh avers that though

Amritsari kulchas and lassis and Amritsar’s fish and paneer

dishes are featured on menus across the country, very few are

able to get even close to the real taste of the food, as served in

the city of the Golden Temple. “I have

endeavoured to bring authentic Amritsar’s food to

Mumbai,” he averred.

Here it deserves a mention that Pappi Singh has

a passion for food and has been a keen cooking

enthusiast from childhood. Always looking for

something new he came up with the idea of

starting an outlet that served only parathas.

“Normally parathas are made from 3-4 substances.

I selected about 14 basic stuffing and came up

with about 150 combinations and connotations.”

His other outlet named Only Parathas, today serves

nearly 400 varieties of parathas. He has also

started Z’non Lounge Bar.


R E P O R T

As might perhaps be expected, the

higher level of interest in functional and

healthy products in North America is

reflected in the relative popularity of

omega 3 products in the dairy sector

there. The region has the largest number

of dairy launches using omega 3 claims,

accounting for nearly 35 percent of the

global total.

The dairy sector has been one of those

sectors where omega 3 claims have

featured fairly strongly in the recent

years, particularly for yellow fats and

milks.

“While awareness of the potential

health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids

has risen over the years, recent tightening

up of claims legislation has tended to

decrease the use of this type of claim in

relation to specific benefits,” reported Lu

Omega 3s in Dairy SectorAnn Williams, Director of Innovation at

Innova Market Insights. “Terms such as

‘high in omega 3s,’ ‘contains omega 3s,’

‘rich in omega 3s,’ have continued to be

used, but links to heart health, brain and

cognitive health, eye health, etc. have

been much less in evidence, with

companies relying more on existing

consumer knowledge about potential

benefits,” he pointed out.

The key dairy sectors in terms of

omega 3 claims are yellow fats and milks,

accounting for just over 80 percent of

global launches using either omega 3 or

DHA claims (or both) in the 12 months to

the end of October 2013. While the actual

number of launches featuring omega 3

claims is not vastly dissimilar in each of

the two categories, the significance is

very different. Omega 3 claims featured

in just over 10 percent of yellow fats

introductions, compared with a more

modest 3 percent of the far more

numerous milk and milk drink

introductions over the same period.

Spain is the European leader in omega

3 milks, while across the Atlantic, the US

is also seeing rising interest in omega 3

fortified milks with Innova Market

Insights data indicating that nearly 8

percent of the US milk launches in the 12

months to the end of October 2013

featured omega 3 claims.

“Although product activity in omega 3

fortified dairy products has been rather

less in evidence in recent years,” Williams

concluded while adding, “clearly there is

still interest in the sector and potential for

further development, particularly

considering the wide range of different

health benefits associated with it.”

Noida has few quality concept dining

restaurants, and one of them is the

recently opened Legends Grille, a classy

115 cover multi-cuisine grill and buffet

dining restaurant. Here the delectably

grilled starters whet the appetite for the

wonderfully prepared main courses

ahead. And the gastronomic fares also

are by and large, affordably priced for a

concept dining restaurant. The restaurant

is open from 12:00 noon to 3:30 pm for

lunch and for dinner it remains open

from 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm.

In a multi-cuisine restaurant, it is many

a time presumed, not without reason,

that food would not be as authentic as

you could get in a specialised restaurant.

But Legends Grille can help to dispel this

belief. Be it Indian grills, or the Chinese,

Thai, Mexican, Italian or even Continental

fare, in each gastronomic journey the

restaurant scores high in terms of tastes

and flavours. To avoid repetition and thus

prevent boredom of tastes to set in, the

menu is modified every seven days with

Chefs’ special dishes. At Legends Grille,

each cuisine is preceded by its range of

starters and the main course is followed

For Sumptuous Grills and Buffetsby exotic desserts.

The décor of the

restaurant

complements its

exotic and Indian

culinary fare. Spread

in an area of 3300 sq

ft, the restaurant’s

décor is bright and

luxurious but at the

same time it retains the hint of simplicity

to make the guests comfortable. The

hanging light fixtures, Italian and wooden

flooring, glass ceiling and comfortable

sofa seating can together facilitate

towards enhancing the guests’

experience. The restaurant also has

separate lounge area and private dining

area to cater to the private group

bookings, kitties and birthday parties. At

the restaurant, evenings are lit up with

live band performances.

According to Ravneet Kalra,

Promoter, Legends Grille, “We have tried

to create a restaurant where the guests

can enjoy grilled food just like the way it

is meant to be — robust, earthy and

delightful. Here we have used the most

authentic cooking and grilling techniques

from across the world which include the

tawa, the pathar, the tandoor, the wok,

the frying stations among others. By

venturing into this concept we aim to

pamper our guests with choice and

perfection.”

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


I N D U S T R Y

By Prakash Chawla

Rise of Trans Free Fats and

Oils in India


Rise of Trans Free Fats and

Oils in India

concern among the urban Indian

population.

A Trans Fat Free World

Paying heed to the alarming increase in

lifestyle diseases in the country, FSSAI

(Food Safety and Standards Authority of

India) and WHO have put together a

detailed report and analysis to reduce the

consumption of trans fats/oils in the

country.

FSSAI has put a maximum limit of 10

percent of trans fat content in vanaspati,

shortenings and margarine, while WHO

states that less than 1 percent of total

energy should come from trans fatty acids

in the daily diet. It has also become

mandatory in India to mention the trans

fats’ and saturated fats’ content on the

labels of packaged food products, along

with other nutritional information.

Thankfully, the growing interest and

awareness about the impact of nutrition

and diet on one’s health has been leading

to a perceptible transition to trans-free

products, across the globe. The

elimination of partially hydrogenated

vegetable oils containing industrially

produced TFAs from the food supply has

been described as one of the most

straightforward public health interventions

for improving diet and arresting the

advance of myriad lifestyle diseases.

But What About the Taste?

And having trans-free oils and fats

doesn’t compromise on the tastes of

food. Not many people are aware of the

fact that hydrogenated oils create a

barrier that masks the true flavour of

food. Many fast food chains already have

made the switch to trans free fats and

oils, without any customer backlash.

Oils and fats manufacturing

companies are now gearing up to market

low trans or trans-free products.

Nowadays, many food manufacturers

have undertaken extensive developmental

efforts to reduce or even eliminate trans

fats in food products However, extensive

research and modern technology are

extremely necessary in the manufacturing

of trans-free fats and oils.

In order to cater to the needs of the

modern consumers and promote healthy

eating habits, Kamani Oil Industries Pvt.

Ltd. has established itself as an important

player in developing trans-free products

for the food industry, thereby providing a

wide range of trans-free fats and oils for

all applications in the food industry.

Ref: *Uauy et, al (2009) WHO Scientific

Update on Trans fatty acids: summary

and conclusions. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. ; 63:

S68–S75.

The writer is the Director of Kamani Oil

Industries Pvt. Ltd.

Conventional cooking in India is

highly influenced by the type of

fats and oils used. With the

alarming rise in lifestyle diseases and the

high levels of stress Indians face these

days, consumers have become health

conscious and expect the same from their

cooking oil and fats. This market trend

has given rise to trans-free oils and fats in

India.

Baneful Effects of Trans Fat

Trans fat has been a buzz word for

decades and for all the wrong reasons.

They have their presence in an estimated

40 percent of products on the shelves,

which include baked goods like donuts

and muffins, and also French fries and

frozen food products. There is also a

small amount of trans fat that naturally

occurs in food products like meat and

cheese, but the manmade version of trans

fat is what we should be worrying about,

for they are not safe for health.

Trans fats are a type of unsaturated

fat, which are scarce in nature but can be

produced through artificial methods.

Man-made trans fats (or trans fatty acids

— TFAs) are basically created in industrial

process of hydrogenation where the cis

form of the fatty acids are converted into

a trans form.

According to WHO, the prime health

risk associated with TFA is that it tends to

increase the bad cholesterol (Low Density

Lipoprotein or LDL) and decreases the

good cholesterol (High Density

Lipoprotein or HDL), which may lead to

cardio-vascular diseases and other health

problems like diabetes, obesity and

immune system dysfunction. * High

intake of food rich in trans fats

accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle has

become a major health and lifestyle

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review Dec-Jan ’1436

C O V E R S T O R Y

India Takes to

Fusion CuisineFusion food has become popular across urban India. Fusion cuisine blends the culinary traditions of two or more nations,

cultures or regions and comes up with completely new and innovative dishes. Its presence and thriving is common in

metropolitan India where there are now a large number of guests for such type of food, across the food service business.

In Mumbai, you can find this culinary trend assuming novel dimensions with even the roadside vendors concocting new

dishes like Chinese bhel and Chinese dosa. Innovations have been made in several contemporary restaurant cuisines in

urban India, since quite a long time, to satiate the diners’ craving for ‘something new’. Fusion cuisine in India, at times, is also

called as Indovation, due to Indianisation of the international dish. This is quite often the case in the QSR segment, as is seen

across McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, etc. in dishes like McAloo Tikki and Alphonso Mango Smoothie among others.

Ashok Malkani finds that several international cuisines are being adapted to Indian tastes, whose reflections are delectable

creations like Paneer Schezwan. Risottos, enchiladas, tortillas are all having new culinary connotations in the country. It

seems fusion cuisine in its modern avatar has a bright future in the Indian food service business.


C O V E R S T O R Y

With globalisation and

increasing disposableincomes among sizeablenumber of Indians

during the recent years, eating out hasbecome an extension of one’s lifestyle.These trends have also contributed tomaking a section of people in urbanIndia quite experimental about theirfood & beverage preferences. This inturn has given an impetus to the trendof fusion cuisine in India, which seemsto become mainstream in the Indianrestaurant business, in the years tocome.

Globe trotting Indians now want ataste of international cuisine. But theirtaste buds have not adoptedthemselves to original versions ofinternational food. Urban India is seenenjoying Italian pastas, Mexicanenchiladas, burgers and pizzas butwith a desi touch in terms of contentsand flavours. That is one of the mainreasons why McDonald’s had toIndianise its McBurger to McAlooTikki, Subway has also undergonechange, after sticking to the originalrecipes for some time. But it is not justIndianisation of international dishes.Our inventive Chefs have evenblended dishes from different Indianregions to conjure innovative tastesand flavours. This is giving maturity tothe trend of fusion cuisine.

Dispelling the ConfusionOne can say that fusion cuisine, whichcombines the elements of diverseculinary traditions, embodies not onlymarriage of flavours, but also amarriage of diverse cultures, which isone of the positive outcomes ofglobalisation. Food based on oneculture, but prepared using ingredientsand flavours germane to anotherculture, is also considered forms offusion cuisine. Succinctly, fusioncuisine does not adhere to anyparticular culinary tradition or style,

but it has been playing part in theglobal restaurant business since the1970s.

“What is fusion food?” asks foodwriter Rushina Munshaw Ghildyalrather rhetorically, before answeringthe question herself. “Because of thepast, it has got a negative connotation,but it literally means to infuse distinctflavours or techniques from more thanone cuisine in a measured manner, intoa new dish. Years ago, the mightyItalians did not have access to spices.But after some of their explorerstravelled to India and China, theyembraced spices into their age-oldrecipes, without recognising the act offusion,” she added, explaining thathowever scary or vague the term maybe, the results of fusion can bringlandmark changes in food history.

Tex-Mex cuisine, Italian-Americancuisine and of course, Indian-Chinesecuisine are examples of fusion cuisines.

Tex-Mex is a cuisine that is quite oftenpassed off as Mexican cuisine in India.This is actually a combination ofSouthwestern United States cuisineand Mexican cuisines. However, fusionfood is not only limited to combiningculinary styles, ingredients and/orflavours of two different countries. Itcan also be a combination of cuisinesof various regions or sub-regions of agiven country into a single eatingexperience.

Fusion food is very much popularoutside India too. Asian fusion


C O V E R S T O R Y

restaurants, which combine the variouscuisines of different Asian countries,have become popular in many parts ofthe United States and UnitedKingdom. In Australia, due to thecontinuing or rather increasing inflowof migrants, fusion cuisine is gainingcurrency and it is found at a plethoraof cafes and restaurants. Melbourneand Sydney are now being consideredamong some of the best places in theplanet for finding quality Asian-fusionrestaurants.

Fusion Food and IndiaYes, with the maturation ofglobalisation, fusion food has made ahuge impact on the Indian food serviceindustry too, of late. In fact, it hasbecome so popular that even one ofour Bollywood lyricists has taken noteof it in a popular number known as‘Lungi Dance’ where the singer chimes“Coconut mein lassi mila ke” (whichtranslates into a blend of South Indianand North Indian tastes).

The street food vendors are alsodishing out fusion cuisine to thoseseeking ‘something new.’ Chinese Bhelwhich was invented in Khau Galli inMumbai has now made its journey to aplethora of vendors of Mumbai. Itstaste can be traced even at Churchgateunderground walkway. Chinese Dosa isanother favourite among the people ofMumbai. It is the Indian dosa with theChinese stir-fried style filling. And of

course you havePaneer Schezwan,Chicken Schezwan,etc.

The newbuzzword in theworld of Indian foodservice industryseems to beIndovation. Manyforeign food servicebrands have alsotaken into this trend.From McDonald’subiquitous McAloo Tikki Burger toDunkin Donuts’ nod to the Alphonso(they have started Alphonso MangoSmoothie, something that doesn’tappear on their American menu),international brands in the quickservice restaurant (QSR) space arecatering to the local tastes and flavoursto reach their Indian consumers. Notonly Indianisation but localisation hasnow become the mantra for mostinternational brands operating in theIndian food service market.

Even though the practice ofIndianising western cuisines might runcounter to the very principles of‘international’ food chains, experts saythe shift is worth it. Indians mighthave a craze for a foreign label oneverything from food to clothes andaccessories, but they eventually settlefor something they are comfortable orfamiliar in. Thus fusion cuisine may

not seem to be authentic, but they cancome across as best of both worlds interms of taste for a great section of theIndian populace.

Experimental Fine DiningQSRs and stand-alone fast food outletsare not the only ones that havechanged their menus to cater to theIndian tastes. The fine dine restaurantsare also coming up with newIndianised options for their Indiandiners. Chefs and restaurateurs acrossthe country are letting loose theircreative side. The result is a brand newculture of fusion cuisine that is adelectable mix of Indian andinternational tastes and flavours.

Take the example of Zorawar Kalra’snew restaurant at Mumbai’s BandraKurla Complex (BKC), named Masala

Library, which can change ourperception of Indian food in thesepost-modern times. “Indian food hascome to a dead end, and there seemsno possibility to progress with thetraditional Indian recipes. That is whyit is time to bring in the second versionof the progressive Indian food,”informed Kalra.

However, in all fairness we can saythat the Indianisation of internationalcuisines is not an altogether recenttrend. Its origins can be traced to twoto three decades back. Gourmet authorEsther David noticed this shift atweddings in the 1990s. “I wassurprised to see karela (bitter gourd)with a stuffing of tutti-fruity. It wasthe perfect example of fusion food,” hestated. Gujaratis in Ahmedabad havebeen busy tossing up pure vegetarianJain pizza, Jain tacos and enchiladas formore than three decades. However,


In the history of fusion food a prominent name is Wolfgang Puck, a

famous Austrian Chef and restaurateur. He actually laid down the

foundation for this technique, in the modern times. An example of which

is the fusion of European cuisine with Asian cuisine, commonly referred

to as Eurasian cuisine. This was easy for Chef Puck because of his

knowledge of both cuisines. He was originally trained in Europe, but he

is thoroughly familiar with the Asian dishes. Eurasian cuisine basically

combines two cooking techniques and dishes, so you can end up with

poached tofu, for example, which generally mixes European and Asian

method of poaching. His restaurant, Chinois, is considered to be one of

the best restaurants for having fusion food.

It is believed that formally fusion cuisine made its entry in the restaurant

business in 1970s when some of the contemporary restaurants of the

age introduced it. During the 1970s, some fusion cuisine recipes were

introduced by the French Chefs. The concept originated in Europe and

then spread to America, and then to other parts of the world. But,

according to many food connoisseurs, fusion food in its strict sense is

not a creation of the 1970s, but from the time immemorial, though in

the food service business this trend may be barely four decade old.

The amalgamation of two or more culinary realms to create hybrid

dishes is not a twentieth century phenomenon. In fact, they argue that

since civilsations began trade, or since the idea of imperialism got

translated into invasions, the influence of culinary culture or traits of one

region on the culinary culture of another region had been evident in the

history, whose products have been various food products reflecting a

fusion of gastronomic traditions.

Rachel Laudan, food historian and author of Cuisine and Empire:

Cooking in World History, stated, “It’s really hard to invent new dishes,

and even harder to invent new techniques.” She adds, “Almost all foods

are fusion dishes.” She probably meant food prepared by humankind

and not natural food products like fruits. The only difference is that in

some prepared food products we recognise the apparent fusion and

term it as fusion food, and in many other prepared food products we

cannot recognise the implicit fusion of hidden culinary cultures or

legacies of past centuries, and thus mistake them as authentic food.

For example, vindaloo is a product of Goan and Portuguese cuisine,

ramen of Japan is a product of influence from Chinese noodles.

C O V E R S T O R Y

F u s e d H i s t o r y

Popular Fusion Food in IndiaFusion food in India, generallyspeaking, can be classified into threemain categories. They are:

Indian-Chinese cuisine — This isan adoption of the Chinese seasoningsand spices in Indian cuisine. This ismost popular in India as this cuisine isconsidered to be spicy. It wasintroduced originally by a smallChinese community living in Kolkata.

Tex-Mex cuisine — It is a cuisinepopular in Texas in the US, andMexico. Mexican cuisine is one of thepopular cuisines across the globe andwhen its culinary traits areamalgamated with Texas cuisine, the

now this trend has matured and isshowing signs of going mainstream.

Moreover, Chefs indulging infusion cuisine are now happy thatdiners are placing greater faith onthem. Kalra says guests are now givingChefs absolute culinary freedom tochurn out dishes which is enabling theChefs to showcase their knowledge,understanding and nuances of food.“Diners are now happy to trysomething created by Chefs whousually have and is expected to havemore knowledge of food than theaverage diners. At Masala Library, forexample, we are serving Pesto Kebabswith Parmesan Papad, Quinoa Biryani,Rissoto Khichdi and Poha Paella —thelast one an Indian version of theSpanish Valencian rice dish withCalamari, clams and sea food. Wouldsuch a culinary fusion have attracteddemand a decade back?” asked Kalra,He added that the look and taste of allthese dishes are Indian.

Now the fusion food has evolvedinto an independent culinary genre ofits own in the post-modern twentyfirst century India, and it is having itsinfluence from fine dining to QSRs tostreet outlets. The new mood has alsomade the Chefs enthusiastic to comeup with new expressions of culinarycreativity like Gulkand Cheesecake andKhubani ka Crème Brule. An eatery inKolkata serves local fish varieties –padda in an Indonesian sauce,deboned tangra in Thai curry and tinymourola deep-fried and dipped into aSchezwan sauce. Those not in theknow padda, tangra, and mourola areall varieties of fish, which are quitepopular in Bengal.


C O V E R S T O R Y

delicious result came to be known as Tex-Mex cuisine.Most of the restaurants claiming to serve Mexican food inIndia pass of Tex-Mex as original Mexican cuisine.

Italian-Indian cuisine — It is Italian fare modifiedaccording to Indian tastes, like the Masala Pasta. Spaghettiis that classic Italian dish that is not only quick and easy tomake, it is delicious too. But spaghetti can be prepared inan Indian way too. You have to just infuse spices likecumin, ginger and/or garam masala instead of basil andoregano in the sauce. Instead of olive oil you can use plainyogurt. And your spaghetti gets imbued with Indiangastronomic influence.

Regional Fusion — In India, different regions havedifferent cuisines. Indian cooking, in all its glory andvariety, can’t be considered a single cuisine. There are morethan 35 different cuisines in India, each influenced andshaped by geography, religion, politics, environment,climate, and other factors.

Indian cooking has always reflected an amalgam ofculinary characteristics from the Persians, Greeks, Romans,Moghuls, Portuguese, British, and other cultures that lefttheir mark on the country’s culinary character, and thusbecame a part of the country’s diverse gastronomic legacy.At the Indian table, the past and present are inextricablymerged. There are several restaurants that feature a widevariety of dishes inspired by a combination of variousregional cuisines; peppered with new ideas. Combinationof different regional cuisines on the guests’ platter doeshave wonderful potential in the Indian restaurantbusiness.

However, for restaurants going for fusion cuisines itmust be remembered that while novelty is certainlycommendable, some amount of restraint should also beadhered to. It should also be remembered that goodculinary fusion combines ingredients and cookingtechniques from two or more cultures in a way which pullstogether well, creating a seamless and fresh dish.Confusion cuisine, on the other hand, throws ingredientstogether like confetti and sometimes causes an inevitableclash. With healthy eating gaining momentum, the trendof fusion cuisine in Indian restaurants is expected to takehealthy directions in the near future. ■


B U S I N E S S

Groceries to Gross High

Today, about 60 percent of the retail trade in the country comprises food and grocery segment. With the

purchasing power of the youth showing enhancement over the years, the choice of groceries and other

retail purchasing characteristics of urban India have undergone a change. It is no longer only the lady of

the house who purchases the groceries. Today, many of the working couples shop together, in supermarkets

and hypermarkets. This is particularly true in the urban areas.

Here, in the supermarkets and hypermarkets, with the goods lined up systematically, they can pick and

choose from a wide array of products. The scope for growth in the food and grocery retail segment in the

country seems to be brimming with potential. This provides ample opportunities not only for the foreign

investors but also for the domestic entrepreneurs to make foray in the realm of retail business in India.

Ashok Malkani examines the scenario of the Indian retail trade and finds that there are challenges and

opportunities for the investors though the later outweigh the former.


B U S I N E S S

Indian Retail Trend Then Indian Retail Trend Now

Not stacked Well stacked items

200 sq. ft. location on an average Clean, spacious environment

Only dry items Fresh stock

Discount on total cost Less price

No Parking Parking facility

No loyalty programs Loyalty programs

No use of technology Barcode system

India’s retail landscape hasundergone a huge shift over thepast decade. Once dominated by

small neighbourhood stores thatserviced the needs of millions across thecountry, the market now has a fairshare, especially in large cities, ofsupermarkets, department stores, andhypermarkets.

Indian retail sector can bedemarcated into various setups basedon factors like the outlet size, pricingstrategy, kind of commodities sold, andlocation. Overall, there have beenseveral changes in India’s retail tradeover the years, particularly since theentry of the organised retail in a bigway. Some of the noticeable changes aregiven in the table.

One of the major factors for thegrowth in organised retail sector inIndia has been the increase indisposable incomes of Indian middleclass across select but sizeable pockets ofurban India , over the last decade. Thecontributions of middle class to thecountry’s disposal income has increasedsharply over the last ten years, withprospects of this share growing evenhigher in the years to come.

Another reason that consumers areattracted to organised retail stores isbecause they offer various brands,reflecting varying prices and choices,under one roof, thereby saving theurban consumers’ precious time. In thisregard, one can say that increase in theworking population and urbanisationare other reasons for the growth inorganised retail in India, as both thesefactors contributes towards leaving lesstime and more disposable incomes onpeople’s hand. The fact that India has apredominantly young population,many of whom with decent purchasingpower and a predilection towardsconsumerism, also weighs in thecountry’s favour as a lucrativedestination for organised retail.

One can say that the retail trade inthe food & grocery sector of thecountry is attracting more players –both domestic and international – dueto the fact that the country’s 500million people under the age of 25,have access to more money than theyhad a decade before, which hastranslated not only in their purchasingindependence, but also aspirations anddemand for new products.

The Business of Retail

The role of retail in the growth anddevelopment of the economy cannot beoveremphasised. The Indian retailsector accounts for over 20 percent ofthe country’s gross domestic product(GDP) and contributes 8 percent to its


B U S I N E S S

At present the important players in the Indian grocery retail market are as follows:

Spencer’s Retail Retail footage of close to 1 million sq. ft. across 45 cities

with 200 stores

Bharti Retail 74 Easyday stores with plans to invest about 2.5 billion USD

over the next five years. To add about 10 million sq ft of

retail space in the country

Reliance Retail 700 stores with a revenue of Rs. 7600 crore

Aditya Birla ‘More’ 575 stores with approximate revenues of Rs.2,000 crore.

Source: Media reports, company websites

The Key Players

total employment.According to D.Essence, India is 6th

largest grocery market in the world.GRDI (Global Report DevelopmentIndex) has stated that in 2012 Indiaranked 5th among the top thirtycountries in retail marketing sector.

The retail trade in India is expectedto grow at the rate of 30 percent toreach $150 billion by 2025, thusproviding ample opportunities for newentrepreneurs. But organised retailforms a small fraction of this. The auditand advisory firm Deloitte’s Indian armreports that organised retail marketaccounts for just 8 percent of total retailmarket in the country. “Organisedretail, which constitutes 8 percent ofthe total retail market, will grow muchfaster than traditional retail,” Deloittenoted in its report titled Indian RetailMarket: Opening More Doors, while

adding that “Various estimates put theshare of organised retail as 20 percentby 2020.”

The same report observed that theIndian retail industry had experiencedgrowth of 10.6 percent during 2010and 2012 and is expected to increase to750-850 billion USD by 2015.According to the above-mentionedDeloitte’s report, food and grocery isthe largest category within the Indianretail sector with 60 percent share.

The Indian retail sector is likely totouch $1.3 trillion by 2020, ranking itamong the top retail markets in theworld. With a penetration level of only5 percent, there is significant room formodern retail in the country to grow.According to Department of IndustrialPolicy and Promotion (DIPP), thecumulative foreign direct investment(FDI) inflows in single-brand retailtrading, during April 2000 to June2011, was $69.26 million. However, all

said and done, the estimated value ofthe Indian retail market is only 500million USD at present, and themarket, despite having muchwidespread presence of the organisedsector, is still largely dominated by momand pop stores.

However, unlike in the past, thedebate today is no longer on whetherfood and grocery retail in India wouldgrow, but rather how fast can it growand what challenges are to be overcomein the passage of the growth oforganised food & grocery retail. TataStrategic Management Group (TSMG)has projected that organised F&G retailin India could grow to Rs.1750 billion(at current prices) by 2015representing an 11 percent of overallF&G sales.

The State and the PlayersThrough the first decade of the twenty-first century, several Indian playersentered the organised retail business,perhaps bolstered with the hope of

tapping the growing middle classpopulation of the country.

Many foreign brands have alsoentered India’s retail sector after the1991 liberalisation of the economy,which had appealed to the foreignparticipants in India’s retail. The cash &carry business was the easiest mode forforeign retailers to gain foothold intothe promising Indian retail market.Carrefour launched its first cash &carry store in India’s capital city, NewDelhi. Germany-based Metro Cash &Carry did open six wholesale centres inthe country

The Union Government has alsotried to give a boost to the retail trade.Last year, the Union Governmentpermitted 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail trading, which can give amuch needed fillip to the sentiments inthe retail business in the country.However, the implementation of thispolicy is the discretion of the states.

In fact, opposition of many statesto this healthy investment concept can


B U S I N E S S

create a feeling of apprehension amongprospective foreign investors thinkingof entering India’s vibrant retailmarket. The British retailer Tesco Plcwill become the first foreign player toset up a chain of supermarkets in thecountry, which can perhaps offset thebad news of Bharti and Wal-Martending their Indian joint venturenamed Bharti-Walmart. Tesco’sdecision was influenced by lots ofpersuasion and assurances by NewDelhi.

Tesco Plc., the world’s third largestretailier, had made an announcementthat it had applied to buy a 50percent stake in Tata Group’s TrentHypermarket Ltd. Tesco and TrentHypermarkets has had a franchiseagreement since 2008. TrentHypermarkets runs the Star Bazaarchain of stores.

Tesco Plc. has made an applicationto India’s Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board and envisages tomake an investment of $110 million,informed an official at the Indiantrade ministry. Tesco has plans toinvest in Star Bazaar’s stores inMaharashtra and Karnataka. Presently,Star Bazaar operates16 stores insouthern and western India.

Several other international retailersdo have partnerships including DairyFarm with RPG while Auchanoperates 13 hypermarkets under afranchise agreement with MaxHypermarket India Pvt. Ltd of theLandmark Group. Meanwhile Metroand Carrefour operate wholesaleoperations, which are unimpeded by

FDI legislation.

Growth and ChallengesBut besides demographics (apredominantly young population),increased disposable incomes in selectbut sizeable pockets of urban Indiaover the years, a growing middle classpopulation and possibilities of foreigninvestment, what are the otheropportunities for Indian investorsthinking of entering the organisedfood & grocery retail business? TheIndian economy is predicted to addextra trillion dollars to its GrossDomestic Product in the ensuing 5 to6 years, enabling Compound AnnualGrowth Rate (CAGR) of 12 percent.This impressive GDP and CAGR ofthe near future can give an impetus toour retail market. Moreover, the factthat Union government is backingorganised retail as this can derivebetter agricultural practices andprovide quality agricultural productsat affordable price, can also give aboost to the sentiments of thecountry’s retail sector. These factors inturn can strengthen the food &grocery retail in India, in theorganized sector.

Government also came up withAPMC Act (2003), where farmersand private players can openly tradetheir product/s. The AgriculturalProduce Marketing Committee(APMC) act now enables farmers tosell their produce to the marketwithout the often exploitative actionsof middlemen, thus offeringconsumers farm goods at more

economical prices. This is a right stepin forwarding the organised food &grocery retail revolution in thecountry.

However, the challenges towardsthe growth of organised food &grocery retail in India are also many.One of them is the escalating realestate costs, the other is the MRPconstraints, which forces retailers tooperate on thin margins. The poorsupply chain infrastructure, whichcontributes towards huge wastage offood products and impedes the timelydelivery of food products, and ofcourse, the competition from themom and pop grocery stores are otherchallenges that the organised retail infood & grocery need to contend with.Of course, tackling the unfriendlyrigmarole of regulations and findingthe right location for setting up ofsupermarkets and hypermarkets areother challenges which the players inorganised food & grocery retail haveto deal with.

But all said and done, it seems thatopportunities outweigh the challengesfor the India’s retail sector. One cansafely say that the signs of groceriesgrossing high in the purview oforganised retail seem to be an emergingpossibility in the near future. The IGDforecasts that by 2016 India willovertake Japan to become the world’sthird largest grocery market can easilybe translated from a forecast to reality,only if the infrastructural and realestate bottlenecks, red tapism andunfriendly regulations are being doneway with. ■


F E A T U R E

Healthy Eating

By Swarnendu Biswas

Lifestyle diseases have becomerampant in urban India, with thecountry having the distinction of

being the diabetes capital of the world.India has more than 50 million peopleafflicted with diabetes. And accordingto the World Congress of Cardiology, itis estimated that by 2020 heart diseaseswill account for over 40 percent deathsin India, whereas in 1990, it wasaccounting for only 24 percent deathsin the country.

The obesity is also a nagging healthproblem among urban Indians, whichin turn can pave in various otherdiseases. Hypertension is also a serioushealth issue of our times. Predominantlysedentary lifestyle with less time oropportunity for physical exercise,tension-filled life, and faulty food habitscan be together held responsible for the

profusion of a spate of lifestyle diseasesin urban India.

Thankfully, during the recent years,more and more people are showing arising consciousness to combat theselifestyle ailments, which have beenplaguing many of our lives for morethan two decades. This rising healthconsciousness is influencing healthyeating habits amongmore Indians than wasseen before during thelast hundred years or so.

According to thereport by Renub Reserchtitled ‘India ProbioticDairy Products (Yogurt,Drink, Ice-Cream)Market, Volume &Forecast to 2015,’ whichwas published in

November 2012, the Indian pro-bioticindustry is expected to be more thandouble by 2015 from its size in 2011.

The report further noted that theIndian pro-biotic dairy industry wasevolving at a steady pace withopportunities for tremendous growth inthe near future. The report also statedthat it was expected that pro-biotic

yogurt sales will cross100,000 thousandpackets by 2015. Thisindicates that healthyeating as a concept isgaining currency in theIndian market.

Moreover, according tothe Netscribes’ latest marketresearch report titled ‘JuiceMarket in India 2013,’during the recent years,

Gains Weight


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Indians have displayed a markedpreference for juices over carbonateddrinks. While non-packaged fruit juicesare already popular in India, it is thepackaged fruit juice segment that haswitnessed tremendous growth of late.Besides that there is the emergingconcept of juice bars in India, which hascontributed towards making theconsumption of juices much morepopular than before in India. This isanother indication towards growingtrend towards consumption of healthyfood & beverages in the post-modernIndia.

Behind the Trend

“People, especially the people withglobal exposure through television,travel and Internet, are getting more andmore conscious about lifestyle diseases.Furthermore, pockets of corporate sectorare also taking proactive stance towardshealthcare by undertaking regular healthcheck-ups of their employees, whichagain is playing a facilitative role inenhancing health awareness in theIndian society. And this rising healthconsciousness is inducing healthy eating

among more and more people, therebygiving rise to a healthy trend acrossurban India,” explained Dr. RitikaSamaddar, the Chief Dietitian, MaxHealthcare, Saket, New Delhi.

Dr. Ishi Khosla, the ClinicalNutritionist of theweightmonitor.com &Centre For Dietary Counselling,Founder, Whole Foods (the enterprise isengaged in producing and retailinghealth foods and operating health foodcafes), and the Founder President—

Celiac Society for Delhi, and one of thegreatest nutritionists of the present dayIndia, views that the trend towardshealthy eating is guided by the needfactor, which is the need to safeguardagainst the rising incidences of lifestylediseases, the awareness factor, which isthe rising health consciousness throughsustained exposure to travel, television,and Internet, and the lifestyle factor,which is the growing craze to look slimand appealing to the people, or to have atough body with more abs and lessflabs. “The combination of all thesethree factors have together played a rolein giving rise to the trend towardshealthy eating,” pointed out Ishi.

The nationally renowned nutritionistNaini Setalvad believes that rising healthconsciousness and the shift towardshealthy eating has deep socio-economicroots. “The breakdown of the jointfamily structure is making people moreworried than ever before about theadverse economic impact on theirspouse, their child/children andthemselves as a result of failing healthand high medical bills. This fear inducesthem to keep their health at optimum

Dr. Ishi Khosla


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restaurant business in India. “Food & beverage industry in India

is not offering adequate number ofaffordable healthy eating and drinkingchoices in the market. For example,most of the breads and biscuits availablein the Indian market are far fromhealthy. Moreover, most of therestaurants in India still do not dish outhealthy food choices before theconsumers’ palate,” Ritika lamented. Sheadded that most of the restaurants inIndia were using refined carbohydratessuch as corn flour, white bread, maida,etc., which are not healthy options.Many of the refined carbohydrateoptions like white bread and pasta,which can increase blood sugar levels,are one of the reasons behind obesity.

However, Naini concedes that there isa definite shift in buying healthier food& beverage products in the Indiansociety, during the recent years.

“The trend to eat healthy at home orrestaurants is picking up,” Nainiobserved, while adding that “Nowadayspeople are demanding whole grainproducts over white flour and sugar freeoptions in their sweets, which are a hugepart of our Indian diet.”

Ancient Indian Culinary WisdomNaini is all for simple Indian dietwithout junk food. “The consumptionof pulses and vegetables with wholegrains will definitely keep you full for alonger time. This prevents overeatingand binging, thus keeping weight andhealth parameters excellent,” sheaffirmed.

Ancient Indian culinary wisdom isthe cornerstone of Naini’s nutritiontheory. “Ancient Indian culinary wisdomis a very scientific and balanced way ofeating. It involves lots of vegetables,whole grains, good quality fats,vegetarian proteins, dairy products likemilk and curd as staple. The balanceddiet can be further enhanced with theinfusion of healing properties of herbsand spices,” averred Naini.

One can say that Naini’s passion is tospread the ancient Indian wisdom ofnutrition and its healing as well asnourishing properties. It is about timethe restaurant business in India stressmore on Indian culinary wisdom whiletailoring their menu, rather thanunheedingly go for high fat, high oiland high cholesterol diets, for the day is

levels and a little more of their budget isbeing moved towards health, whichincludes healthy eating,” she analysed.

Myth and RealityOne can say that the growing trendtowards healthy eating, coupled withrise in disposable incomes in selectpockets of urban Indian society in therecent years (whose numbers are in noway negligible as a market force) hasperhaps resulted in good for heartcooking oil, pro-biotic yogurts and curds, and other healthy dairyproducts, sugarless cakes, dry fruit-sprinkled muesli, healthy wholegrainbreads, oat cookies, a wide variety offruit juices, etc. adorning thesupermarket shelves with much greaterabundance than say a decade before.However, how many of these so calledhealthy products are genuinely healthyis a matter of scientific study.

But one cannot say that the entirefood & beverage industry of thecountry is riding a healthy wave. Nainibelieves that the “The trend towardshealthy eating in India is still very slow.There is more talk and confusion aboutwhat is healthy food. So people land upnot really eating healthy.” Whileconversing, she debunks many so calledhealthy eating myths. “It is a myth thatnuts are bad for cholesterol, rice needsto be avoided, and milk is a good sourceof calcium; myths which we must notadhere to,” she firmly asserted. Herhealthy eating tips include “Eatingseasonal, having plenty of vegetables in

diet, liberal use of Indian spices,snacking on fruit, dry fruit and nutsinstead of fried products, sweets andsavouries, eating good quality fats foundin cows’ ghee and seeds, and controllingcaffeine content and increasing water intake.”

Progress but SlowAccording to Ritika, the F&B industryis adopting to the growing consciousnesstowards healthy eating, but still it has along way to go. The Indian F&Bindustry’s response towards healthyeating is still in its nascent stage withlots of potential and one can also saythat the response towards healthy eatingin the industry engaged in theproduction of food and beverages is alsonot adequately complemented by the

Naini Setalvad

23Nov-Dec ’13


F E A T U R E

Furthermore, we have alwaysendeavoured to make our productseasily available, convenient to use andaffordable,” affirmed Ishi.

Oil, Salt and SugarRitika also cautioned the restaurantsconcerned about health issues onstringently regulating their oil, sugarand salt infusions. High sugar and saltintake may lead to diabetes andhypertension respectively, and highcalories and high oil content can be thesource of cardiac ailments.

“The daily oil intake of an averagehuman being should be around 4-5 teaspoons a day, similarly, salt contentshould be 4 gm per day, on an average,and the restaurants and as well ashousehold kitchens should ensure thatone single meal doesn’t cover this dailydosages,” voiced the renowned dietician.Similarly, Ritika also called for a greaterrole for natural source of sweetness likefruit extracts and honey and lesser rolefor sugar in food service establishmentsthrough the country.

Ritika doesn’t believe in the simplisticsolution of using one particular type ofcommonly perceived healthy oil alongwith the exclusion of the usage of otheroils. “The healthy diet requires theinfusion of a combination of variousoils, as the body requires bothmonounsaturated fatty acids as well aspolyunsaturated fatty acids, which canbe had from a combination of oils,” shereasoned. Oilve oils are good source formonounsaturated fatty acids, as arecanola oil and peanut oil. Similarly someof the good sources of polyunsaturatedfatty acids are sunflower oil, safflower oiland corn oil.

Ishi informed that rice bran oil,

not far when thanks to visionarynutritionists like Naini, awareness abouthealthy eating would spread far andwide among the varied sections of theeating out crowd across the country, andthey in turn would demand healthyofferings in their eating outentertainments.

Healthy Food ServiceRitika expertly opines that fibre andnutrition content should be high indaily diet, and our diet should ideally bespruced with whole wheat flour, brownrice, oats, ragi, dalia and lentils, whichare source of complex carbohydrates,and hence being beneficial for health.

“Some of the cheaper sources ofcomplex carbohydrates like dalia, bajra,ragi, soyabean can be creatively used byrestaurants and as well as the food &beverage manufacturing industry in amuch more widespread manner toprovide a flood of tasty and healthyfood products in the market,” Ritikaproffered.

Ishi opines that food with zero transfat, with no artificial colours and as wellas gluten-free food should be used asoptions with increasing instances by therestaurants in India, so that guests canhave a wider choice than before to eathealthy. “Removing toxic fats, reducingsugar intake and reducing the intake ofrefined carbohydrates are three cardinalprinciples of healthy food, which theindustry at large should adhere to,”pointed out the diet maven.

Case of Whole FoodsIshi informed me that even persons notafflicted with celiac disease can bebenefited with gluten-free foodproducts. She also believes that there areonly a few restaurants who are managing

to intelligently cash in on the trend ofhealthy eating in the urban Indiansociety. The nutritionist-cum-entrepreneur aired that in order to caterto the growing demand for healthyeating in the country, the Indianrestaurants should also consult dieticianswhile developing or upgrading theirmenu.

Ishi’s Whole Foods has been comingup with many innovative healthy eatingout options through its chain of 17 cafesacross Apollo, Max and Fortis hospitals,and also through the Whole Foods’maiden and stand-alone outlet in NewFriends Colony, New Delhi, which hasbeen operating since 2001.

“One of our healthy ready to eatoptions is our baked samosas, whichinvolve multigrain flour and rice bran oilin their preparation. They are beingbaked rather than fried, and theirexposure to rice bran oil is only for a fewseconds. Moreover, they are abundantwith vegetables like peas,” stated Ishi.Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies andgluten-free lemon cookies are only someof the many healthy options of popularsnacking with Whole Foods. Therepertoire of Whole Foods includeschocolate cakes, cookies, whole grainbreads and many other sumptuoussnacks, prepared with healthy ingredientcombinations.

Today, Whole Foods is synonymouswith food that nourishes, heals andstrives to meet the specific health needsof its growing clientele. “We producefood that is minimally processed,nutrient dense and free of toxic trans-fats, preservatives and artificial colours.

Dr. Ritika Samaddar


F E A T U R E

canola oil, mustard oil, and olive oil canhelp enhance the HDL or the goodcholesterol.

Ritika pointed out that with trendtowards healthy eating gaining currencyin urban India the day is not far whenrestaurants in urban India would needto have more healthy offerings in theirmenu, in order to remain competitive.

The Right AdviseWith healthy eating gaining currency inurban India, the nutritionists anddieticians are mushrooming by the day. Itis likely that in the near future their rolein the F&B manufacturing process andfood service sector would be morepronounced. However, this aspect of thefood & beverage industry also needsstringent quality control, like therestaurant and the F&B manufacturingbusiness. “There can be no single dietplan for different sets of individualshaving differing health needs. Thepragmatic diet plan needs to be tailormade according to the body constitution,while taking into account of the client’smedical history, age, and several otherconsiderations,” elaborated Ritika.

“In our nutritional programme, weuse ancient Indian culinary wisdomwhich has been used for centuries. Weuse food combinations to solve healthproblems, with no role for medicines,”Naini expressed while discussing hernutrition programmes. “We stronglyadvocate that food is your medicine andmedicine is your food. Moreover, ourprogramme is very personalised to suiteach individual,” she added.

The Cost FactorOverall, we can conclude that thematuration of the trend of healthyeating may lead to greater cost per headfor the guests in restaurants, as healthycooking without compromising on thetaste factor may involve comparativelygreater cost of ingredients and alsogreater culinary skills, which in any wayare scarce.

At the same time, curtailing theprofit to some extent by the foodservice ventures can also be a goodoption for them to serve healthy F&Boptions to their guests, withoutdispensing on the affordability factor.This in long-run can enhance theirrevenues by way of volumes of sales ofthe restaurant business, in thisincreasingly health conscious times.The enhanced cost of serving healthyfood can also offset if the central andthe state governments step in withreduced taxes (service tax and VAT) forrestaurant establishments. The lowertaxation can help restaurants in India toserve healthy food with healthyingredients at a reasonable price, in amuch more widespread manner. ■


F E A T U R E

The three-decade-old and thecontinuing success story of Mrs.Bector’s Food Specialties Ltd. is

an amazing one. It reflects theunflagging spirit of entrepreneurshipand a stringent commitment towardsquality over the years. Today thecompany is renowned across thecountry for its lip smacking range ofsauces, mayonnaise, toppings, syrups,biscuits, bread spreads, Indian snack

a profession came into my mind whenI saw the liking of my ice creams ata stall I had put for a Diwali Mela inthe late 1970s,” said the enterprisinglady. Initially, the huge enterprisebegan as a catering company cateringto weddings and parties. “We

foods, stabiliser blends and ice creams,and its annual turnover is beyondRs.650 crore.

Like most great journeys, thejourney of Mrs. Bector’s FoodSpecialties Ltd. too began on a humblefooting. This huge food empire wascreated and developed by the dynamicentrepreneurial vision, out-of-the-world culinary skills, anduncompromising grit of a trulyremarkable lady named Rajni Bector.No wonder today her brand is namedand known across India as Mrs.Bector’s Cremica.

The Beginning and the GrowingThe story began in 1983 when RajniBector invested Rs.20,000 in somebasic ice cream making equipment, andconverted the backyard of her home inLudhiana’s Sarabha Nagar into abaking facility. This was a creativeoutlet for her to fight boredom.

“I started the business as a hobbyfor cooking and sold kitchen-made icecreams at a very small scale. Thethought of converting my hobby into

Rajni Bector

The Recipe forEnduring Growth

By Swarnendu Biswas


F E A T U R E

produced only ice creams andpuddings in the first year. Later thecompany went into the biscuits,breads and condiment businesses,” sheadded.

Rajni Bector did establish her firstbread-making unit outside Ludhianaway back in 1988, and by 1991, shehad diversified her entrepreneurshipskills into the area of biscuitmanufacturing with an impressivedaily capacity of 15 tonnes. Presently,the group’s biscuits and other bakeryproducts’ constitute 65 percent of thegroup’s revenues. The remaining part isaccounted by the company’scondiments business.

Though her enterprise was a successstory from the very first year, but thehigh point of this unique storyscripted by Rajni Bector came in 1996when her company entered into apartnership with McDonald’s. Afterthat partnership, the growth process ofMrs. Bector’s Cremica received a hugemomentum. The Cremica Groupsupplies buns and assorted liquidproducts to McDonald’s, which are

lapped up by the thronging crowdacross India.

However, developing an empiredoesn’t ensure its continued success

through the passage of decades. Theenduring success of the Mrs. Bector’sCremica brand through three decadesis perhaps manifested by a uniquecombination of continued creativityand high production values. “Ourgroup is today nationally renowned forits unique recipes, health orientedingredients and state-of- the-artproduction process,” asserted thevisionary lady, who believes that“diversification and specialisation goside by side in a successful enterprise.”

The company derives its revenuesfrom both retail and institutional sales.The impressive clientele of thecompany includes McDonald’s, PizzaHut, Barista Lavazza, Café Coffee Dayamong others. The food businessempire set up by Rajni Bector now hasforeign presence too, as the companyexports its products to 50 countries.Creating makhni gravy for Pizza Hut,developing tamarind and mint chutney,vegetarian burgers and vegetarianmayonise for McDonald’s are some ofthe feathers in the cap of Mrs. Bector’sFood Specialties Ltd.

Akshay Bector


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and dairy commodities is the need ofthe hour in India, if our foodprocessing sector is to get its desiredmomentum,” Akshay emphasised.

Quality is More AffordableHe also gave much importance on notsuccumbing to the pressure of dilutionof quality as a result of rising inputcosts and other financial constraintsand/or competitive pricing. Recently,there has been decrease in tomato pastecontent in ketchups by major FMCGplayers Hindustan Unilver and Nestle,which was reported by a leading daily.

According to the report, the quantityof tomato paste in Kissan Fresh TomatoKetchup made by HUL has plummetedfrom 28 percent to 22.5 percent,whereas in Nestle India’s Maggi RichTomato Ketchup, the content of tomatopaste has shown a slight decrease from28.1 percent to 26.7 percent. However,according to the same report by theleading daily, the tomato paste contentfor Cremica is 34.5 percent and neitherits content has shown any dilution forthe company.

“The food processing industryshould focus on supplying qualityproducts to the consumers, which canmatch or exceed their fast evolvingtastes. For example, in the long-run, aketchup with good tomato contentbecomes cheaper to the consumers thana ketchup with less tomato content, asthe latter requires much more frequentdipping to get the desired taste for thefood,” Akshay explained. Thiscontinual adherence to quality can helpprevent the revenues of a company tosuffer setbacks despite economicvicissitudes or recession, and facilitatethe company to stay ahead ofcompetition. ■

New DevelopmentsIn the recent past, the companyintroduced Opera Chips, which catersto the premium segment of the snacksmarket. They are cottage style potatocrisps. Opera offers a scrumptiousgourmet experience of chips with itsdistinct thinness, great taste ofinimitable flavours and addedcrunchiness. Opera Chips comes in fourdistinct flavours, which are Peri Peri,Cheese Jalapeno, Italian Herbs and Salt& Black Pepper.

“For Opera Chips, the potatoes arehand-picked from farms and preparedwith extra care in small batches to seethat every chip is cooked to perfectionand is bursting with flavour,” profferedAkshay Bector, the MD of Mrs. Bector’sFood Specialties Ltd. Besides this, the

company is re-launching saladdressings, and has introduced jams andmarmalade in 15 gm sashay tubs. Theycome in four varieties, namelystrawberry, marmalade, black currantand mixed fruit. Presently, this jamsand marmalades are catering toinstitutional segment; to the foodservice industry, whereas the OperaChips are being targetted for the retailmarket.

According to Akshay, “Besidescontinued creativity and highproduction values through stringentadherence to R&D, another of thereasons behind the enduring success ofthe company in the retail as well asinstitutional space is the fact that we do

not believe in diluting our recipes inorder to cater to the cost considerations,and if at all a change in recipe needs tobe done, we do prior consultation withour customers and take their feedbackregarding this before undertaking anyalteration in the recipes.”

Processing the PotentialAkshay thinks the potential forcondiments’ business is very high in thecountry. “The company’s condimentbusiness accounts for an annualturnover of Rs.200 crore and it isgrowing by an impressive growth rateof 25 percent,” Akshay asserts, whilepointing out that through theircondiments they reach two millionconsumers on a daily basis.

Akshay opines that in the backdropof growing incidences of nuclearfamilies and working couples whichleaves many of today’s urbanhousewives with little time to cook, theprocessed food market in India hashuge potential. “However, the markethas not risen up to its full potential,” hestated, while elaborating that “In orderto harness the growth potential of thefood processing sector in the country ina better manner, more governmentencouragement and support is neededby way of infrastructure and loweringof import duties on agriculturalproducts.”

Among the infrastructuraldevelopments to strengthen the Indianfood processing industry he emphasisedon greater investments towards asepticpackaging, cold chain infrastructure,and food parks. He lamented that somany proposed food parks are still onpaper, yet to be translated into reality.

In this regard, it deserves a mentionthat last year, the Cabinet Committeeon Economic Affairs approved thesetting up of 12 new mega foodprocessing parks, which involved aninvestment of Rs.1714 crore. “Thegrowth of the perishable agricultural


A G R I

Pests are one of the majorimpediments towardsagricultural production inIndia. In the country,

approximately 18 percent of crop yieldis lost to pest attacks every year.Therefore, introducing effective pestcontrol measures in agriculture as well asin the warehouses is the need of thehour. In fact, it would not be anoverstatement to say that effective andexhaustive pest control measures(together with great distributionnetwork of food products, of course)can greatly facilitate in eliminating thescourge of hunger from our country.

The conventional view of modernagriculture is that the application of theright dosage of chemical pesticides(which we would refer to as pesticides

from now on) can facilitate to preventcrop losses and thereby help tosafeguard the economic security of thefarmers. Pesticides are also used toprotect the livestock from illnesses,which are caused by parasites. Pesticidesare frequently used in grocery stores andfood storage facilities to control theattack by rodents and insects that infeststored food products such as grain.

The Baneful Possibilities

However, indiscriminate and unscientificusage of pesticides can not only lead topests developing pesticide resistance,thereby making a minor pest assume ahuge challenge for the farmers, but canalso lead to a series of environmental andhealth problems. Excessive use of

pesticides can also leave their harmfulresidues in soil, water and air.

There is absolutely no guarantee thata pesticide intended for pests would notcast its toxic influence on thesurrounding human life and theenvironment. According to someresearch, more than 98 percent ofsprayed insecticides and 95 percent ofherbicides reach a destination other thantheir target species. Pesticides leave theirinfluence on human beings, air, water,bottom sediments and food, which arenot always healthy.

For quite some time, the rampant useof pesticides in the Indian agriculturehas made it a possibility that yourgrapes, apples, pineapples orpomegranates or for that matter the so

Checking Pests inAgriculture


A G R I

called fresh vegetables to contain harmful pesticides for yourconsumption. Nowadays even pulses, rice, milk, egg, meatand fish show a considerable pesticide residue in them.Succinctly, the legacy of excessive and unregulated use ofpesticides has led to pesticide residues in our food chain andenvironment.

Some years back, the World Health Organization and theUN Environment Programme had estimated that every year,3 million workers in agriculture in the developing worldsuffer from severe pesticides poisoning, out of which18,000 succumb to their deaths. Some of the lethalchemicals present in some of the pesticides can lead tocancer, hepatic disorders, blindness, nervous disabilities andinfertility among others.

Besides that, the unchecked and unwarranted use ofpesticides can even result in destroying of those insects andbacteria which have beneficial effects on human beings,which in turn could have adverse fallout on the delicateecological balance.

The excessive use of pesticides does have adverse effectson their non target organisms such as pollinators,parasitoids, and wild animals. Vandana Shiva, one of thegreatest environmentalists of our times, rightly opines thatagriculture which is excessively dependent on manufacturedpesticides, “destroys the beneficial living organisms in thesoil, which include beneficial bacteria and earthworms.”Earthworms greatly facilitate soil fertility and Indianagriculture cannot afford their fast elimination throughrampant application of pesticides.

From the above analysis, we can see that the pesticides arenot without their ill effects on environment and health, andtherefore indiscriminate use of pesticides is not at alljustified. Prudent usage of pesticides in right dosages isneeded to address this problem of food wastage, but thatalone is not sufficient. Prevention of the entry of pests inwarehouses should also be focused upon. An integrated pestmanagement programme to address the huge food grain lossin India is the need of the hour.

Biological Pest ControlThe growing concern towards potential health hazards thatcan stem from the unscientific and uncontrolled use ofsynthetic pesticides has given an impetus to the integratedpest management exercise. Integrated pest management ispotentially eco-friendly, unlike the administering of many ofthe conventional pesticides. IPM emphasises on theprevention of pest invasion through combining various


A G R I

methods of pest control in a harmoniousblend, depending on their necessity inthe given situation, which includes theuse of non-chemical methods of pestcontrol too such as biological, cultural,and mechanical pest control.

Biological pest control can be animportant part of integrated pestmanagement. The use of biologicalmethod of pest control involves usingother living organisms, which arenatural predators of the given pests toprevent the spread of those targettedpests. It is much more environmentallyfriendly method of controlling peststhan of using chemical pesticides asthese living organisms are not prone toleave an environmentally banefulresidue. These living organisms, whichcan intervene the life cycle of pests in away so that crop damage is greatlyreduced, are also called bio-pesticides.

Some forms of fungi, bacteria andviruses can be good bio-pesticides. Bio-pesticides are typically microbialbiological pest control agents whosemanner of application is similar to thatof chemical pesticides. They can bepreserved and nurtured in laboratoriesand then can be infused into the fieldfor facilitating pest control. There arealso many beneficial insects which targetand help eliminating pests from crops.Even birds like owls and sparrows canbe a good bio-pesticide but thoughmany birds can eat away pests, theythemselves can cause damage to crops.

But using owls and other birds of preyfor tackling rodent population can be anintelligent way of biological pest control.Sparrows can eat insect pests.

Besides leaving no harmful residues onthe environment, bio-pesticides are morefocused on their target pests and do notcause harm to beneficial pollinators likebutterflies and bees. The role of bees andbutterflies in our eco-system cannot beoveremphasised. Bees and butterflieswith their pollinating potential areresponsible for the survival of theflowering plants and without them theagriculture, the food & beverage industryand in fact, the entire eco-system maycollapse. Besides these advantages, bio-pesticides are more cost-effective thanchemical pesticides too, on an average.

Cultural and Mechanical OptionsThe cultural pest control in agricultureinvolves employing agricultural practicesthat make the environment unfriendlyto the pests. Crop rotation and plantingof trap crops are effective ways ofcultural pest control in agriculture. Croprotation can prevent pests because pestswhich attack certain types of crops orvegetables do not attack others. Thechanging of crops in a sequence tends todecrease the population level of pests, astheir environment becomes unfriendly.

For example, growing a crop that isnot a host to a given type of pest for oneseason can significantly reduce the extentof that given pest in the soil, thereby

enabling the farmers to grow a cropsusceptible to that given pest in thefollowing season without resorting to soilfumigation. Trap crops help in attractingand capturing pest insects, where theycan be managed and controlledeffectively, and thus preventing orcurtailing their movement to otherbeneficial crops. Adjusting the timing ofplanting or harvest is another culturalcontrol method that can yield dividends.

The mechanical control includesusing physical barriers and/or variousmechanical trapping techniques whichcan prevent pests from attacking thecrop. They range from simple hand-picking of pests to erecting insectbarriers, to vacuuming, and tillage toprevent the pests’ breeding. Coldstorage is an important form ofmechanical pest control. Though itdoesn’t capture pests, it prevents theirdevelopment.

Integrated pest management has scopefor usage of all these above-mentionedmethods of pest control. IPM can beconstrued as the appropriatecombination of cultural, biological,chemical and mechanical methods of pestcontrol, depending on their necessity inthe given situation, to address theproblem of pests in an economical,effective and environmentally-friendlyway. In fact, in IPM, chemical methodof pest control through the application ofconventional chemical pesticides is oftenused as a last resort. ■


P R O C E S S E D F O O D

Catching SpicesBy Swarnendu Biswas

attractive looks and easy to dispensepackaging. This makeover owes itself tothe company’s unique productionprocess and an advanced dispensing unitthat neutralised moisture and kept saltfree flowing to ensure a clean andtrouble free sprinkling.

Adding to the TastesIt has since then massively expanded itsrange. The response to its salt & peppersprinklers encouraged the company toextend the table top taste-makers to awide variety of add-ons like blackpepper, black salt, chat masala, etc.which was then followed by a widerange of other spices used extensively inIndian households.

Today, the brand ‘Catch’ offers awide range of spices and seasoningsunder its purview that lend exquisiteflavours and tantalising aromas tocuisines across the country. Succinctly,the brand adds value and style to thekitchens across households and foodservice establishments. Catch spices hasan export market too.

The complete assortment of Catchmasala comprises of a variety ofsprinklers and a diverse range of whole,

ground and blended spices. With morethan 163 variants across 6 productcategories — Sprinklers, Straight Spices,Blended Spices, Straight PremiumSpices, Whole Spices and Hing, theCatch spices have been catering to thediverse Indian palate.

Recently, DS Group had roped in theBollywood screen diva Vidya Balan asthe brand ambassador of the Catchbrand, with a view to target thecontemporary women of the country.

High-end R&DR&D and hygiene have been importantedifices of the brand. Going through aseries of rigorous quality teststhroughout the process ofmanufacturing, Catch spices ensureimpeccable hygiene with every pinch.

“Catch spices are ground using theunique state-of-the-art Low TemperatureGrinding (LTG) technology, whichprevents the evaporation of volatile &delicate oils from spices, which in turnenables to retain the original aroma andwholesome flavour of authentic spices,”explained DS Group’s Associate BusinessHead (Foods Division), OP Khanduja.Here it deserves a mention that about

Dharampal Satyapal Group is arapidly growing multi-diversified conglomerate. It has

notched an impressive turnover of morethan Rs.3300 crore in the financial yearending March 2013. Founded in1929, the group has a eight-decade-long journey, which is continuing withsuccess. The group has strong presencein F&B, hospitality, mouth fresheners,tobacco, packaging, agro forestry, rubberthread, steel, cement and power. Themost recent forays of the group are inthe realm of dairy, confectionary andpowdered beverages.

It Began as a SprinkleOne of the group’s many renownedbrands is Catch, which has caught theattraction of millions of Indianhouseholds and as well as the Indianfood service industry. Catch waslaunched in 1987 with the revolutionarytabletop salt & pepper sprinklers.

With Catch salt & pepper sprinklers,the dull looking table salt that had thetendency to become soggy & clogged inhumid conditions went under acomplete metamorphosis and reclaimedits place on the table top with all new


P R O C E S S E D F O O D

OP Khanduja

of the products coming under the ambitof Catch Miniz at home, office, outingsand during travels.” This new-ageproduct places emphasis onpersonalisation and mobility. “Throughthis brand extension we are targetingthe growing market for premiumseasonings and spices, a market of whichwe are planning to be a part of in the

12 percent of the revenue of this morethan two decade old brand is catered bythe institutional sales and throughexports across worldwide.

Travelling SpicesIn the very recent past, DS Group hasexpanded its product offering byintroducing an international range ofseasonings and flavoured salts which aretogether branded as Catch Miniz. TheCatch Miniz is available in an assorted packof 9 in 1 with a recipe booklet and is pricedat Rs. 200. It encompasses nine flavours.

“All the products clubbed underCatch Miniz packaging have beendeveloped with superior qualityingredients and special recipes to ensurethat the consumers get desired results asper their tastes, ” elaborated Khanduja.The product range of Catch Miniz comesin an innovative compact packaging andoffers the luxury to customise your foodin accordance to your tastes.

According to Khanduja, “CatchMiniz’s sleek packaging reflects itspremium positioning. Its portablepackaging can easily facilitate the usage

near future” Khanduja pointed out.One can say that Catch Miniz isexpected to garner huge popularityamong the growing number of urbanIndians with busy lifestyles and frequenttravel schedules.

The brand of Catch is extended toother products of the group too. CatchBeverages and Catch Natural SpringWater reflects the marketing popularityand intrinsic vitality of the brand.

Innovation is the Catch“Catch is an innovative brand, not onlyin terms of our products but also interms of our marketing and packagingsolutions,” noted the corporate honcho,who happens to be a marketing veteranwith an illustrious career spanning over30 years with various global FMCGmajors like Dabur, Pepsi andBaidyanath among others. Over theyears, Khanduja has successfullylaunched more than 50 products acrossvarious companies. During his tenurewith Dabur, the seasoned marketingprofessional played a crucial role in thelaunching of the Real fruit juices. ■


D A I R Y

By Swarnendu Biswas

Indian Dairy IndustryGrowth Potentialand Challenges

As a result of the governmentinitiative named Operation Flood,India managed to transform itself

to the world’s leading producer of milkfrom a country facing severe milkshortages, within barely three decades.Presently, India happens to be the world’slargest producer and consumer of milkand dairy products. India’s milkproduction comprises 1/ 6th of the totalglobal milk output.

The estimated milk production inIndia during 2011-12 was 127.9 milliontonnes. During 2001-02 to 2011-12, theannual average growth rate in milkproduction was 4.29 percent in thecountry. According to an USDA report,the estimated milk production in 2013

was 134.5 million tonnes.What is more important that according

to Dr. Amrita Patel, the Chairman ofNational Dairy Development Board(NDDB), the milk production in Indiahas enhanced by about 25 million tonnesduring the last five years. Dr. Patelinformed that over the last five years,India’s milk production has increased byabout 25 million tonnes, as compared toan increase of about 6.6 million tonnes inthe United States, 5.4 million tonnes inChina, 2.7 million tonnes in New Zealandand 1.6 million tonnes in EU.

These impressive statistics iscomplemented by a huge untappedpotential, which the Indian dairy industryneeds to collectively harness. Despite its

several impediments, India represents oneof the world’s most lucrative dairy marketsin the world.

Dairy Shows PromiseIn its recent report titled ‘Indian DairyMarket Report & Forecasts 2012-2017,’International Market Analysis Researchand Consulting Group (IMARC) foundthat driven by a strong growth in bothurban and rural demands, the market formilk products in India is expected tosurpass $163 billion USD by 2017. Hereit deserves a mention that IMARC is oneof the leading research and advisory firmsin the world. In 2011, ASSOCHAM hadalso stated that the value of the Indiandairy industry was expected to reach Rs.5lakh crore in 2015. The industry bodyalso said that the milk production in Indiawas expected to reach 190 million tonnesin 2015.

The dairy industry in India is goingthrough an impressive growth phase.According to a recent report byRabobank, the dairy market of India willcontinue to experience an annual growthbetween 13-15 percent till 2019-20.

The growth in the Indian dairyindustry can be attributed to higherdisposable incomes in the Indian societyover the years, high degree of healthconsciousness, and the profusion of a widevariety of dairy products in retail outletsacross the country. The growth of dairyindustry is likely to give an impetus to therural economy as dairy farming providesincome and employment to millions ofrural households.

Other research findings also show apromising potential for the Indian dairyindustry. According to another recentlypublished report (by Netscribes) titledDairy Market in India 2013, the Indian


D A I R Y

dairy market is experiencing risingdemand due to various driving factorswhich in turn is providing immenseopportunities to manufacturers to growand operate in the market lucratively. TheNetscribes’ report states that dairyproducts have gained popularity amongIndian consumers due to various factorssuch as increasing income levels, hecticlifestyles and convenience associated withtheir consumption.

Probiotic DairyAs mentioned before, one of the reasonsbehind the impressive growth in Indiandairy market can be attributed to thegrowing wave of health consciousnessprevailing in the industry. This can bereflected from the fact that dairy productsendowed with health characteristics havealso shown increase in popularity in Indiaover the years.

A study by Renub Research titled‘India Probiotic Dairy Products (Yogurt,Drink, Ice-Cream) Market, Volume &Forecast to 2015,’ stated that the Indianprobiotic dairy industry is evolving at asteady pace with opportunities fortremendous growth in near future. The

report further notes that India being thelargest producer of milk and having theworld’s highest cattle population, has adistinct advantage in the probiotic field.

There is no denying the fact that theprobiotic dairy products do have a highpotential of success in urban Indianmarket, where fast-paced lifestyles aremaking people prone to digestiveproblems, that probiotic dairy productscan alleviate. The report by RenubResearch also states that it is expected thatthe probiotic yogurt sales in India will

cross 100,000 thousand packets by 2015.This indicates the growing popularity ofhealthy dairy products in India.“Although there are quite a number ofchallenges in front of domestic and foreigncompanies entering the Indian probioticmarket, but the advantages associated withthe industrial growth prospectsoutnumber the challenges in an easy andelegant way,” the study by RenubResearch notes. Amul is the leader inprobiotic yogurt sales in India and there isa high likelihood that it will remain as aleader in this segment, in the near future.

Growth of the Organised SectorPresently, the dairy market of the countryis still dominated by the unorganisedsector, though the organised dairy sectorhas witnessed impressive growth in therecent years. According to the report titled‘India Dairy Products Market Forecast &Opportunities, 2018’ over the last fewyears, the organised dairy sector has beencatching up rapidly by offeringcustomised products to the endconsumers, thereby causing a rise in theorganised market share.

According to the above-mentioned


D A I R Y

Rabobank’s report, India’s formal dairymarket has shown strong growth in therecent years, which is likely to acceleratedue to product innovation, enablinggovernment policies and industryconsolidation. Rabobank has anticipatedthat this acceleration will help improveindustry margins by attaining greater scale,higher capacity utilisation and anincreasing contribution from value-addedproducts in total dairy revenues. In turnthese developments are expected to sparkinterest from global companies for whomIndia has been a difficult market.

The Right Time for EntryAt the same time, the Rabobank reportalso noted that India’s large consumptionmarket, its existing milk supplies andestablished consumer preference for dairyproducts have encouraged globaldairy companies to engage with Indiain the past. However, the challengingenvironment, with its informalfragmented supply chain, raw milkquality concerns, small base for value-added dairy products and ever-changing trade regulations haveproved to be challenges and strongdisincentives.

Presently, the time seems to beright for the global dairy players toinvest in the Indian dairy sector.“For years, the Indian dairy markethas remained an enigma for globaldairy players,” explained Rabobank’sAnalyst Shiva Mudgil. “Currently,however, the market is in a transitionphase. High market growth andfavourable market conditions may makenow the right time for global players toengage with the Indian dairy sector,” heexpressed.

There is no denying the fact that theIndian dairy market is already havingmore presence of foreign players than everbefore. India Dairy Products MarketForecast & Opportunities, 2018 statedthat, “The Indian dairy market is nowwitnessing the entry of a large number offoreign players. This can be observed withthe increasing presence of companies inemerging yogurt segment such as RedMango, Cocoberry, Kiwi Kiss andYogurberry, etc.”

The impressive growth of the Indiandairy industry is good news for the Indianbakery industry too as bakeries dependgreatly on dairy products as source of rawmaterials or ingredients. One can say that

the growth of the Indian dairy industrycan also directly propel the growth of theIndian bakery industry, provided if bakeryplayers use more and more dairyingredients in their creations, and mostimportantly, if impressive growth rate inthe Indian dairy industry also enhancesthe affordability of quality dairy productsin the Indian market, in the near future.

Challenges for the IndustryHowever, that is not to say that presentlythe scenario of the Indian dairy industry iscompletely rosy. It is also cluttered withthorns of impediments, which needed tobe tackled on an urgent basis. Oneimpediment or shortcoming for the Indiandairy industry is the low average milk yieldper animal. India has the largest bovinepopulation in the world with a large

processing capacity of 98.3 million litresper day, but the average yield of milk peranimal in India is low. In 2010, the milkyield per cow in the US was 9954 kgwhereas the milk yield per cow in Indiaduring the same year was a dismal 1154kg. This low milk yield per animal in Indiabe effectively addressed through betterfeeding management, giving due care tolivestock genetics, and employing bettertechnology.

However, the rampant presence ofmalnourished livestock in India doesn’treflect well on the Indian dairy sector’sfuture. In order to yield good productivityof milk from a milch animal, the animalmust be given balanced ration, which inmany cases the milch animals in India aredeprived of. At the least, the farmersshould be supported by the governmentto increase their cows and buffaloes’ foodand water intake, which in turn wouldincrease their milk yields.

Secondly, the high output of milk inIndia is getting superseded by an even

higher demand for milk. Therefore, thecost of milk is another worrying issue, as isthe rampant contamination in the milk,especially in the unorganised dairy sector.Almost 85 percent of the Indian dairyindustry falls into the unorganised sector,which contributes to the rampant neglectin the quality of dairy products in India.

In India, during 2011-12, the prices ofmilk and milk products experienced anescalation of 15.3 percent. The risingincomes in rural areas and among theswelling middle class are probably thereasons behind the growth of demand inmilk in the recent years. This in turn ismaking milk and milk products moreunaffordable to millions whose disposableincomes have not risen.

Production, Productivity and CostsWe need to increase the growth rateof milk production at a faster pacethan is witnessed now in order tomake every children in the countryhave milk in her/his glass and also tomake the effect of this growthrealistically percolate to the bakeryindustry. The country has achievedsignificant improvement in the percapita availability of milk during thelast five years, but still we have along way to go. Both production ofmilk and productivity of livestockmust be increased in order toeffectively tackle the rising demand

for milk in the country.The high cost of real estate and high

prices of cattle feed due to their exports iscontributing towards high cost of milk,and these two costs need to be addressedby the government in order to make milkprices more affordable. Government’srelaxation on tax on revenues derivedfrom milk sales can also reduce the costs ofmilk.

The cost of fuel and agricultural inputprices to the dairy farmers must also bereduced in order to make milk moreaffordable to the consumers and otherindustries which depend upon the dairysector. In this regard, both the dairyindustry and the government can play aconcerted role.

Succinctly, the Indian dairy industryneeds to increase both milk productionand the livestock’s milk productivity, andat the same time decrease its cost ofproduction in order to tackle the surge indemand for milk and milk products in thecountry. �


B E V E R A G E

Waking up to the AromaBy Swarnendu Biswas

Economic and socio-cultural factors,and a demography inclined infavour of young population have

together contributed to the growth ofcoffee café culture in India. The stand-alone coffee houses, which are dwindling innumbers from the metropolitan landscape,are fast becoming reminiscent of a long-lostera of romance and rebellion.

They are getting replaced by sleek andbusiness like coffee café retail chains, whichare serving as ideal backdrops forrendezvous and as well as business parleysfor a new age of upwardly mobile India.These hangout zones of today are offeringinnovative range of coffee concoctionsalong with an impressive array of appetisingsnacking options, which the Indiansattuned to globalised tastes, are simplylapping up.

The future for the coffee café retailchains in India seems warm and inviting.The burgeoning retail coffee market haslately experienced the entrance of manyforeign players to capture a market share,which has strengthened the aroma ofcompetition that in turn is expected to waftacross in the days ahead.

Growth in ConsumptionIn India, the production of coffee isprimarily concentrated in the three

southern states of Karnataka, Kerala andTamil Nadu, with Karnataka leading theway by accounting for nearly 53 percent ofthe country’s coffee production. It isfollowed by Kerala which contributes to 28percent of the country’s coffee production,and Tamil Nadu accounting for 11 percentof the total country’s coffee production.India’s coffee production during 2012-13was 318,000 tonnes, which is expected togrow to 3,47,000 tonnes during 2013-14,reflecting a growth of 9 percent per annum.

According to the estimates of CoffeeBoard of India, India’s coffee consumptionduring 2013 was 125,000 tonnes. What ismore important that the domesticconsumption of coffee in the country hasbeen experiencing an impressive growthrate of 5-6 percent per annum since 2010.Between 1951 to 2000, the total domesticconsumption of coffee in India increased byonly 2 percent per annum, on an average.However, coffee production in India isshowing signs of stagnation, which in thelong-run, with India’s coffee consumptionshowing appreciable increases, may makethe country a net importer of coffee.Overall, the coffee consumption in thecountry has increased by 40 percent overthe last decade.

Even two decades back, coffee wasprimarily consumed in the south of India.

Still South India accounts for almost 75percent of India’s coffee consumption.However, presently the popularity and theconsumption of coffee in India are nolonger concentrated in its southern states.The demand for coffee consumption isshowing appreciable increases across ournation, which has been traditionally anation of tea drinkers. What is of moresignificance is that the proportion ofoccasional coffee drinkers in the countryhas shown an increase in the last few yearsin the non-south regions, a section whichthe coffee café retail chains would not benaïve enough to not explore upon.

Neither does the appeal of coffee amongthe Indian coffee connoisseurs limited tothe historically famed Indian filter coffee orfor that matter, the espresso coffee. ThoughIndian filter coffee, which is a sweet milkycoffee made from dark roasted coffee beansand chicory, in the ratio of approximately80:20 or 70: 30 respectively, has been acommercial success since the 1940s and isstill very much popular in the southernstates of India, the country’s taste for coffeehas evolved to become more exotic,cosmopolitan and diverse in character.

These days, many of the young andeven the not so young crowd in the sleekcoffee cafes are seen sipping Americano,Mocha, Cappuccino and many otherexotic styles of this invigorating brew,which not so long ago were foreign to thethen comparatively insular and conservativetastes of India.

And the visitors to these sleek coffee caféoutlets, which have also doubled or are fastdoubling up as restaurants servingbreakfast, lunch and dinner options, arenot only young upwardly mobile crowd.Though this boom in retail coffee caféchains is fostered by India’s well-heeledsegment of youth population who viewvisit to these cafes as extension of theirlifestyle choices, but these cafes are not onlyfrequented by students and youngprofessionals, but also by middle-aged andover the hill persons.


B E V E R A G E

In today’s India, not only the upwardlymobile crowd in the metros, but also theaspiring middle aged and middle classpopulation in tier-I and tier-II cities are seenincreasingly perceiving a visit to a café asnot only an eating out option with exoticcoffees, but also as a lifestyle option. Coffeeis fast becoming the lifestyle beverage ofurban India.

Supply or Demand Driven?The increase in extent and varieties ofcoffee consumption across urban India,across different consumer profiles, canperhaps be attributed to rising disposableincomes in select pockets of urban Indiansociety, and also to the rising familiarisationof urban Indian society towards global food& beverage trends, as a result of thematuration of globalisation.

These factors have perhaps alsocontributed or rather snowballed into theretail coffee chain revolution across India.However, one can safely say that the growthof the coffee café culture in urban India isnot only due to the increasing consumptionof coffee in India, in the recent years. It isalso because of the globalisation influenced

lifestyle changes in the upwardly mobileyoung metropolitan India and as well as theswift percolation of this trend across varioussocial strata and age groups among theurban middle class India. The thriving of apredominantly young population is also amajor contributor to the growth of coffeecafé culture in urban India.

At the same time, it can be analysed thatnot only the increasing demand for coffee

consumption along with lifestyle changesin the society has induced the trend ofcoffee café culture across the country togain momentum, but the mushrooming ofcoffee bars and cafes in turn have alsoplayed their role in making coffee thelifestyle drink of new-age India. However,whether initially the supply followeddemand or the demand was createdthrough changing the supply pattern is amatter of debate.

Presently, according to a 2012 report byTechnopak Advisors, the size of India’s retailcoffee market is $230 million. It isexpected to grow at 13-14 percent perannum on an average, over the ensuing fiveyears. The retail revolution of the coffeecafes in India can become easily evidentfrom the astronomical growth of two earlybird players in this segment — Café CoffeeDay, and Barista Lavazza.

The Growing PlayersCafé Coffee Day can be credited withpioneering the retail coffee chain revolutionin India, and presently it is the largestorganised retail cafe chain in the country.The first CCD outlet was set up on July


B E V E R A G E

1996, at Brigade Road, Bangalore andwithin one-and-half decade this organisedretail café chain giant was having 1534outlets across 28 states of the country byDecember 2013, with aims to increase thisnumber to 2000 by 2015. On June 2013,Café Coffee Day announced that itenvisaged to open over additional 500outlets by 2015. CCD plans to havepresence in 400 cities of India by 2015,and the retail chain also has outlets outsideIndia, in Karachi, Vienna, Dubai andPrague. The brand is also looking atexpanding its range of coffee and non-coffee beverages.

Barista was established in February2000 to recreate the ambience andexperience of the typical Italianneighborhood espresso bars in India. In2007, Lavazza acquired Barista CoffeeCompany limited and post the completionof the brand integration process, all BaristaEspresso and Barista Crème outlets acrossIndia are known as Barista Lavazza andBarista Crème Lavazza respectively. Atpresent, Barista Lavazza has over 200 cafesin India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE andNepal.

Seeing the burgeoning business of retailcoffee chains in India, many internationalplayers have entered the country to have ashare of this growing market. On August2013, it came to light that Tata Starbucksenvisaged to open nearly 100 cafes in thecountry by 2014. Starbucks, the world’slargest coffee chain, entered India througha 50-50 JV with Tata Global Beverages inOctober 2012, and presently within 15months of its presence in India, it has 31outlets in the country, with presence inMumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore andPune. According to Avani Saglani Davda,the CEO at Tata Starbucks Ltd., thebusiness of Tata Starbucks in Indiacontinues to exceed their expectations.

And Tata Starbucks is envisaging totailor its offerings to suit the local tastes inIndia. “We are committed to present alocally relevant Starbucks experience to ourIndian customers that reflect the Starbucksbrand along with India’s rich culinaryheritage,” stated Avani.

The UK-based Costa Coffee, which isone of the renowned coffee café chains inthe world with 1700 outlets across 35countries, has been wafting its aromaamong the coffee consumers of India sincethe last eight years. In fact, it is the firstinternational coffee chain which enteredIndia, in 2005. Very recently, it came up

with its 119th outlet in India, which alsohappened to be the coffee café chain’s firstoutlet in Kerala. According to the CEO ofCosta Coffee, India, Santosh Unni, thebrand is aiming to open 300 outlets inIndia, by 2015-16.

Besides the giants like Starbucks andCosta Coffee, other important players inthis area like Dunkin’ Donuts and MuffinBreak have also made their forays in India’sburgeoning retail coffee market. Dunkin’Donuts, the Massachusetts-baseddoughnut and coffeehouse chain, arrived inIndia in April 2012, and within one-and-half-year there are 21 outlets in Indiawithin the ambit of the Dunkin’ Donuts’brand.

Nine more Dunkin’ Donuts stores inIndia are expected to become reality by

March. According to Dev Amritesh,President and COO of Dunkin’ Donutsdivision at Jubilant FoodWorks, thecompany which manages the franchisee forthe Dunkin’ Donuts chain in India andlaunched the Dunkin’ Donuts brand in thecountry, there are plans to launch 80-100Dunkin’Donuts stores in India, by 2017.

Australian firm Foodco Group inpartnership with South Asian Food &Hospitality Services, announced the entryof its bakery and café chain Muffin Breakinto India, in September 2012. At presentMuffin Break has two outlets in India, inGreater Kailash-II and DLF Place, Saket,both in Delhi, and the company envisagesto have 40 outlets of Muffin Break in thecountry by 2017.

Huge PotentialHowever, despite the highly impressivegrowth of the coffee café chains in thecountry, there is no denying the fact thatthe per capita consumption of coffee inIndia is only 90 gm, which is much lower

than in the developed countries of NorthAmerica and Europe, which varies between4-5 kg, on an average. According to JawaidAkhtar, Chairman, Coffee Board of India,still nearly two-third of population of thecountry do not drink coffee.

Moreover, the presence of coffee caféretail chains in India is nowhere near theirpotential. Out of 6000 towns in India,only 200 have coffee chains. Both thesefactors, if taken in light of growingurbanisation and globalisationspearheading across India, indicate that themarket for retail coffee café chains in Indiais far from being saturated. In fact, thegrowth story of café chains has just began,and the aroma of the coffee flavours hasjust began to waft across the country. Thecountry is slowly waking up to the aromaof coffee…

Succinctly, one can say that there ishuge unexplored potential of growth forboth café coffee chains and as well as coffeeconsumption in general, in the country.And with the urban India showing a likingtowards global food & beveragetrends(without dispensing with their localtaste preferences) now is the right time forthe coffee café chains to be ambitious inexploring this untapped potential in theIndian retail coffee market.

Balancing Global with LocalHowever, in order to have their distinctedge in the market, these café chains needto tailor their products not only to somefictitious homogenous Indian tastes (thereis in fact no homogenous taste or tastes inIndia, with culinary nuances of the countryshowing changes within a few miles) butalso to the local taste preferences of thepeople of the place where the outlet isbeing set up. For example, even withinDelhi, the taste preferences may vary fromone region to another.

Thus tweaking the menu to cater to themyriad consumer preferences of India is theneed of the hour for café chains operating orthinking of entering into India. In fact,already such an exercise has started. In thesecafés or outlets, localising the burgers,muffins, doughnuts, etc. is expected to leadto greater consumption of theaccompanying coffees too. It is becausethough we become apparently global, weremain inherently local. This global-localdichotomy must be intelligently addressedby the international and national coffee caféchains invading or thinking of invading oroperating in the Indian market. ■


T H E M E C U I S I N E

another mouth-watering Parsi dishwhich can be construed as a potpourriof mutton, lentil and vegetables.Dhansak has a special relevance in Parsiculture. It is generally served on thethird day after bereavement. It presentsitself as a pureed mash made from threedifferent types of lentils, meats and allthe vegetables that are available in thekitchen. At the festival also dhansak isbeing served, but with brown rice —basmati browned gently with onionsand with a dash of caramelised sugar —and served with lemondrizzled kachumbur of onion andtomato.

Koimino patio, which is a sweet andsour prawn curry, and dhandal patio —a fish curry served with rice and lentils— are other delectable offerings fromthe rich gastronomic legacy of the Parsis.Chicken farcha or fried chicken, Patra nimachhi, which is a steamed fish steakmarinated with mint chutney andwrapped in banana leaf, Sali murghi,which is a spicy chicken dish with finelyfried matchstick potatoes, are among themany other popular delicacies from theParsi cuisine. Apricot mutton or jardalooma gos is another must have Parsidelicacy with its blend of sweet sourrichness.

The khatta meeta, the sweet-sour

The Parsi PlatterBy Sharmila Chand

Parsi cuisine has varied influences,which includes the influencesfrom Iran, Gujarat and

Maharashtra. While rice forms the basisof Parsi food, lentils and curries too arecommon in this cuisine.

The Parsi cuisine cannot besegmented as either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The Parsi people can be saidto enjoy a combination of bothvegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.The Parsi people generally have a lovefor food and place emphasis on thenutrition value of the food. However, at

the same time Parsi dishes are notcompromised in terms of taste, and thedistinct flavour and simple taste of Parsicuisine are perhaps the reasons for itspopularity.

The Tempting, Timeless DishesThe Iranian influence is beingmanifested in the meat and chickendishes cooked with vegetables.Bhakras (a type of fried scone) andsadhnas (steamed rice pancakes), aretraditional Parsi specialties. Both of themare made with toddy. Dhansak is


T H E M E C U I S I N E

Parsi Bheeda Par Eeda

Keema Pav

Aloo Aunty’s Vegetable Cutlet

Spicy Mushroom on Khari

Margi na Farcha

Patra ni Machhi (Signature)

Mutton Berry Pulao (Signature)

Nan E Badami

Toblerone Mousse

Lagan nu Custard

5 Star Brownie with Ice cream

Beverages

Irani Chai

Sekanjebin

Raspberry Soda

Recipe

Tomato Cheese Macaroni

1 portion

Ingredients

50 gm boiled macaroni

1 tsp oil

4 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

3 cloves crushed garlic

3 chopped tomatoes

A pinch of sugar

1 tsp tomato ketchup

50 gm blanched vegetables (beans,

carrot, mushroom, potatoes,

cauliflower)

40 gm grated cheddar cheese

1 tbsp Amul cream

1 tsp Parsi sambhar masala

Salt to taste

1 cheddar cheese slice

Method

1. In a pan add oil, peppercorns, bay

leaf and let it splutter

2. Add a little butter and garlic, and

brown slightly

3. Add deseeded and skinned

tomatoes and cook well, till the mixture

starts drying out

4. Add ketchup, salt and sugar

5. Add the blanched vegetables,

sambhar masala, grated cheese and

Amul cheese

6. Add the macaroni at last, toss

well and check seasoning

7. In a cast iron pan or in an oven

proof dish add the macaroni, and then

top with cheese slice

8. Bake in the oven till the dish

becomes nice and brown

9. Garnish with chopped coriander

and a fried green chilli

10. Serve hot.

Menu Plan By Parsi Chef Anahita DhondyMenu Plan By Parsi Chef Anahita Dhondytang, is an influence from Gujarat. “One can either infuse sugar for a firsttaste or as an aftertaste, but sugar is usedin most Parsi dishes,” informed ChefJamsheed, who was training in-houseChefs at The Trident, Bandra Kurla,Mumbai for the Parsi food festival,which was being held through Augustof the last year.

The role of eggs in Parsi tastes is quiteimportant. Par eedu that means toppedwith eggs is a Parsi food traditionand salliu par eedu is another popularParsi dish. Akuri (scrambled eggs withspices) and the pora (Parsi omelet) arepopular items of this gastronomictradition. Also, main dishes in Parsikitchens are often served with an egg ontop.

Many Parsi dishes use the singularbalance of acid and sweetness by usingvinegar and sugar and they happily termthis balancing act as khattu mithu. Apopular Parsi tomato-based curry is thepatio, which is prepared in the khattumithu tradition.

The Parsi stew is dry and tangy. It isdevoid of coconut. This stew is served attraditional Parsi weddings.

The InfluencesParsi food derives its predominance ofmeats, which include both lamb andpoultry, from Iran, but seafood and fishin Parsi preparations are derived from acoastal influence.

Jamsheed explained, “Over thecenturies, we have imbibed Gujaratifood habits. This was followed bywestern influence from the British andthe Parsi cuisine, which was initiallyquite tangy, eventually turned mild.Crumb frying and baking techniqueswere introduced, thereby paving in forsome of the most popular dishes of Parsi

cuisine like frilly cutlets and lagan nucustard.”

The kofta pulao, another dish of theParsi cuisine, which is a delicacy sprucedwith rich profusion of nuts, raisins andsaffron is a culinary influence from Iran.At the same time, the Indian influencesare also present in Parsi dishes. TheIndianised masala scrambled egg, calledakuri, is served atop hard bun or pav,and is one of the most popular entreesin a typical Parsi menu.

More specifically speaking, theinfluence of Mumbai has also wafted inParsi kitchens, across the years. Chutneypatties reflect the Mumbai influence. Itis a crumb fried aloo tikki sandwichlaced with sweet-sour mint-corianderchutney. Parsi kitchen is alsocharacterised by its shoe-string shapedpotatoes known as salli. They are friedand served more as an accompanimentto the dish.

Seafood & PicklesSeafood, in general, has abundant

presence in Parsi dishes due to the byand large coastal location of Parsis inIndia. There are some very distinctivedried seafood pickles found in Parsikitchen like the Sukha Boomla Achar,which are made using seafood in typicalkhattu mithu flavour.

Delightful DessertsA Parsi wedding menu is simplydelicious, and is characterised by somemouth-watering desserts. One of them isthe lagan nu custard, which is rich andalmost resembles a cake’s consistency.Ravo or the semolina pudding is animportant dish in most Parsicelebrations. Parsis also make halwawith white pumpkins. The doodhihalwa, too is another common Parsidessert.

The other common delicious dessertsof the Parsis or vasanu, which simplymeans ‘sweet dish,’ include sev orvermicelli, faluda and kulfi. A breadbutter pudding or caramel custard is astaple dessert at a regular Parsi meal. ■


R E S T A U R A N T

By Sharmila Chand

The Parsis have had a majorinfluence in making Mumbaiwhat it is today, and among their

many contributions, the Irani cafésdotting the metropolis — a metropolisknown for its glamour, commerce andunderworld — still waft their aromasthrough passage of time.

Irani cafes were famous for theirinexpensive food, eccentric owners anddistinctive menus incorporating disheslike the stick chai (extremely sweet), bunmaska (crusty bread with butter),kheemapao (minced meat curry withbread) and typical Parsi cutlets, patties,rolls, fruitcakes, and other confectionaryitems. Today, however, many of the fewremaining Irani cafes serve a wide rangeof cuisines.

Without these quaint places to eat, sipand spend quality time, much of thecharacter of Mumbai would have beencompromised. The genesis of Irani cafésin India can be traced to the 19th centuryand today Mumbai hosts the mostnumber of Irani cafes in India, which are

serving traditional Irani chai along with aslew of other specialties. But in the samebreath it must be noted that graduallythe tradition and popularity of such cafeshas suffered a setback due to the foray ofmyriad fast food concepts invading theurban India during the last two decadesor so. The rich legacy is ebbingaway…This is lamentable.

Perhaps equally lamentable is the factthat this above discussed wonderfulcontribution of the Parsis in the realm offood service business never wafted to

Delhi or its satellite cities… even till therecent past, yes, even in these globalisedtimes.

However, now the eating out crowd ofDelhi-NCR has a reason to rejoice.Finally there is an Irani café in town.Soda Bottle Openerwala has beenlaunched recently at Cyber Hub, atCyber City, in Gurgaon, as aquintessential Mumbai style Irani café,with all its idiosyncrasies in place. SodaBottle Openerwala opens its doors to atradition, bringing with it typical Parsispecialties, in a fun, quirky andcontemporary avatar.

The brain behind this real estate is ADSingh, who said, “For my wife Sabinaand me, Mumbai is an integral part ofthe journey of our lives. The city’s Iranicafes together constitute a rich part ofMumbai’s vibrant tapestry, and sadlythey are also a dying legacy. We delveddeep within the unique world of Iranicafes to bring alive the nuances — bothin terms of cuisine and atmosphere. Theresult opened up as the Soda Bottle

“With Soda Bottle Openerwala,

we present you a concept that

is unique to India; the revival of

the dying legacy of the

wonderfully chaotic, crowded,

bustling, colourful, quirky,

cluttered, eccentric and the so

real world of an Irani café.”

— AD Singh and Sabina Singh

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An Irani Café in GurgaonAn Irani Café in Gurgaon


R E S T A U R A N T

Openerwala, which is a conceptrestaurant with a bar. Architect Clementand Sabina brought the ideas to life.”

Look and Feel

The moment you step into therestaurant, you get a distinctive slice ofMumbai at its Parsi best. Every item seenon the walls and on the menu is typical ofMumbai’s Irani cafes and of what you aremost likely to find in many Parsi women’shome and kitchen.

Keeping most original elements of atypical Irani cafe in place, architect Clementand fashion and interior designer SabinaSingh have added a few contemporarytouches to the restaurant. Their take of Parsistyle ‘Freddie Mercury meets MontyPython’ on the large mirrors juxtaposes witha play of graphics all around.

Old world dome lights, some antiques,cuckoo clocks, antique framed images oflife in Irani cafes and Bombay street lifeon the wall, barni glass jars bursting withnankatais and typical bakery items soldby the piece on the cash counter, tinboxes, locks, old paraphernalia and bric abrac…together help to make theambience come alive.

Adding a fun touch to the café is theaddition of a pool table, a caroom boardand a fully stocked bar with old style baraccessories.

The Taste

If you have had the history of sharingsome sumptuous experiences at Iranicafes, then it is likely that nostalgia maywarm your heart as you navigatethrough the menu of Soda BottleOpenerwala. And chances are a fondsmile can emerge on your lips as youchoose from the ‘All Day Menu’ of therestaurant.

The menu has a comprehensive

selection of 18 dishes which includetemptations such as Parsi Bheeda ParEeda (classic Parsi egg preparation withspicy okra), Tardeo AC Market Mamaji’sGrill Sandwich (veg), Kheema BaidaRoti, Kolmi Fry (Parsi style fried prawns),and Marghi na Farcha (traditional friedchicken). They are some of thegastronomic highlights of the menu. Theopening menu showcases five Parsispecialities of Patra ni Machi, ChickenBerry Pulao and Mutton Berry Pulao, SaliMarghi, and Veg Berry Pulao.

The Irani bakery menu at therestaurant serves items freshly baked inthe morning and they are sold by thepiece. The current selection of 14delights include Vada Pav, Khari Biscuit,Ginger Biscuit, Nan E Badami, BerryNankhatai, Shrewsbury Biscuit, BunMaska Jam, Kheema Patty, Mawa Cake,and Millionaire Shortbread.

A selection of 18 drinks from theIrani chai bar of Soda Bottle Openerwalais meant to spoil you further. They rangefrom Irani Special Chai, Mewa Nu Chai(brewed..not boiled), Pheteli Coffee Hotto tempting coolers like Gannu Nu Ras,Sekanjebin (Persian dried plums andmint cooler), Raspberry Soda amongothers. These beverage options arecomplemented by the Thumbs Up.

Ice cream of the day, Apple Pie with

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Custard, Toblerone Mousse, FerreroRocher Cake, Lagan Nu Custard aresome of the delectable dessert options atthe restaurant.

The Team

“My memories of living in Mumbai areinfused with Parsi life and cuisine – be itMamaji’s aloo sandwich from the streetdabba across my house or keemapav andbhendiwala seekh parantha from nightlong kebab stalls. The essence ofMumbai life and my journeys whichmake me what I am today are reflected

in this endeavour,” said the renownedChef Saby (Sabyasachi Gorai), who hasput together the menu for thisuncommon gastronomic endeavour.

The Head Chef for Soda BottleOpenerwala is Chef Kulbeer, who haslived six years in Mumbai and has longyears of experience in working withleading hotels and restaurants in India.

He is supported by the unique talentof cuisine authenticator, the Parsi ChefManager of the outlet, Anahita Dhondy.After studying at IHM – Aurangabad,Anahita worked with four differenthotels in three different cities before shewent to pursue her dream to gain the LeGrand Diplome from Le Cordon Blue.

Bakery and confectionary is herpassion and her adventurous journeywith food gets a home coming withSoda Bottle Openerwala, which isinextricably linked with her Parsi roots.

Mohit Balachandran, who is apassionate food blogger, is currentlyleading the kitchen and food productionat the Soda Bottle Openerwala.

So if you wish to have bun maska andstick chai, here in Delhi-NCR, you nowhave a place to go and enjoy!


C H E F V O I C E

How do you define yourself?I am a people’s person. For me, my

team defines me. I believe that if I don’tmake a good team, I can never run asuccessful and profitable kitchen.

What is meaning of life foryou?

I believe life is about giving – tocommunity, people, friends, and family.

What would you like to sayon your work?

I think my job is one of the mostcreative jobs in the world, which affordsthe possibility of keep evolvingprofessionally every day. No Chef canever say that she/he has learnteverything in her/his profession.

What is your source ofinspiration?

Lots of things inspire me. I idoliseChef Marco Pierre White. I used to read

his White Heat while I was growing upas a Chef.

How do you define success?Success for me is measured on a daily

basis, which of course include goodcustomer reviews and happy teammembers.

What is your idea ofhappiness?

For me happiness comes throughfamily, friends, and food.

According to you what areyour strengths?

My belief in the fact that anythingthat I ask from my subordinates, Ishould be able to do it in the bestpossible manner.

And what are your weaknesses?I do procrastinate sometimes, trying

to buy more time to do things in a

perfect manner.

And what is your greatestdesire?

It is travelling the entire world.

How do you de-stressyourself?

I de-stress myself by listening tomusic and working out at the gym.

Whom do you consider asyour greatest asset?

She is my daughter Gabriella.

How would you describeyourself in one word?

It must be ‘Inspired.’ I can neverinspire my team if I am not inspiredmyself.

What is your favouritecuisine?

Although I am more fluent in

By Sharmila Chand

Committed to Freshness

Chef Vincent Marques is the Executive Chef, Jehan Numa Palace,

Bhopal. His love for food and cooking is displayed with passion in

each of his dish; which is manifested through the subtle combination

of exotic flavours and textures. His culinary creations easily reveal

his deep desire to use fresh ingredients straight from the farm.

He began his career as an Operational Trainee at The Oberoi Grand,

Kolkata, in 2003. He got an opportunity to work at Trident Bandra

Kurla in Mumbai as part of the pre-opening team.

Thereafter, Vincent moved to Carnival Cruise Lines, Miami. Here he

gained an experience of providing meal for 3500 people, while strictly

adhering to the United States’ public health standards.

Prior to joining Jehan Numa Palace in Bhopal as the Executive Chef,

he had a stint with The Leela Mumbai where he mastered western

food at Citrus, the all day dining restaurant of the hotel.

Chef Vincent likes to lead by setting an example. “My biggest strength

is my people management skills. I prefer leading by example,” he

observed. About his culinary creations he added, “My food has to be as close to its natural state as possible.”

The excerpts of the interview follow:

Committed to Freshness


western cuisine, my favourite cuisine still remainsIndian. In my opinion, it is the most diversified andscientific cuisine in the world. Every ingredient in atypical Indian dish has a purpose to serve.

What is your favourite spice?It is black pepper. It makes a lot of difference to the

dishes.

And favourite dish?My favourite dish remains the Goan sausage. I guess

that is one wonderful culinary influence the Portugeseleft us.

In your opinion, what is your favouriteequipment?

It is the combination oven.

What is your favourite food joint?My favourite food joint is Global Fusion, Mumbai.

Whom would you consider your favouritediner that is the kind of guest you wouldlike to feed?

I cannot name a single person, but definitely it issomeone or rather anyone who is adventurous in tryingout new flavours.

What is your hot selling item?It is Murgh pankhi kebab. This is made using chicken

wings.

Professionally, what you are passionateon?

I am passionate on using fresh ingredients.

How do you explain your philosophy atwork?

I believe that food that is made with love alwaysgives you compliments, and that is the exact reasonwhy we say “Mother’s food is always good.” It isbecause every mother cooks with love.

How do you see you 10 years from now?I would perhaps be a Chef and owner of a renowned

restaurant.

What are your future plans?It is to own a restaurant and become a celebrity Chef.

What is the position of Chefs these days,in India?

The fact that a lot of Indian born Chefs, who werebased in Europe, are returning back to their homeland,answers the question.

What are the problems and challengesfaced by Chefs in the country?

There are challenges involved in sourcing of theright ingredients, especially in Y class cities of thecountry.


First and foremost, pleasespell out some key challengestowards opening a newrestaurant?

We think, finding the right location atthe right price is the biggest challengeany restaurateur in urban India facestoday. Other challenges are governmentlicensing, finding the right staff andretaining them.

Maintaining the same quality over aperiod of time is another big challenge.With inflation occurring all throughthe year, many restaurateurs and Chefstend to opt for cheaper alternatives tosave money. That is where the qualitysuffers and in turn, they lose out oncustomers.

What would you like to sayon the current restaurantbusiness scenario in Delhi,Mumbai & Bangalore?

People across all metros of India are

becoming more experimental in termsof food. They are trying new flavoursand cuisines. This gives us moreopportunity to come out of the comfortzone and try to give them somethingdifferent from time to time. We alsohave a lot of international brandscoming here. That keeps us on our toesall the time.

As enterprisingentrepreneurs in the hospitalityindustry, please comment onhow the cuisine trend in Delhihas changed over a period oftime?

Talking about the eating out crowdin Delhi, it is great to see how peoplehave expanded their tastes from butterchicken & dal makhni to Penangcurries and wood fired pizzas. We arealways seen by outsiders as butterchicken lovers, which we are, but nowthe eating out crowd in Delhi share the

same love for Mediterranean, Orientaland American food as well.

What has helped you themost in the image building ofyour brands?

Being in the industry as seafood andpoultry suppliers for 50 years, peopleexpected a lot from our brands. Ourcustomers have faith in the quality ofour products, which is what our brandshave always signified.

What do you enjoy the mostabout being in this business?

We enjoy the fact that every day is anew day here. You can try new thingsall year around. This business nevergets boring.

And what do you dislike themost in this business?

The work timings are lengthy andyou seldom get holidays.

By Sharmila Chand

In 2008 two college going brothers Angad Singh and Harmohan Singh began

their entrepreneurial journey. Then they were both B.com (Hons) students of

Delhi University. They set up a quick service restaurant by the name Blue Water

Grille at Punjabi Bagh, Delhi. This multi-cuisine QSR specialised and still

specialises in grills and Indian and Chinese food, which soon went on to garner

popularity, thereby giving them encouragement to pursue their F&B journey.

The success of their maiden outlet propelled the go getter brothers to expand

their food service retail business. Thus, Pick Fresh Fish was conceived and

today the brand is thriving with four outlets in different locations around the

capital city of India, delivering high quality fresh, frozen and ready to eat sea

food and poultry. They also went on to open another Blue Water Grille outlet —

a sprawling 6000 square feet fine dining restaurant — at Rajouri Garden, Delhi,

in 2012.

Though they have no formal degree in hotel or business management their

undiluted passion, vision and execution have enabled the brothers to make a

mark in the food service business of the capital and there just seems to be no

stopping for them. Angad Singh, one of the brothers, added, “Owning a restaurant

means having to be very hands-on. It takes a lot of hard work to run a restaurant

business and we have been doing just the same since the time we began, and

we will do whatever needs to be done to give our customers the ultimate

dining experience.”

They are looking forward towards opening a new restaurant in early 2014 and a packaged food brand, and franchise

module of Pick Fresh Fish. The excerpts of the interview with Angad Singh follow:

Presenting Tastes from the Blue Waters

P R O F I L E


P R O F I L E

If you could change one thingabout your position or business,what would that be?

We are glad the business has beenreceiving a positive response but thereare certain misconceptions that need tobe driven out from the minds of thepeople of Delhi.

One of the misconceptions is that wecannot expect good sea food in Delhi.Rest assured we are here in a gamechanging mode in terms of providing seafood for the Delhiites.

What kind of pressures haveyou encountered at work?

Controlling costs is the major pressureevery restaurateur faces today. Withprices of all commodities sky rocketing,it is getting difficult to manage costs.Moreover, working hours are really longin our nature of work, which is also apressure factor.

How important is it to havegood interiors in therestaurant? How muchsignificance you give to thedécor and ambience of the

place as compared to the food?Décor and ambience are very

important. We have always believedthat people just don’t come out to eatfood at your restaurant. They come outfor an experience. And giving them agood looking place exuding warmth isan essential element of that experience.Thus ambience, lighting and musichave a lot of significance in a restaurant.

What are the top three traits orskills you look for in your Head -Food & Beverage Manager?

She/he must have dedication towardswork, and a sense of responsibility. Atthe same time, she/he must be endowedwith good public relations skills.

Is it getting difficult to hiregood trained manpower thesedays?

Getting good staff is manageable. But,with so many restaurants openingeveryday, retaining your staff is a massivechallenge.

What is your working mantrato strengthen your team?

We ensure that we invest our time ininteracting with them consistentlybecause we know we have a big role insetting the tone for what our team ismade up of. Motivating them always,making effective adjustments keepingeach member’s attitude in mind and notforgetting to acknowledge their work areessential requirements for strengtheningthe team, which we scrupulously adhereto.

What are your futureexpansion plans?

We are coming up with a grillconcept restaurant very soon in Aerocity,which is being developed next to theinternational airport. We are alsoplanning to launch a packaged foodbrand with very new and differentproducts. That should be a reality byFebruary 2014.

Anything else you would liketo say about your brands?

We have always believed in quality.We believe that you can have a 100percent success rate if you don’tcompromise on quality.


O P E R A T I O N S

Up until the mid 90s theexpectations from a restaurantwere limited to good food,

ambience and at the most a live musicianfor entertainment. Eating out, particularlyin star hotels and expensive restaurants,was an occasional affair treated with muchfanfare by the average middle and uppermiddle class consumers in urban India.

Kitchen Only as UtilityEven for those spending on a companyaccount or accustomed to a more lavishlifestyle, the reasons for going to arestaurant in a hotel were usually restrictedto celebrations or business meetings with afocus on interactions with the rest of thedining party and consumption of qualityfood and beverage. Succinctly, thenrestaurants were treated as the venue of,and not necessarily the source of, anevening of entertainment.

Consequently, restaurant operators didnot need to focus on the aesthetics of thekitchens. The restaurant kitchens were

Interactive Kitchens:An Overview

designed to be purely utilitarian and wereexpected to provide the tools to completethe sole function of food production.

Of course, at premium restaurantsadequate care was taken to ensurecleanliness and hygiene standardsacceptable at the time were beingmaintained, while in others this dependedon the level of supervision and inherentqualities of the line staff. Guests did notsee the restaurant’s kitchen or displayedany care to know what was happeningwithin. Their concern was with the taste,presentation and appeal of the food setbefore them. If at all the guests desired,the Head Chef would be called to come totheir table and interact with them.

The Interactive EdgeFast forward twenty years and the entireeating out concept in urban India hasbeen spun on its head. With greaterdisposable incomes, the emergence of a‘flat’ world with global exposure availableto those on the move, and at the click of a

button online to those who are not, alongwith a faster-paced lifestyle with littleroom for cooking elaborate meals athomes, the desire to eat out in urbanIndia, particularly in metropolitan India,and particularly among the upper middleclass and above segments, has in many acase become a need.

And when eating out of home is aroutine activity then the demands andexpectations from a restaurant are boundto increase from mere eating outestablishments.

As is often the case, it is the moreaffluent segment of customers and serviceproviders who are leading the trend. Inthis case it is the star hotel’s restaurantswho are offering a greater experience totheir patrons, who in turn have becomeever more demanding and discerning andhave become exposed to a wider variety ofcuisines and other F&B experiences thanthey had before.

Of course, this process oftransformation in consumer tastes isturning the food & beverage business inurban India literally inside out, with therestaurant kitchens becoming an integralpart of the dining room itself.

The EvolutionIn the early days of this transformation,guests were offered a view into the foodpreparation area by means of a displaykitchen, which is typically a small sectionof the kitchen segregated from the mainkitchen by solid partition and withlimited function.

Examples of such display kitchen canbe a kebab or bread counter, withactivities limited to finishing of a pre-prepared product in the line of vision ofguests; behind a glass window and in acontrolled environment.

In the age when ‘display kitchens’ were

By Gautam Verma


the in thing, the bulk of the menu atrestaurants still continued to be preparedout of sight. To patrons of the restaurant,the display kitchen had great noveltyvalue as the showmanship of the cookbehind the glass was on display.

The tossing of a roomali roti or thevisual of a skewer emerging from a tandoor,laden with juicy kebabs, became aconversation piece, while to the restaurantthis was a great way to up-sell profitablemenu items through unobtrusive visualmerchandising.

Over a period of time, the acceptanceof the display kitchen grew to a pointwhere many an up market neighbourhoodrestaurant across urban India were seenadopting the concept.

To maintain a market edge over thesedisplay kitchens, to facilitate guestscommunicate with the staff, to improveexhaust emissions and cut down on soundand heat, the show kitchen was born, bytaking advantage of newer technologiesavailable.

Changed Guests’ Role andExpectationsIn this concept, an even greater portion of

the food preparation zones were broughtout of the kitchen and into the diningroom. Guests were able to watch Chefs atwork, preparing every dish fresh and hotand made to order, from the comfort oftheir seats and without experiencing toomuch discomfort from kitchen activities.The show kitchen concept quickly evolvedto the interactive kitchens of the presentday.

In the interactive kitchen format, guestsare encouraged to participate in the foodproduction process – choosing freshingredients from those offered on display,speaking directly to the cook andexchanging recipes, creating an experiencewhile sharing knowledge and ideas.

In these interactive kitchens, almost allkitchen activities are entirely part of thedining hall and the walls have come downwith the demarcation of areas of guestsand operational staff in these restaurantkitchens all but disappeared.

Only the most basic pre-preparationand ware washing functions in theinteractive restaurant kitchens remain outof sight, together with storage areas.

A guest who visits such anestablishment does so not just for food but

also for entertainment and above all for anexperience that is to be shared, with notjust those at the table, but with fellowdiners at the restaurant, and, increasinglywith a wider audience online thoughuploads and posts on social networkingsites and also within the blogosphere!

Suitable for Global CuisinesNow with increased global experiences,guest expectations from the menu andcuisine choices available has increasedmanifold. Global cuisine is on offer with aconstant desire to explore more tastes andentice the palate, resulting in a need formore flexible dining and cookingenvironments.

Interactive kitchens are increasingly thesolution to feed this demand as they allowfor a large restaurant to be broken downcreatively by designers into differentzones, each equipped withmultifunctional equipment; suitable forcooking a wide range of cuisines.

This has all been made possible byimprovements in the technology availableto designers, which include more efficientcooking equipment that consumes lessenergy, emits less heat and produces less

O P E R A T I O N S


O P E R A T I O N S

sound. Moreover, these equipments aremore safe for non-operational persons tobe around. They also reduce thedemands on the ventilation system andput less pressure on the air-conditioning.

Greater Role for VendorsThe evolution in the way restaurantkitchens are being designed and viewedhas also an impact on the producers andsuppliers of kitchen equipments.

While earlier contractors could get awaywith mere supply and installation ofindividual equipment, usually withdisregard for the adjacent equipment andareas if not within their contract, for today’sinteractive kitchens this is not an option.

The intricacies of putting together afront of house kitchen in a restaurant aremuch more demanding. Every minutedetail must be worked out and attendedto and coordination between the kitchenequipment contractor, the interiorcontractor and various other agencies atthe site is imperative.

As a result, the complacency that hadset in among the domestic vendors hasbeen disturbed by the invasion ofinteractive kitchens in restaurants, andinternational contractors, as well asOEMs, have set up offices in thecountry. They are offering newer andbetter design solutions to restaurantdesigners.

Of course, the expertise brought in byinternational KECs comes at a price toowners of hotels and restaurants and mustbe justified with commensurate returns.

Effectively designed restaurants withinteractive kitchen counters also shouldallow for sections of the restaurant to be

shut down when there is lower demandwithout giving a feeling of emptinesswithin a large dining hall, as the roomneeds to be demarcated by the differentcooking elements. The designers ofinteractive kitchens need to take care ofthis factor, while designing the interactivekitchens for restaurants.

Smart Staff, Well-maintainedHardwareA corollary to the evolution of the entireeating out experience and theintroduction of interactive kitchens inrestaurants is the development of staffworking in these areas as well as thechange in operating practices beingadhered to at these interactive kitchens.

An interactive kitchen is in view ofguests and there are no rules to preventguests’ contact with staff. Every memberof the team who is in the kitchen ordining room must therefore be able tocommunicate and interact suitably withguests.

Moreover, as the kitchen hardware orequipment is on display all the time, itmust be maintained and cared for equallywell as any piece of furniture or interiordécor, at these interactive kitchens.

This means not only does theplanning of each maintenance activityhave to be more thorough but also theproviders of these services need to bemore attuned to the changing times.

The Cost FactorThe interactive kitchens have a directimpact on the cost of a restaurant projectand its operations too. Not only theequipment at interactive kitchens need to

be sophisticated and generally costly, butthe demands on the staff are higher toowhich translates directly to increasedwages for better qualified personnel aswell as more time and money spent incontinual training and up gradation ofsoft skills of the staff.

A typical interactive kitchen in arestaurant with extensive displaycounters also results in an inflated foodcost as fresh produce needs to adorn thedisplay counters daily, which is anexpense borne regardless of the actualincome generated.

The SuitabilityInteractive kitchens are more suitable forestablishments which have a large seatingcapacity while allowing for flexibility, asthey are typically designed to producemultiple cuisines. At the same time, ininteractive kitchens the counters need tobe spread out and interspersed with thedining areas. Interactive kitchen is not afeasible concept if the number of coversrequired is not much to begin with.

It should be borne in mind thatinteractive kitchens too require a backarea for commissary, stores and warewashing, which results in a total floorspace requirement that is often toodemanding for a stand-alone restaurantin a mall or a shopping complex.

Hotels however have the advantage ofbeing able to offer the space required forinteractive kitchens.

For hotels, restaurants with interactivekitchens are an attractive choice as theyallow a single space, if designed right, tooffer a choice of dining options, both interms of décor and menu. This reduces theneed to develop two or three separaterestaurants, each requiring an independentassociated kitchen and a dedicated team.This can be done without compromisingon the guest satisfaction.

The author isengaged withHospitalityConsultants(India) Pvt. Ltd.,a professionalorganisationoffering a varietyof services in thefield of hotels,restaurants,recreation andother hospitality related industries.


P R O D U C T P R E V I E W

The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In any case, it does

not represent the views of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

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CookwareIntroducing a special range of ceremic cookware,

which is developed for the usage on induction

systems. The cookware are pure, simple and

elegant thanks to the whiteness of their ceramic

bodies. Developed by Revol, the range is the first

high-performance ceramic which is non-porous

and compatible with all heat sources, including

induction.

This

collection,

designed

for

professionals,

is the

result of

over two

years of

research.

Its

extensive

choice of shape and colour is the answer to all

your requirements for presentation, serving and

temperature maintenance, due to its exceptional

properties.

[email protected]

Polycarbonate Range‘Kenford’ brand embodies distinct polycarbonate products, which are

useful for the hospitality and the food service industry. The product

range includes cafeteria trays, glasses, dinnerware, stack bowls,

tableware, compartment &

display trays, and salad

platters among others. Its

G.N Pans & the lids are the

exclusive products. The

company having the

‘Kenford’ brand has

launched colour coded G.N

Pans in Ceramic Cream,

Green & Red.

‘Kenford’ represents

striving towards excellence. It

has quality products at

reasonable prices within its ambit.

M.P. [email protected]

Crafting Impeccable F&B EquipmentsKumar Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd. is one of the largest manufacturers of

commercial kitchen, refrigeration and bakery equipments in India. Its

product range includes hot and cold equipments,

bakery equipments, bar equipments, beverage

equipments, dish washing equipments, cake

pastry and ice-cream displays, salad display,

racks, storage equipments among others. Kumar

Equipment (India) is a certified ISO 9001: 2008

and a ‘Trust Passed’ accredited company.

KEI specialises in providing consultancy,

designing, layout plans with complete technical

details of F&B equipments for commercial

kitchens, canteens, bakeries & messes, etc. on

turnkey basis as well as on individual product basis. The company’s

services also extend to designing, layout and installation of exhaust and

fresh air systems as well as LPG pipeline, for facilitating the safety and

economy of the projects.

KEI has been associated with kitchen

equipment industry for well over two decades,

and has been successfully providing its

expertise to hospitality industry, residential

schools, learning institutes, hospitals,

messes of Armed Forces, industrial canteens,

clubs, cafeterias, etc. Its operations not only

spans across India but is also extended

abroad. KEI has two manufacturing units in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan; well

equipped with the latest state-of-the-art plant and machinery. Robust

infrastructure, highly skilled and dedicated workforce, and sound R&D are

the company’s strengths.

Kumar Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd.

[email protected]

Cooking RangeRavinder Hospitality Equipment is a company

engaged in the field of designing, manufacturing and

servicing a comprehensive range of commercial

hospitality products

in India. The

company has

introduced itself as

one of the leading

designers,

manufacturers &

suppliers of

complete range of

commercial kitchen,

refrigeration, food

service and bakery

equipments for hotels, restaurants, industrial

canteens, fast food joints, and clubs.

The company has introduced cooking range for

industrial catering. It has a team of experienced

mechanical engineers and technocrats to make the

product perfect for the market.

Ravinder Hospitality [email protected]


B U S I N E S S O P P O R T U N I T Y


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AKASA 87

AKSAI 05

ALLIED METAL WORKS 53, 79

ANI GLASS CORPORATION 20

ANOUSHKA GOURMET PVT. LTD. 65

APPLE BAKERY MACHINERY PVT. LTD. 18

ARCHII 45

ASHOKASHA EXIM PVT. LTD. 25

BEETA MACHINES PVT. LTD. 89

BMS ENTERPRISES 33

CONSTELLATION PROJECTS 63

DABON INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. 07

EDT EXPO 2014 85

FCML DISTRIBUTORS PVT. LTD. 23

FHA SINGAPORE 2014 08

FIDELIO INDIA PVT. LTD. 47

FISHER NUT 27

FnS INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. 11

GENNEXT LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. 14

HINDUSTAN REFRIGERATION STORES 83

HOTELEX SHANGHAI 2014 73

HOTREMAI 51

INTERNATIONAL FOODTEC INDIA 2014 61

JEGSON INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIES 59

KANHAIYALAL TANDOOR PVT. LTD. 43

K.I. GLASSWARE INDIA PVT. LTD. 55

KING METAL WORKS 09

LOOM CRAFTS FURNITURE (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 34, 35

MAKREY EXPORTS 89

MANISHA INTERNATIONAL BIC

METAL AVENUES 13

MITORA MACHINEX 14

MM FISHERIES PVT. LTD. 19

MOD KITCHEN EQUIPMENTS PVT. LTD. 31

M.P. ENTERPRISES 17

MRS. BECTOR’S FOOD SPECIALITIES LTD. FIC

MUNNILAL TANDOORS PVT. LTD. 81

MYANMAR HOTELS FOOD & BEVERAGE TRAVELN SHOW 2014 71

NEENA ENTERPRISES 12

PACIFIC MERCHANTS 49

RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 67

RAJKIRAN KITCHEN EQUIPMENT 24

RATIONAL INDIA 10

REMINGTON STEEL ARTS 88

ROSHAN LAL TANDOOR WALA 26

SHAMSONS FOODS 69

SIAL CHINA 2014 75

SIAL PARIS 21

SOLUTIONZ CONSULTING PVT. LTD. 12

STARLITE STEEL PVT. LTD. 90

STEC STAINLESS STEEL PVT. LTD. 41

THAIFEX 2014 57

THE NEW INDIA ELECTRIC & TRADING CO. 88

THE SCS AGRIBUSINESS CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD. 39

TRADE LINKERS 89

UNITAS FOODS PVT. LTD. 16

VANYA INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENTS 15

VENUS INDUSTRIES 01

WANG HOSPITALITY EQUIPMENT PVT. LTD. 29

PRODUCT PREVIEW 86

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 87


I N T E R V I E W

What are the top three traits orskills every Food & BeverageManager must have to excel?

To begin with, the prerequisite for anyF&B Manager is passion for food andeverything connected with it. This helps her/him to understand the nuances of cooking,prevailing F&B trends and tastes, and guestpreferences.

Secondly, guest-handling must comenaturally to any F&B Manager since ourindustry thrives on customer relations andguests’ satisfaction. Interacting with guests,an ability to understand their tastes andpreferences and ensuring they have a perfectdining experience are some of the importantqualities an F&B Manager of a commercialfood service outlet must have to excel.

Last and definitely not the least, she/hemust have a flair for creativity andinnovation in order to constantly deliversomething new and different to guests.However, besides creativity the ability toreinvent in F&B is also dependent uponbeing abreast with the current trends in themarket as well as being aware of thechanging preferences of guests.

What do you enjoy the mostabout being a Food & BeverageDirector?

The level of creativity that one can bringto the table as an F&B Director is absolutelyfantastic. The fact that this profession holdsno limits in terms of innovation and allowsyou to constantly deliver new things makesit extremely enjoyable for a creative person.I also love interacting with customers, tounderstand their tastes and preferences and

ensuring that they are fully satisfied withour food and service. Working in an ever-evolving space where one needs to keep upwith changing trends to be ahead of thecompetition, is extremely thrilling.

What do you dislike the most inyour profession?

I am a bit of a stickler for deadlines andnot adhering to them is a stress point for me.

Is your job challenging? Canyou point out some of thesechallenges?

The constantly changing nature of thejob does keep us on our toes at all times.Firstly, we need to ensure that we are alwaysahead of the competition. Secondly, it is veryimportant to keep the team motivated at alltimes so that team members are driven todeliver their best and aim to achieve hightargets.

Delivering targets for the brand as well asfor the owners is also something we have tostrive to achieve. Working towards exceedingclient expectations and ensuring customersatisfaction is a challenging task. There is alsothe need to keep a close watch on the globalF&B trends and reinvent our offerings in linewith the same.

Can you suggest any tips orinsights to strengthen your team?

I believe the best way to strengthen andmotivate my team is by setting very hightargets and guiding them to achieve the same.This serves as a driving force for the teammembers to deliver their best and achievean optimal level of perfection.

How is your experience at thepresent job? What are thechallenges of working here?

My experience with JW MarriottBengaluru has been absolutely fantastic.The pre-opening phase of any project is veryexciting and gives us the opportunity to setbenchmarks, learn and apply trends andprocesses that eventually determine thesuccess of the venture.

Being instrumental in setting standardsand processes from scratch as well as buildingand motivating a whole new team hasindeed been a thrilling and satisfyingexperience.

What is the USP of your place/brand?

We give our guests a fresh and wholesomedining experience. With five distinct andcurated F&B options and a contemporary,authentic and innovative approach to F&B,our F&B offerings as a hotel are truly a classapart. There is a constant emphasis oninnovation and this makes the brand standapart in the market.

What is your take on thehospitality business in India, ingeneral?

The hospitality business in India seemsto have a promising future. I think there isa sharp upward trend in the F&B space inthe country and with the growing workingclass there is a drastic increase in the numberof people dining out. By and large, theindustry is growing and is set to get quitecompetitive with a large number ofhospitality brands entering the market.

Being Creatively

CompetitiveBy Sharmila Chand

Gaurav Wattal is the Director of Food and Beverage at JW Marriott Bengaluru. A graduate

from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration from Manipal, he is also an

alumnus of the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development. Gaurav started off with The

Oberoi Grand, Kolkata in 2003 from where he moved to Trident Hilton, in 2005.

He also had tenures with Goa Marriott Resort & Spa where he worked for two years, from

2011 to 2013. He then moved on to JW Marriott Bengaluru in 2013.

A very motivated and talented leader, Gaurav enjoys scuba diving in his leisure time. He is

a certified Open Water Diver and enjoys movies, reading and travelling. The excerpts of the

interview follow:

food & beverage business review ( dec-jan 2014)

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