food & beverage business review (oct-nov 13) the magazine for foodservice & food retail...

1Hammer Food & Beverage Business ReviewOct-Nov ’13

2 Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review Oct-Nov ’13

E d i t o r i a l

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma

[email protected]

Associate Editor

Swarnendu Biswas

Resident Editor

Sharmila Chand (Delhi)

Ashok Malkani (Mumbai)

Layout & Design

Hari Kumar. V

Narender Kumar

Advertising Sales

Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma

Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhre

Subscription sales

Dattaram Gangurde

Director Sales

Sanjay Anand

Director Operations & Finance

Rajat Taneja

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

printed, owned and published by Rajneesh Sharma from 302, Himgiri

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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.

Indian restaurant going crowd is gettinginterested in a variety of exotic cuisines, which isreflected in their rising popularity. However, thePortuguese cuisine has not yet managed togarner the pan-Indian popularity that it richlydeserves. Except in Goa, Portuguese cuisine hasbeen largely ignored by the gourmets acrossIndia, till the recent years. However, recentlyPortuguese cuisine is gaining popularity inMumbai.

With innovative marketing and promotion,Portuguese cuisine has great potential to attract

popularity in Kolkata, as fish plays major role in Portuguese cuisine. The hugevariety of seafood offerings from Portugal can also appeal to the non-vegetarianIndian palates, which are spread across the Indian geography. The variety ofdelectable vegetarian dishes and sumptuous desserts from Portugal can inducethe huge population of vegetarian eating out crowd in India, and contributeto the burgeoning bakery business of the country, respectively, only ifPortuguese cuisine manages to attract more widespread popularity across India.

Indian bakery business, which seems to be perpetually depending oninnovative products, would be enriched if Pastel da nata, Bola de Berlim, ArrozDoce, etc. began adorning the stand-alone bakery counters and as well as thecoffee café chains across urban India, with greater frequency and abundance.

However, to make Portuguese cuisine more popular in India, or to makeIndians get to appreciate the authentic tastes and flavours from Portugal in abig way, we need more enterprising restaurateurs who would be willing to takethe risk of exploring a relatively unexplored culinary realm in India. Theyshould be willing to extend the gastronomic profile of an evolving Indianpalate, rather than simply following the trends. We have attempted tocomprehensively discuss the character of Portuguese cuisine and the variedculinary influences which have helped to shape its present character throughcenturies, in our Cover Story.

India’s retail industry presents a bright scenario and a huge potential. Thetotal retail sales in the country are expected to enhance from $395.96 billionin 2011 to $785.12 billion in 2015. Even a decade back, India’s food &beverage retail scenario was almost completely unorganised in character.

Even today it may be largely unorganised, but at the same time there is nodenying the fact that the increasing presence of organised retailing throughsupermarkets and hypermarkets is supplementing our small grocery stores,which in turn is sprucing up the retail landscape of the country. The largesupermarkets and hypermarkets can also pose huge competition to the smallgrocery stores and even threaten the latter’s survival in some cases. Butensuring decent footfalls in retail business, where F&B products play a majorrole, requires careful consideration of several factors.

These factors, which are discussed in our Business Story, have morerelevance in the survival and success of supermarkets and hypermarkets/mallsthan in the unorganised retail enterprises, though in small grocery stores tootaking into account of these factors can contribute to the success of thebusiness operations.

Besides these, we have also covered a gamut of issues that may attract theindustry, ranging from increasing relevance of vegetarianism to the explorationof the possibility of a substitute for food, to the current pangs of agri-inflation,to the interesting history of burger. We hope our readers would find enoughfood for thought between the covers.


CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS

Cover Story 38

The Tastes and Flavours from Portugal

Business 44

Leveraging Sales From Retail

Feature 50

The Need for Sustainable Eating

Bakery 58

For Success in Bakery Business

Beverage 66

Towards Syrupy Success

Theme Cuisine 72

Globalisation of Tastes

Operations 84

Managing Food Costs in Restaurants

Departments

Event 04

News 12

Report 28

Agri 54

Product 62

Pub 68

Restaurant Review 76

Chef Voice 78

Profile 80

Hygiene 82

Product Preview 88

Business Opportunity 89

Interview 92


E V E N T

Fi & Hi India 2013:

The Right Platform for the Indian F&B Industry

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India is fast emerging as one of the mostsought after destinations for food

investments. As per a finding by the

Government of India, the Indian food industryis currently growing at an annual rate of 13

percent and is valued at 135 billion USD; this

number is estimated to reach 200 billion USDby 2015.

The impressive growth in the Indian food

and beverages industry has greatlycontributed to a broad range of leading local,

national and international ingredient suppliers

to showcase their products and solutions atFi & Hi India 2013, which was held at Bombay

Convention and Exhibition Centre, Goregaon,

Mumbai, during 3rd – 5th October 2013. Theevent was organised by UBM India. Here it

deserves a mention that launched in 2006, Fi

& Hi India has been a major driving force behindIndia’s processed food sector.

Joji George, Managing Director, UBM India,

said, “Today ’s global consumers aredemanding food and drinks which are low in

salt and calories, consisting of fibre, are

sustainably sourced and above all involve useof natural preservatives. In order to suit the

changing tastes of the consumers and to be

a platform for a varied range of productenhancements and ingredient solutions, UBM

India has presented Fi & Hi India 2013.” “This

specialised food ingredients event focuses oninnovation and consumer trends, providing a

platform for key professionals from around the

world to link to the exciting Indian market,”he pointed out.

Fi & Hi India 2013 was inaugurated by Tariq

Anwar, Minister of State for Agriculture andFood Processing Industries, Government of

India. Also part of the ceremony were

dignitaries such as Ajit Singh, Chairman, ACGWorldwide; Piruz Khambatta, CMD, Rasna

International; Chitranjan Dar, CEO, ITC Foods;

and Dr. Kalyan Goswami, Secretary General,AIFPA.

During his inaugural address, Anwar said,

“In the emerging global scenario, to meet theneeds of the booming food processing sector,

it is important that India gears itself to meet

the domestic as well as internationalstandards. The Indian food industry is currently

employing 13 million workers and the

companies in the food sector contribute 13percent of the country ’s exports. The

Government of India is setting up food testing

laboratories, storages, etc. for processing foodingredients to ensure food safety. Fi & Hi India

2013 is giving companies a platform to

showcase their innovative techniques andsolutions in the food processing industry.”

The 2013 edition of Fi & Hi India 2013 had

several features which provided both regionaland global food professionals with the

opportunity to learn about the latest industry

developments, and meet new businessprospects. This edition of the event presented

three days of premium onsite seminars,

addressed by internationally renownedindustry gurus such as Prabodh Halde (Marico),

Dalbir Wariah (ITC Foods), C.M.Reddy (British

Biologicals), and Vijayabhaskar Reddy (DaburIndia).

The eighth edition of the event was

supported by AIFPA (All India FoodProcessors’ Association), HADSA (Health

Foods and Dietary Supplements Association),

Association of Food Scientists andTechnologists of India — Mumbai Chapter

(AFSTI), Society of Indian Bakers (SIB), and

Pharmexcil (Pharmaceuticals Export PromotionCouncil of India, set up by the Ministry of

Commerce & Industry, Government of India).

Dairy Universe India &Sweet & SnackTec India

The 8th edition of Dairy Universe

India: International Exhibition on

Dairy Processing, Packaging &

Distribution Technology, Equipment &

Supplies, and Sweet & SnackTec India:

International Exhibition on Sweet & Snack

Processing and Packaging Technology,

Equipment & Supplies will be organised

concurrent to each other during 10th- 12th

December 2013 at the Gujarat University

Convention and Exhibition Centre,

Ahmedabad.

Over the years, both the exhibitions

have become two of the most important

platforms for the suppliers to the dairy,

sweet, snack & confectionary

manufacturing industry to showcase their

latest technological offerings to ‘who’s

who’ of the respective sectors.

As Gujarat is one of the major

manufacturing hubs for sweets and

snacks manufacturing, and a pioneer in

operating dairy cooperatives and as

sweets and snacks are a significant part

of the food habits of the people of

Gujarat, the state becomes the perfect

place to host these trade fairs.

Over 150 companies will showcase

latest technological offerings pertaining

to the dairy, sweets, snacks and

confectionary industry at the event. There

would be exhibitor participation from

around 16 countries. Live demonstration

of machines and equipments, concurrent

seminars on focused topics will be

highlights of the event.

The concurrent seminars at the event

will be a two day seminar during 10th-

11th December 2013, with the theme

‘Quality Initiatives in Dairy Value Chain

(from Producer to Consumer)’, which will

be organised by Indian Dairy Association

—Gujarat State Chapter and Mansinhbhai

Institute of Dairy & Food Technology, in

association with Koelnmesse YA Tradefair

Pvt. Ltd.

The concurrent seminars will also

include a one day seminar on 11th

December 2013 with the theme

‘Emerging Global Trends in Ice Cream

Industry’. It will be organised jointly by

the Indian Ice Cream Manufacturers

Association (IICMA) and Koelnmesse YA

Tradefair Pvt. Ltd.

For further details, please visit:

www.dairyuniverseindia.com /

www.sweetandsnacktecindia.com


E V E N TE V E N T

Between September and October 2013 the van of the

European Wellness Parade was again seen on the Indian

roads, with the aim of spreading awareness about the

Mediterranean diet and the qualities of the European food &

beverage products among Indian end consumers.

The caravan was stationed in Pune on the 22nd and 23rd of

September. It continued its travel to Mumbai, where it stayed on

the 28th and the 29th of September. The caravan’s tour was

culminated in Panjim (Goa), where it stayed on the 5th and 6th of

October. Visitors participated in five different and interactive

activities, each of them related to one of the five senses. Games

attracted the attention and participation of people from all ages

One can say that these road shows were innovative ways of

introducing the Mediterranean diet to the Indian consumers.

This activity, which has already been introduced in six different

cities in India, is part of the program named European Quality Food:

Eating With Your Five Senses, a programme financed by the

European Commission, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and

Environment and FIAB — the Spanish Food and Drink Industry

Federation.

This above-mentioned program has a double approach as it

targets both the end consumers and F&B professionals in the

country. This is a multi-product promotional programme which

begun in March 2012 with a budget of more than a million Euros for

the three foreseen years of duration. Each year five activities are

organised that target different identified consumer profiles. Here it

deserves a mention that this promotional programme has been

developed while taking into account the identified potential that

the Indian F&B market presently has.

The program has three main goals: They are to increase the

awareness about European food & beverage products in India and

emphasise on the value of the European gastronomic culture, with a

particular emphasis on the Mediterranean diet, in India. The logic of

the programme is based on the premise that a deeper familiarity

with the European gastronomic culture in India will increase the

consumption of European food & beverage products in the country

and eventually, it will facilitate the exports for the European food

and beverage industry to India.

The other objective of the program is to increase the desire to

consume European food & beverage products and create a good

positioning of the same among targeted consumers in India. The

program is also guided by the objective of increasing the

knowledge among F&B professionals in India on European

gastronomy and European food & beverage products.

Here it deserves a mention that the European Union is nowadays

one of the main suppliers of food products in India and its different

cuisine traditions have indeed a very good reputation in the country.

Spreading Awareness on

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E 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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HBF 2013

15-17 November 2013

HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad

www.hbf.co.in

Hotel Expo 2013

20-22 November 2013

The Venetian Macao

www.hotel-exhibition.com

Sweet and SnackTec India 2013

10-12 December 2013

Gujrat University Convention & Exhibition

Centre, Narangpura, Ahmedabad

www.sweetandsnacktecindia.com

Fine Food India

11-13 December 2013

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

www.finefoodindiaexpo.com

Hotel Investment Forum India

14-15 January 2014

The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon

www.hifi-india.com

Aahar 2014

10-14 March 2014

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

www.aaharinternationalfair.com

HOSTECH by Tusid

12-16 March 2014

Istanbul, Turkey

www.hostechbytusid.com

EDT Expo

27-30 March 2014

Istanbul, Turkey

www.cnredtexpo.com

Hotelex 2014

31 March - 03 April 2014

Shanghai New International

Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China

www.hotelex.cn

Alimentaria 2014

31 March - 3 April 2014

Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

www.alimentaria-bcn.com

Wines From India Which Won at Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2013Wines From India Which Won at Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2013

Producer Name Sub Region Region Vintage Medal

Fratelli Wines Chenin Blanc Baramati, 2013 Commended

Maharashtra

Fratelli Wines Sette VII Baramati, 2010 Silver

Maharashtra

Grover Vineyards Art Collection Rosé Nandi Hills Bangalore 2013 Bronze

Grover Vineyards La Reserve Nandi Hills Bangalore 2011 Bronze

Grover Vineyards Art Collection Nandi Hills Bangalore 2013 Bronze

Sauvignon Blanc

Grover Vineyards Art Collection Nandi Hills Bangalore 2011 Commended

Cabernet Shiraz

Nashik Sula Zinfandel Nasik 2012 Bronze

Ritu Sauvignon Blanc Sahyadri Valley Baramati, 2013 Bronze

Maharashtra

Sula Vineyards Rasa Shiraz Nasik 2011 Bronze

Sula Vineyards Chenin Blanc Nasik 2012 Commended

Sula Vineyards Dindori Reserve Shiraz Nasik 2012 Commended

Vallonné Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Nasik 2009 Bronze

Classique

Vallonné Vineyards Malbec Nasik 2011 Bronze

Zampa Soirée Brut Nashik Bangalore NV Bronze

Fourteen Medals for India at

Decanter Asia Wine AwardsIndia has been awarded a total of 14 medals in the Decanter

Asia Wine Awards (DAWA) this year. The 2013 edition of the wine

competition received more than 2,300 entries from around the

world, with a total of 2,023 medal winners. Launched in 2012 by

Decanter magazine, this was the second edition of Decanter Asia

Wine Awards. Here it deserves a mention that Decanter

magazine is sold in 92 countries.

Decanter Asia Wine Awards is now regarded as the largest wine competition in Asia.

In the 2013 edition of the competition, there were 39 Regional Trophy winners, 45 Gold

medal winners, 369 Silver medal winners, 985 Bronze medal winners, and 585

Commended medal winners.

The Decanter Asia Wine Awards aims to recognise quality wines and to provide

consumers across Asia with a trusted source of recommendations. Co-chaired by

Jeannie Cho Lee MW, the first Asian Master of Wine and a Contributing Editor to

Decanter, and Steven Spurrier, Chairman of the Decanter World Wine Awards and

Decanter’s Consultant Editor, judging took place in Hong Kong during 16 -19

September.

Over 40 top wine experts across Asia comprised the professional judging panel. All

wines were judged through blind tasting. The blind tasting of wines was organised in

flights to ensure the very best tasting conditions.

Among the 14 medals awarded to India, the country has secured one Silver, nine

Bronze and four Commended medals. The Silver medal has been awarded to Fratelli

Wines, Sette VII, Baramati, Maharashtra 2010. In the Bronze category, medal winners

from India are dominated by wines from Bangalore and Nasik.

“We would like to congratulate all winners in the Decanter Asia Wine Awards,” said

Sarah Kemp, Decanter’s Publishing Director. “All wines were tasted blind and judged

by a panel of Asia’s finest palates, and only those which represent outstanding quality

are endorsed with a Decanter Asia Wine Award medal,” she pointed out.


E V E N T

Annapoorna World of Food India 2013

was organised during 23rd-25th

September 2013 in Mumbai by

Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt. Ltd. and

Federation of Indian Chamber of

Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The venue

of the 8th edition of the event was

Bombay Exhibition Center, Goregaon(E).

The renowned food & beverage trade show attracted 6334

trade visitors comprising leading food & beverage retailers and

importers from India and neighbouring countries, important

government officials and international trade delegations. The

trade visitors came from 34 countries. 177 companies from 16

countries presented their exhibits at the event.

Annapoorna World of Food India has emerged as one of the

most sought after trade fairs for a wide range of food and

beverages and as an outstanding platform for the who’s who of

the food & beverage industry for acquiring information, placing

orders and networking.

A series of live cooking sessions by a television channel

dedicated to food, named FOODFOOD, was organised on the

first two days of the fair. The sessions were well attended and

appreciated by both visitors and exhibitors. The trade fair also

had a European Kitchen Pavilion, which was part of the program

titled ‘European Quality Food: Eating with your Five Senses.’ The

program has been

organised to promote

European quality food in

India.

The 7th edition of

Food World India

conference was

organised concurrently

with Annapoorna World

of Food India 2013, in

Mumbai, during 24th -25th September 2013. Eminent speakers

like K. Chandarmouli, Chairman, Food Safety & Standards

Authority of India, Dr. Samuel Godefroy, Vice Chair — Codex

Alimentarius Commission & Director General, Food Directorate,

Health Canada, Martijn Weijtens, Chair, Codex Committee on

Contaminants in Foods & Acting Deputy Director of the

Department of Food Quality, The Netherlands, Dr. Mary Frances

Lowe, US Codex Manager, US Department of Agriculture, Siraj

Chaudhry, Chairman, FICCI Food Processing Committee &

Chairman, Cargill India, Sangeeta Pendurkar, Co-chair, FICCI

Food Processing Committee & Managing Director, Kellogg

India, Geetu Verma, Executive Director, Foods, Hindustan

Unilever Ltd., Chitranjan Dar, CEO, Food Division, ITC Ltd.,

Venkatesh Kini, Deputy President —India & South West Asia,

The Coca-Cola Company, shared their knowledge and expertise

during that conference.

The next edition of Annapoorna World of Food India is

scheduled to be organised during 24th-26th September 2014, in

Mumbai. The next edition of Annapoorna World of Food India is

expected to be still bigger and better as apart from the food &

beverage trade, the event will also focus on the food service

sector by having International FoodService India as its

concurrent fair.

A Mega Event for F&B Trade Concludes


Jazeera Recreates the Tastes of theMughal EraIn the recent past, Jazeera Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. has launched a chain of fine dining

authentic Mughlai cuisine restaurants that revisit the gastronomic culture of the

Mughal era and brings across the culinary opulence of the period, for today’s India

to savour. The launch was attended by film personalities, Raza Murad, Kirron Kher

and Huma Qureshi. Renowned politicians, bureaucrats, technocrats and other

celebrities too came to the launch party.

According to M. Zahid, the Chairman & Managing Director, Jazeera Hospitality

Pvt. Ltd., “Our recipes

have been derived

from ancient

manuscripts — the

Akbarnama, Ain-i-

Akbari, Alwan-e-

Nemat, Rukat-e-

Alamgiri and

Ni’amatnamah which

detail the culinary

preferences of the

Mughal emperors.” He informed that “As per these manuscripts, gold and silver

pellets were fed to the chickens, goats and sheep so that their medical properties

were passed on to those relishing the cuisine. And as Akbar was vegetarian three

times a week, he had his own kitchen garden wherein vegetables were sprinkled

with rosewater such that they possess fragrance when cooked.”

Now Jazeera endeavours to recreate that rich culinary history. “Taking a cue from

this, Jazeera has done backward integration and established its own livestock

breeding facilities and vegetation fields. There livestock are fed with enriched food

products and vegetables are indeed sprinkled with rosewater for enhancing their

taste and health benefits. Not to forget the ingredients and garnishing which

would be as exotic as in those times so that the exquisiteness of the dishes is not

lost in any way, form or manner. The taste is bound to stay on and will make people

come back,” explained Zahid.

Besides the renaissance of the long-forgotten culinary techniques of the Mughal

kitchens by expert Chefs, even the ambience of the outlets shall reflect the life and

times of the Mughal dynasty. In the first phase, Jazeera is coming up with ten

restaurants – three in Delhi; one each in satellite towns of Noida and Gurgaon; and

one each in Meerut, Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur and Chandigarh. In the second phase,

Jazeera Hospitality shall be increasing the count in Delhi & NCR, besides opening

branches in Mumbai and select cities of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. “A few years

down the line, our target is to come up with 100 branches. This may sound a little

audacious as of now, however I believe it is achievable. Initially, the focus shall be

on north India but eventually we shall make a foray in other regions and

international market as well,” added M. Zahid.


N E W S S C A N

Tarla Dalal (1936-2013), the renowned writer of best selling

cookery books, the celebrity Chef, and the host of popular

cookery shows on television, passed away on 6th November,

following a heart attack. She could be credited with giving

cookbook writing its much deserved respectability in the Indian

publishing industry. Within three decades, she has completely

changed the landscape of culinary writing in India.

Born in Pune, she began displaying her culinary predilection

from the age of 12, when she was helping her mother with her

everyday cooking at home.

Her professional journey in the culinary world began when she

started taking cooking classes, way back in 1966. She began

with six students at her home in Mumbai, but soon the

popularity of her cooking classes increased greatly, and young

girls and mothers were queuing up to join her classes.

The success of her cookery classes, spruced with the

encouragement from her husband who suggested her to write a

cookery book to reach more people, eventually paved the way

for her maiden book in 1974. It was named ‘The Pleasures Of

Vegetarian Cooking’ and it was a huge success, garnering sales

of over 1,50,000 copies. Since then there was no looking back for

the first culinary diva of modern India.

During her illustrious journey through the varied tastes and

flavours, Tarla Dalal penned 170 titles, several of which have

been translated in various languages which not only include

Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, but also Dutch and Russian.

The total sales from her

cookery books exceed 6

million copies.

Her renowned cookery

show ‘Cook It Up with Tarla

Dalal’ was aired weekly on

Sony Entertainment Television

for three years. Her other

famous cookery show was

the ‘Tarla Dalal Show.’ Tarla

Dalal’s visionary enterprise is

also being manifested in one

of the biggest food websites in India, and a bi-monthly

magazine named Cooking & More.

In 2007, she started her ‘Total Health Series’ of cookbooks,

which comprises health-related cookbooks with recipes and

information. This holistic series offers delicious and healthy

recipe options for all, with books such as The Pregnancy

Cookbook, Baby and Toddler Food, Delicious Diabetic Recipes,

Fast Foods Made Healthy, Healthy Soups and Salads, Exotic

Diabetic Cooking, etc

In the same year, that is in 2007, she was awarded Padma

Shri by the Government of India. She was also awarded Women

of the Year by Indian Merchants’ Chamber, in 2005. Today the

great lady is no more, but her legacy of work, which includes

more than 17,000 recipes created by her, lives on.

A Journey Through FlavoursA Journey Through Flavours


N E W S S C A N

Britannia Shows HugeEscalation in Net Profitfor Q2The net profit for the second quarter of the Britannia

Industries has escalated by 65.7 percent, as compared to the

net profit of the company during the same period of the last

financial year. The company’s consolidated net profit for the

second quarter of the ongoing financial year reached Rs.97.7

crore, whereas during the same period (during the second

quarter) of the last financial year, Britannia Industries’

consolidated net profit was only Rs.59.02 crore. The second

quarter of the current financial year (July-September

quarter) ended on 30th September 2013.

Here it deserves a mention that during this financial year,

Britannia Industries has registered a second consecutive

increase in its quarterly profit. Increase in sales and margins

could be attributed to the huge growth in net profit of the

company during the current financial year’s Q2, as compared

to the corresponding period of the last financial year.

The net sales of the food products conglomerate also

experienced an escalation of 12.82 percent during the second

quarter of this ongoing financial year, as compared to the

corresponding period in the last financial year. In the current

financial year’s Q2, the Britannia Industries’ net sales reached

Rs.1740.48 crore as compared to Rs.1542.67 crore in the Q2 of

the last financial year. All these impressive figures indicate a

good demand for quality bakery and snacks products in India.

Parle Agro Re-enters theCarbonated Soft DrinksMarketRecently, the FMCG

giant Parle Agro

has reentered the

carbonated soft

drinks segment

after nearly two

decades, with Café

Cuba. It is

probably the first

coffee-flavoured

carbonated

beverage of the

country. The drink smoothly combines the flavour of roasted

coffee beans with strong carbonated fizz. It is a soft beverage

targeted towards consumers with more evolved tastes.

The product is currently available in 250ml cans and is priced

at Rs.20. Presently, the product is present across the general

trade/retail segment and will soon be visible in modern trade

outlets, corporate and college canteens, multiplexes, airports,

bars/ clubs and restaurants. Parle Agro expects this newly

launched coffee drink to register sales of Rs 1000 crore during

the first 12-18 months of its launch. Presently, the carbonated

soft drinks market in India is Rs.15,000 crore, where Café Cuba is

likely to make an impact in the near future.


N E W S S C A N

An Award for Copper ChimneyCopper Chimney, an important restaurant chain having presence in Mumbai, Bengaluru

and Raipur, has won the award for ‘Best Indian Cuisine Restaurant Chain – National’ at

the Indian Restaurants Awards 2013, held in New Delhi recently. A venture of Pan India

Food Solutions, Copper Chimney epitomises contemporary dining experience, serving

an eclectic mix of popular Indian flavours and diverse cuisines. Instantly recognised by

the hand-crafted copper bells that adorn all the Copper Chimney outlets, over the last

four decades of its success and growth, Copper Chimney brand has managed to

recreate the rustic charm of the Northern Western province and Punjab’s famed

roadside dhabas.

KS Narayanan, CEO Blue Foods stated, “Copper Chimney brand is widely loved,

praised and has a legacy of four decades. We are excited to bag this prestigious award,

which is due to the consistent efforts put together by our team to ensure consistency in

food & service at the highest level,” while adding, “We would further strive to excel and

to provide similar & even better service for all our endeavours ahead.”

Tata Starbucks Celebrates its FirstAnniversary in IndiaTata Starbucks Limited, the 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and

Tata Global Beverages Limited, is celebrating its first anniversary in the Indian market.

To celebrate its India journey, the company has created a special India sourced coffee,

aptly named India Estates Blend, as a tribute to its customers, partners, coffee

producers and roasters.

“We are delighted to celebrate our one year anniversary in India and introduce in our

portfolio for the first time a whole bean coffee that is sourced, roasted, packaged and

sold in India,” said John Culver, Group President, Starbucks China and Asia Pacific,

Channel Development and Emerging Brands. “We have a long-term commitment to

work closely with the coffee growing communities where we do business and to elevate

the awareness of high-quality arabica coffee in India. This is a proud moment for our

partners as we honour India’s long-standing

coffee heritage and commemorate this historic

milestone in the early days of our India journey,”

he pointed out.

“As a tribute to our customers, partners and

the coffee growers and roasters here in India,

we are very proud to launch India Estates Blend,

which has been developed thoughtfully along

with Tata Coffee, specifically for the Indian

market,” said Avani Davda, CEO, Tata Starbucks

Limited.

India Estates Blend captures the essence and rich heritage of the Indian coffee

history and draws inspiration from the finest arabica beans which have been carefully

selected from Tata Coffee’s estates, spread across Coorg and Chickmagalur This

country-specific blend creates a fine balance between herbal and chocolate notes;

perfect for sharing with friends and neighbours. The blend’s packaging has been

carefully created to reflect the nuances of traditional Indian designs.

Here it deserves a mention that Starbucks entered the Indian market in October 2012

and currently operates twenty five stores in India across Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Pune.

Starbucks stores are operated by the joint venture, Tata Starbucks Limited, and

branded as Starbucks Coffee - “A Tata Alliance.”

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The Middleby CorporationAcquires CelfrostThe Middleby Corporation has announced the acquisition of the commercial

refrigeration and food service products business of Celfrost Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

The Celfrost’s business was acquired by Middleby’s newly established entity in

India, Middleby Commercial Food Innovations Pvt. Ltd. The Middleby Corporation

is a global leader in the food service equipment industry. The company develops,

manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used in the

commercial, industrial processing and residential markets.

Here it deserves a mention that Celfrost is recognised in the country as a

preferred commercial foodservice equipment supplier with a broad line of cold

side products such as professional refrigerators, cold rooms, ice machines and

freezers, marketed under the Celfrost brand. Celfrost has been a leading supplier

of equipment to many of the fast growing restaurant chains and hotel groups.

Celfrost has annual sales of approximately $20 million and is based in Gurgaon,

India.

“With the acquisition of Celfrost, Middleby will strengthen its presence in the

fast growing market of India and expand our commercial foodservice product

offerings in India to include complementary cold side products alongside our

cooking and warming brands,” said Selim A. Bassoul, Chairman and CEO of The

Middleby Corporation. “Celfrost has an extensive marketing and service network

in India, including 15 brand centers that we will strategically leverage to support

Middleby’s entire portfolio of brands in the market,” he expressed.

“We are also excited about the opportunity to introduce the Celfrost brand and

portfolio of products into other emerging markets, by utilising Middleby’s existing

sales and marketing infrastructure,” pointed out Neeraj Seth, Celfrost’s Managing

Director. “This change will also allow us to tap into Middleby’s global network and

resources, enabling a further acceleration of our growth,” he added.

Arcux and Perlick Join HandsThe New Delhi-based Arcux Bar Zone has been named as the exclusive

distributor for commercial products manufactured and distributed by Perlick

Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US. Here it deserves a mention

that Arcux Bar Zone is a bar specialist company providing innovative and

bespoke bar design from brief to build. Perlick Corporation is a leader in the

US market in comprehensive package bar and beverage systems

manufacturing, including custom refrigeration equipment, custom underbar

equipment, beer dispensing equipment and brewery fittings.

The agreement between the two companies emphasises their planned

cooperation and business partnership. Arcux Bar Zone will be responsible for

marketing, sales, installation and after-sales support of Perlick’s commercial

products for the Indian region. In exchange, Perlick will provide all required

training to Arcux and will extend support in creating an effective dealership

network for the entire territory.

The exclusive distribution agreement is expected to help increase the market

share for Perlick’s products and implement the needed dealership, after-sales

support and service network. Opportunities for Perlick and Arcux Bar Zone are

expected to continue to grow in the Indian market, and the two companies look

forward to great success within the hospitality industry in the region.

“Perlick’s innovative commercial products offer great solutions for

professional bars, restaurants, hotel and stadium owners and operators.

Perlick’s brand awareness in India is continually growing, and this exclusive

agreement for the Indian market will help us further market and establish

these high quality products in our territory,” says Parikshit Kakkar, Managing

Director, Arcux Bar Zone Pvt. Ltd.

“We look forward to working with Arcux Bar Zone to expand our presence in

the Indian market,” said Tim Ebner, Vice President of Marketing & Business

Development for Perlick, while pointing out that, “It is an exciting time for

growth in this market, and we feel confident that Arcux Bar Zone offers

comprehensive and competitive services, which we need to build our brand

awareness and loyalty in this territory.”


N E W S S C A N

Carat to Enhance the Feel of Chocolate

Puratos, a global player in ingredients for bakery, patisserie and

chocolatier markets, did announce Carat as the product of the

month for Oct 2013. Engineered in Belgium, Carat, a brand new

offering from Puratos, is a unique product made to give an extra

chocolaty touch to patisserie, bakery, biscuit, ice-cream and

chocolate creations. Its exquisite cocoa taste facilitates to give a

wonderful effect to the preparations it has been used in. Carat is

a compound chocolate with great taste experience, thanks to the

intense flavour of the specially selected cocoa powders.

Here it deserves a mention that Puratos India has launched

close to 75 products in the span of five years in India and will

continue to grow the portfolio. Puratos sells products in over 100

countries around the world.

“Along with Carat’s remarkable taste, the efficiency of the

Puratos India team was also responsible for its successful entry

into the Indian market. Another advantage of Carat to the Indian

consumers is reasonable pricing. To reduce the cost price,

Puratos India imports premium quality raw material and

manufactures the product locally in India at their state-of-the-art

R & D unit, while maintaining its quality,” explained Dhiren

Kanwar, Country Head, Puratos India.

By doing so, Puratos India has given a perfect solution to

those customers, who are ready to upgrade their product quality,

but are price sensitive at the same time. Also, those customers

who never compromised on the quality can get quality products,

but at a reasonable price.

FHRAI Elects its NewPresidentS M Shervani has been elected

as the President of the

Federation of Hotel & Restaurant

Associations of India (FHRAI), for

2013-14. The election took place

after the 57th Annual General

Meeting (AGM) of the

association, in New Delhi. There

was also the election of a new

Executive Committee. Shervani

succeeds Vivek Nair to the

position of President, FHRAI.

Nair has been appointed as the new Honorary Secretary of

the FHRAI, for 2013-14.

Shervani has had the distinction of being the President of

the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Northern India (2010-

12), the Vice-President of FHRAI (2010-11 and 2011-12) and

Honorary Treasurer of FHRAI (2012-13).

A highly successful hospitality entrepreneur with over 25

years of rich experience, Shervani is the Managing Director

of Shervani Hospitalities Ltd., which owns and operates a

chain of boutique hotels and the iconic ‘Rodeo’ restaurant.

He is an alumni of the Pusa Institute of Hotel Management,

New Delhi. He is also a member of the Hotel & Catering

International Management Association (HCIMA), UK.

He informed Hammer Publishers that convincing the

policymakers about the negative fallouts of subjecting a

destination to multiple taxation would be among his

priorities. Working for complete industry status for the hotel

sector is also among his priorities.

“The Indian hospitality and tourism sector today faces

unprecedented opportunities as well as some equally

serious challenges. Successfully mitigating the myriad risks

posed by an uncertain economic environment and urgently

addressing certain systemic impediments which have often

constrained our industry’s quest to achieve its full potential,

would require all stakeholders to work in unison. One of

FHRAI’s key strategic priorities will be to effectively

articulate and reflect the concerns and aspirations of our

small & medium entrepreneurs, whose vision and

dynamism are truly the future growth engine of our

industry,” said Shervani after his election to the august

position.


N E W S S C A N

Bennigan’s to Enter in IndiaSuri Hospitality International, an Orlando-based restaurant investment and

management group, has entered into a Master Franchise Agreement with

Bennigan’s. Here it deserves a mention that Bennigan’s is regarded as one of the

US’s most iconic restaurant brands. The agreement entails the opening of 50

Bennigan’s outlets throughout India. The first of these proposed outlets is expected

to be a reality in the spring of 2014, in Mumbai.

The Indian franchise agreement, which includes both the Bennigan’s and

Bennigan’s on the Fly concepts, signals the beginning of an aggressive strategic

move of Bennigan’s into the Indian subcontinent. Significant resources will be

invested in the market to build brand awareness and stimulate consumer interest.

The timing for Bennigan’s entry seems appropriate as the Indian restaurant

business is showing lots of potential towards popularity of a varied range of global

tastes and flavours.

“We are convinced that not only Bennigan’s restaurant concepts will be

enthusiastically embraced in India, but that the company’s leadership has

positioned the brand to succeed globally,” said Nik Patel, the owner of Suri

Hospitality International. ”Bennigan’s President Paul Mangiamele and his team

have done a magnificent job in leading the chain back to prominence. We are

excited to be joining them in the early stages of their global expansion,” he added.

“We simply couldn’t ask for a better partner than Nik to take our brand to

India,” articulated Paul Mangiamele, Bennigan’s President & CEO. ”Bennigan’s is

one of the few American brands that is just as popular overseas as it is at home.

That is because of extraordinary franchisees like Nik who understand the

importance of delivering memorable dining experiences to every guest, in every

meal, on every day,” he elaborated further

Here it deserves a mention that Bennigan’s is known for its generous portions

and offers a wide selection of American fare, including its world famous ‘Monte

Cristo,’ a lightly fried, triple-decker turkey, ham and cheese sandwich served with

raspberry preserves. The Bennigan’s on the Fly concept is a fast casual form of the

restaurant made for hotels, airports, hospitals, cruise ships and universities.

Besides the US, Bennigan’s has presence in Mexico, Central America, Asia and the

Middle-East.

Café Gartino Makes an ImpactCafé Gartino is the latest

gastronomical hotspot in Delhi NCR

where food is pursued with pure

passion. Nestled in the heart of

Gurgaon, Café Gartino can come

across as a preferred haven for fun

loving people. The décor of the place

is done keeping in mind the quirky

trend, with every element executed

with thoughtful precision. Artistically

moulded sophistication with modish

interiors can be seen everywhere at

Cafe Gartino.

Spread across two floors, the Cafe is divided into Bistro and Lounge with exotic

curios, mirrors, and pieces of art adorning the walls. The colour palette of the interiors

includes neon shades of yellow, green and wooden brown; which together facilitate to

create a joyful mood. Of course, all this elegance and décor is complemented with

wonderful selection of gastronomic options.

Raminder Bakshi, the hospitality consultant and the brain behind this concept turned

reality into the realm of hospitality, said, “The place offers signature dishes from the in-

house Chef, and famous cuisines from the world. The place serves European, Asian and

Italian cuisines, along with other global cuisines, which are complimented with the

finest global liquors and music.” The open sitting area of the restaurant adds to its

appeal. Succinctly, with its elegant ambience, great food and professional, attentive

and yet relaxed service, Café Gartino can come across as a welcome addition to

Gurgaon’s eating out options.


PepsiCo, Inc. has announced plans for the

company and its partners to invest Rs.

33,000 crore in India between the present

time and 2020. Making the

announcement, PepsiCo’s Chairman and

Chief Executive Officer, Indra Nooyi said,

“India is a country with huge potential

and it remains an attractive, high-priority

market for PepsiCo. We have built a

highly successful business in India over

the course of many years, and we believe

we have only scratched the surface of the

long-term growth opportunities that exist

for PepsiCo and our partners.” Since its

entry in India in 1989, the company has

till now made an investment of $2 billion

in India.

Indra informed that this huge

investment would be directed towards

manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure

and innovation. The power lady also

informed that PepsiCo’s investment plans

in India would not be affected by the

results of the upcoming elections.

Presently, PepsiCo India has eight brands

in its ambit, which has a turnover of

Rs.1000 crore in India.

Here it deserves a mention that India

currently represents one of PepsiCo’s

largest markets globally. This Rs.33,000

crore investment is expected to further

strengthen and expand PepsiCo’s

capabilities in India, in various strategic

areas, which are innovation,

manufacturing, infrastructure and

agriculture. As far as manufacturing goes,

PepsiCo and its partners plan to expand

their production capacity in India to more

than double the current levels by 2020.

Regarding innovation, PepsiCo will

continue to expand the range of food and

beverages in its portfolio to cater to the

wide and evolving needs of Indian

consumers.

On the infrastructure front too PepsiCo

has important plans for India. PepsiCo

and its partners plan to ramp up selling

and delivery infrastructure throughout

India, with a particular focus on rural

market expansion. As part of this

strategic initiative, PepsiCo will work with

its partners to deploy new technologies

designed to enhance service to retail

PepsiCo Announces Huge Investment for Indiacustomers and increase efficiency across

go-to-market systems.

Furthermore, resources will be

allocated to expand PepsiCo’s well-

known collaborative farming program,

which provides farmers with access to

good quality seeds, technical agronomic

expertise, bank loans and crop insurance.

This program currently reaches 24,000

farmers, positively impacting their

income and social standing in addition to

strengthening the reliability and quality

of PepsiCo’s supply chain.

It is estimated that this recent

strategic initiative will add more than

100,000 new employment opportunities,

as well as strengthen India as a center of

talent development for PepsiCo.

In addition, as part of this strategic

initiative, PepsiCo and its partners plan to

implement state-of-the-art technologies to

further reduce energy, packaging and

water use in their operations. PepsiCo also

intends to expand water recharge

programs to sustain positive water

balance. Presently, more than 40 percent

of the energy requirement of PepsiCo’s

company-owned food and beverage

plants in India comes from renewable

sources, which reflects on the commitment

towards environment-friendliness of this

food & beverage conglomerate. PepsiCo’s

work with Indian farmers has reduced the

amount of water used in rice cultivation,

leading to conservation of more than 12

billion liters of water in 2012 alone.

N E W S S C A N

Stresta Comes With Organic Cookies○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

fats, the cookie is a healthy option

for people from all age groups. We

hope people will like our new

product and help us bring more

such products for a healthy

lifestyle.”

“Sresta has been continually

adding healthy food items to its

kitty and organic cookie is something which we wanted to bring

for our customers since long. The ingredients have been selected

with utmost care so that we can provide a healthy food item to

our customers. Our aim is to come up with a range of organic

snacks so that people can enjoy healthy food. We also intend to

highlight the benefits of such food items so that more people

can adopt to the safer and better alternative of organic food

over conventional food products, “explained N Balasubramanian,

CEO, Sresta Natural Bioproducts Pvt. Ltd.

One can hope that these organic cookies can make the tea

time of a section of people who can afford these cookies a time

for healthy break. These cookies can be also used to satiate

bouts of hunger pangs between meals in a healthy manner.

Hyderabad-based Sresta Natural

Bioproducts Pvt. Ltd, an integrated

organic food company

encompassing farming, processing,

R&D, exports and domestic retailing,

has launched a whole new range of

organic cookies under its brand 24

Mantra. The introduction marks Sresta’s

entry into the snack category in India. 24 Mantra Organic Cookies

will be available across India at all the leading retail outlets

including exclusive 24 Mantra Organic Stores (in Hyderabad).

Made from 100 percent whole grains and totally devoid of

maida and trans-fats, the organic cookies launched by 24 Mantra

comes in four different seasoning and delicious flavors — Fruit n

Nut, Ginger Snap, Spice n Nut and Cashew Rich. Priced at Rs.90

for 150 gm, these organic cookies are endowed with multi-

grains — whole wheat, sorghum, rice, little millet, foxtail millet,

and flax, which makes them nutritious and healthy.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the organic

cookies, Rajashekhar Reddy Seelam, Founder and MD, Sresta

Natural Bioproducts Pvt. Ltd., said, “With no maida and trans-


The essence of life is change, and that

entails every thing in the world should

have a past and as well as a future. Any

food historian would vouch for the fact

that most of the food items have their

history of evolution, which may be either

clear or misty. Now it seems the food has

a future too. It seems to be Soylent.

Its intake, according to its developer

or inventor Rob Rhinehart — a 25-year-old

software engineering graduate from San

Francisco — and also according to many

others who have used this thick odourless

liquid, can help keep the hunger away

from you. To put it simply, according to

many claims, if you have Soylent, you

don’t need conventional food, for this

macro-nutritious shake can meet your

nutritional requirements that conventional

food intake can provide.

Soylent can be described as a

concoction of carbohydrates, fats,

proteins, sugars, vitamins and minerals. It

originally comes in powder form, but is

consumed as a drink. One package of

Soylent, mixed with water, is expected to

sustain you throughout the day, without

the necessity of any food intake. The

etymology of Soylent can be traced to the

novel named ‘Make Room! Make Room!’

by Harry Harrison. The book emerged on

the literary scene in the mid sixties of the

twentieth century. In the book, Soylent

comprises of soy and lentils and used as

an affordable food for the masses. The

potential and rising popularity of Soylent

can be gauged from the fact that

Rhinehart has already garnered $1.5

million in seed capital from venture

capital and angel investor firms.

A person named Brian Merchant from

Vice, US had the experience of living on

Soylent for 30 days, without taking any

food. According to the report of an

esteemed news daily, many Indian

techies were also found to be having

Soylent in the recent days.

One can say that given that the claims

by its many consumers(which of course

includes Soylent’s creator Rob Rhinehart,

whose 90 percent of meals from January

to August 2013 comprised of Soylent) are

not exaggerated, this drink has the

potential to revolutionise the eating

habits of people. Its popularity at a time

when people are having less and less

time to dine, is expected to increase in

the times to come, and consequently, this

can give a jolt to the global consumption

of conventional food & beverage

products.

Presently, Soylent’s target market

seems to be primarily comprising of busy

professionals for whom time spent for

shopping for food, cooking it, eating it

and then clearing up the mess take a

heavy toll on their precious time. If

Soylent gains popularity, this would

induce the food & beverage industry to

make major shifts in their production and

marketing strategy.

However, the expected role of Soylent

in development cannot be ignored

altogether. In the near future, Soylent can

play a crucial role in alleviating the

hunger problem that the world at large is

facing. In this twenty-first century world,

almost 14 percent of the world’s

population is malnourished, whereas one

in three people in the developing world

are facing nutritional deficiencies.

There is no denying the fact that

having enough food for the burgeoning

global population will be one of the most

daunting challenges of humankind in the

coming years, and in this regard Soylent

can help. But there is a rider. In order to

make Soylent alleviate the global food

problem, it needs to be made extremely

affordable and accessible to the masses,

in the years to come. Moreover, the

production of more Soylent in exchange of

production of food can lower the

environmental impacts per person, which

can be greatly helpful for our fragile eco-

system.

However, all these are only conjectures

and reality of these predictions would all

depend upon much greater, wider and

much more enduring acceptability of

Soylent in the market. Presently, the

product, all said and done, is at an

experimental stage.

Besides, going by the reports, the

nutritious shake doesn’t taste great

shakes. In fact, the drink which looks like a

milky sludge, doesn’t taste good even.

Therefore it is expected that people may

switch to Soylent to save time and stave

off hunger in the future, but many may

again return to food to celebrate their

taste buds, and also for the sake of variety.

One can say that though Soylent may not

replace food, but it is expected to emerge

as a convenient and time saving

alternative to food in the years to come.

The Future of Food?

Rob Rhinehart

By Swarnendu Biswas

The Future of Food?


R E P O R T

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With the objective to

disseminate information

pertaining to global bakery

standards and practices, Elle & Vire

Professional conducted a training session

at Macaron School, Bangkok during 14th-

16th November 2013, where many Indian

Chefs participated. The training session,

which was conducted by Chef Eric Perez,

received excellent feedback by the

A Training to Rememberparticipants. The training session, which

was sponsored by Dabon International

and Elle & Vire France, covered several

wonderful recipes of bakery products.

Here it deserves a mention that the

Elle & Vire brand was established in 1947

by the Elle & Vire Dairy Cooperative. The

company derives its name from Elle and

the Vire — two small rivers in Normandy,

France. By 1975 the Elle & Vire

Cooperative had emerged as France’s

leading exporter of dairy products. Today,

the brand is among France’s esteemed

dairy brands, with more than one out of

two French consumers purchasing at least

one Elle & Vire product a year.

Presently, Elle & Vire offers food

service professionals a complete range of

high quality dairy products. The result of

ongoing research and innovation, Elle &

Vire products can cater to the

requirements of the most demanding

Chefs. At the international level, Elle &

Vire sells dairy products as varied as milk,

butter, cream, desserts and cheese. Elle &

Vire has presence in more than 120

countries around the globe, in both the

retail and food service sectors.

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Name of the Participants

S.No Family Name First Name Establishment name Location Type of Business

1 Poisson Brice Sweet Lavender Pune Bakery

2 Shek Moshe Moshe’s Mumbai Bakery & Restaurant

3 Anand Rishabh Leela Delhi Delhi Five Star Hotel

4 Kumar Anil Pullman Gurgaon Five Star Hotel

5 Kumar Arvind ITC Bangalore Five Star Hotel

6 Kadam Vivek Hyatt Mumbai Five Star Hotel

7 Karkhanis Nilesh Rolling Pin Mumbai Bakery

8 Srivastav Vikas Le Meridian Delhi Five Star Hotel

9 Fernandes Lawrence Sahara Star Mumbai Five Star Hotel

10 Panwar Anand Dusit Devrana Delhi Five Star Hotel

R E P O R T


One of the several recipes explored at the training session is given below:

Dome Exotic

I. Pâte à savarin:

Ingredients

500 gm flour

150 gm Elle & Vire All Purpose Butter

50 gm sugar

15 gm sel

20 gm dried yeast

10 eggs

Method

1. Soften the butter

2. In the mixing bowl add all the

ingredients with the paddle attachment

and add the eggs little by little

3. Let rest for an hour and mould

4. Let rise and bake at 180 degree

centigrade

II, Syrup

Ingredients

1000 gm water

450 gm sugar

250 gm caraibean puree

Method

1. Heat up all ingredients together to

a boil

2. Soak the babas at70-75 degree

centigrade

III. Almond coconut dacquoise

Ingredients

125 gm desiccated coconut

125 gm almond powder

250 gm icing sugar

300 gm egg whites

100 gm sugar

Method

1. Whip up egg whites and sugar

2. Fold in the flours and spread on

flexipat and bake at 180 degree

centigrade

IV. Cremeux ananas/mangue

Ingredients

100 gm pineapple puree

50 gm mango puree

55 gm eggs

45 gm egg yolks

35 gm sugar

2,5 gm gelatin

55 gm Elle & Vire All Purpose Butter

Method

1. Boil the pineapple puree first. Then

add the mango puree

2. Blancher the eggs, egg yolks and

sugar together

3. Temper with

the purees and

bring to a full boil

4. Cool down to

40-45 degree

centigrade and

add the sofetend butter

5. Emulsify with the blender and pour

onto flexipan

V. Coconut mousse

Ingredients

500 gm coconut puree

135 gm egg whites

175 gm sugar

15 gm gelatine

500 gm Elle & Vire Excellence

Whipping Cream

Method

1. Cook the sugar to 118 degree

centigrade and pour it on the egg whites

and whip until volume.

2. Softened the gelatin in cold water

and melt into the 125gm of the coconut

puree. Then add the rest of the puree

3. Incorporate the egg whites and

then the whipped cream.

One of the several recipes explored at the training session is given below:


R E P O R T

It seems the current economic slowdown

has little effect on the quick services

restaurants (QSR) market. According to a

report by CRISIL, in the next three years,

the Indian QSR market is estimated to

get more than doubled, which will be

largely fostered by demand from smaller

cities of the country. According to the

report, QSR sector has managed to grow

amidst the environment of economic

slowdown.

Presently, according to CRISIL, during

2012-13, the Indian QSR market was

Rs.3400 crore, which according to the

global analytical company providing

ratings, research, and risk and policy

advisory services, is estimated to reach

Rs.7000 crore by 2015-16.

“The Indian QSR market will more than

double to reach around Rs.7,000 crore by

2015-16 from Rs.3,400 crore in 2012-13,

driven largely by new store additions,”

the report observed, while

noting that most of the new

stores will emerge in the

smaller tier cities.

“In tier I cities, we expect

the annual QSR spend per

middle class household to

surge by over 1.5 times

during the next three years,

to reach around Rs.6,000 by

2015-16 from about Rs.3,700

in 2012-13. In tier II cities,

currently the annual QSR

spend is around Rs.1500,

which is less than half that of

in the tier I cities. However,

growth is expected to be

much higher in tier II cities,

at about 2.5 times, to reach

an annual QSR spend of

Rs.3700 by 2015-16. This

quantum jump in QSR spend in urban

areas will be propelled by the increase in

nuclear families and working women,

steady growth in incomes, changing

lifestyle and eating patterns and,

importantly, by greater accessibility of

QSR outlets,” explained Prasad Koparkar,

Senior Director, Industry & Customised

Research, CRISIL Research.

According to the report, global brands

currently have an aggregate market share

of 63 percent of the domestic QSR market

and will continue to grow on the back of

expansion into smaller cities. These

players have been successful in adapting

their menu and products to local tastes.

Indian players who serve domestic cuisine

too will grow, but not as fast as the

global players.

These findings can give an impetus to

the bakery business in the country, as

most of the multinational QSRs like KFC,

McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, etc. extensively

deal with products pertaining to the

bakery industry, such as pizzas, burgers

and sandwiches, etc.

Impressive Growth of the QSR Market

According to Frost & Sullivan’s recent

study titled Analysis of Indian Food

Additives Market, from $484.2 million in

2012, the market revenues of the Indian

food additives market are expected to

reach $897.7 million in 2017.

The study notes that “Changing

lifestyles and hectic work schedules have

spawned a large market for processed

and packaged convenience foods. The

booming organised retail sector further

extends the reach of processed foods.”

According to the study, change in

eating habits and the frequent

introduction of new products and

product lines, particularly in the

functional food and beverage market

for low-fat, low-calorie products, spells

growing opportunities for the food

additives market in India.

The study covers the food additive

classes of flavours, colours, preservatives,

emulsifiers, stabilisers and sweeteners.

Among these segments, flavours account

for 47 percent of the market; sweeteners

contribute the least, by growing at the

rate of 25 percent. However, sweeteners

market is expected to become

increasingly popular in the coming years.

“The additives industry in India is

veering towards natural emulsifiers and

nature-derived colours,” said Frost &

Sullivan’s Chemicals, Materials & Foods

Research Analyst, while adding that

“This change in preferences emanates

from the increasing health

consciousness among Indians.”

However, natural food additive

manufacturers in India find it difficult

to source raw materials due to the lack

of centralised supply chain system and

presence of multiple sourcing points.

The study finds that participants can

forge partnerships with cooperatives

and invest in contract farming to

counter this issue. Such strategic

alliances and joint R&D could also

lower the prices of nature-derived

products and lead to customsed pre-

mixes with application specific

combination of flavours, colours and

other additives for clients.

“Ironically, certain government

policies could stifle innovation,” noted

the analyst. “For instance, the Prevention

of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), which

governs the food additives segment,

permits only certain colours that are

certified by the Bureau of Indian

Standards (BIS),” the analyst observed.

A Bright Future for the Indian Food Additives Market



R E P O R T

A Platform to Recognise

The 10th Annual Chef Awards 2013 was being held at The Ashokhotel, New Delhi, on 23rd November 2013. The event was

organised by Indian Culinary Forum (ICF), in association with IndianFederation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) and World Associationof Chefs’ Societies (WACS).

The World Association of Chefs’ Societies is a global network ofChefs’ associations, first founded in October 1928 at Sorbonne, inParis. Today, this global body has 93 official Chefs’ associations asmembers that represent over 10 million professional Chefsworldwide.

Here it deserves a mention that the Indian Culinary Forum is anIndian association of professional Chefs. It was formed in NewDelhi in 1985, under the stewardship of Chef Arvind Saraswat as

an exclusive non-profitorganisation, dedicated toadvancement of the culinary artsof India. The forum’s objective isto act as a link and a platform forthe promotion of the nationalcommunity of Chefs.

Indian Federation of CulinaryAssociations (IFCA) was createdwith the objective of enabling thedevelopment of the culinaryprofession in the country. Theprimary focus of IFCA is thepromotion of the culinaryprofession in the country throughvarious exchanges and innovations.Indian Culinary Forum is thenorthern regional association of

Indian Federation of Culinary Associations.Coming to the above-mentioned mega event, it attracted the

presence of the Minister of State for Human Resource Development,Dr. Shashi Tharoor. The awards were given out across 17 categories.Rajeev Bakshi, Managing Director, METRO Cash &Carry India,conferred Chef Satish Arora of Taj Hotels with ‘METRO LifetimeAchievement Award.’

A galore of Chefs from north India participated at the event,with a competition being held amongst participants from the tophotels, restaurants, bakeries, confectioneries and cateringbusinesses of the country. The competition was held at theBanarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and CateringTechnology last month.

Speaking about the awards, Bakshi said, “Chefs are thebackbone of the hospitality sector, and we are extremely proud tobe here to honour their culinary skills and contributions to theindustry. METRO is committed to supporting exceptional culinarytalent from an industry that caters to some of the most discerningpalates across the country.”

Top Chef

Chef Satish Arora’s single most important contribution to the

development of Indian cuisine was to impart world class

presentation techniques and rid it of the ‘curry powder’

syndrome. An idol to many young aspiring chefs, he was

appointed the Executive Chef of the The Taj Mahal Palace,

Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1972, being the youngest Chef in

the world at that time to take over a five-star hotel kitchen.

Chefs’ Expertise

Dr. Shashi Tharoor


T h e A w a r d e e sT h e A w a r d e e sT h e A w a r d e e sT h e A w a r d e e sT h e A w a r d e e s

Student Chef of the Year

Megha Agarwal from International Institute of Culinary Arts

Kitchen Artist Award

Chef Chittaranjan Jena from Fortune Park Lake City, Mumbai

Master Baker Award

Chef Javed Alam from Country Inn & Suites, Sahibabad

Master Chef International Confectionery

Chef Pawan Saxena from Old World Hospitality

Master Chef Indian Sweets

Chef Dharmender from Old World Hospitality

Master Chef Kebabs

Chef Govind Ram Arya from Le Meridien

Master Chef International Cuisine

Chef Kishan Singh Rawat from Country Inn & Suites, Sahibabad

Master Chef South India Cuisine

Chef FP Girish Kumar from The Ashok Hotel, Delhi

Master Chef North Indian Cuisine

Chef Saurabh Sachdeva from Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

Chef of the Year

Chef Pankaj Kumar from The Lodhi, New Delhi

Best Food Writer

Hoihnu Hauzel

Master Chef Oriental Cuisine

Chef Anand Rawat from Old World Hospitality

Silver Hat Chef

Chef Sabyasachi Gorai from Olive Culinary Academy

Lifetime Achievement Award

Chef Satish Arora

R E P O R T

Earlier in the week, METRO organised a Chefs’ Day Out at theMETRO wholesale distribution centre at Shahdara, Delhi, where apanel discussion amongst top Chefs was conducted. At the event,Chefs exchanged their views on the importance of supply chainefficiency and witnessed the vast product assortment along withcustomised services offered to HoReCa customers at METRO DC, inNew Delhi.

The Chef Speaks

At the 10th Annual Chef Awards 2013, Food &

Beverage Business Review got the opportunity to

have a brief interaction with the renowned culinary

artist Manjit S. Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels and

the President, IFCA. According to him, Indian

Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) is providing

yeomen service to the Indian food service and

hospitality industry of the country by disseminating education and information

among the Chefs and also by increasing their exposure levels through seminars

and by encouraging their participation in international competitions.

According to Gill, still “the rich and varied Indian cuisines have the maximum

popularity among the Indian eating out crowd”, and exotic cuisines despite all

the media hypes associated with them, “are only catering to niche clientele in

India.” He also affirmed that “Indian regional cuisines are gaining popularity,

not only within India but also in abroad.”

On the evolution of changing societal perception of Chefs across the

country, Gill said that “Today, due to greater visibility and exposure of Chefs

and also due to greater knowledge about the nuances of food among the

people at large as a result of the influences of globalisation, the Chefs in our

country are attracting much greater social prestige and popularity than they

had enjoyed say two decades ago.”

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review Oct-Nov ’1338

C O V E R S T O R Y

Portuguese cuisine is probably one of the least known European culinary arts in India. But it is steadily gaining ground

in Mumbai and it is sure to become popular in Kolkata, where people have a preference for fish; for Portuguese

gastronomic fare consists mostly of fish. As far as meat is concerned, pork is the favoured meat for the Portuguese

people.

Influenced by diverse contacts with many different cultures from centuries of maritime exploration, Portuguese cooking

has become rich with flavours of spices from the far east, seafood culled from the Atlantic Ocean, as well as with

vegetables from rich farmlands. Ashok Malkani who takes a peek at the Portuguese cuisine, observes that fire and

passion could be said to be the hallmarks of this gastronomic fare, as most of the traditional cooking in Portuguese

cuisine is done over hot charcoals. The cuisine comprises of simple dishes using few ingredients, but it exudes strong

flavours as is seen in the famous Portuguese charcoal chicken.

Portugal

The Tastes and

Flavours from


C O V E R S T O R Y

Gifting roses hasbecome ahackneyedexpression offeelings for thelovers. Now you can

take your girlfriend to a Portugueserestaurant and offer a Rosé (traditionalPortuguese drink), instead of a rose.Chances are she would love this changein expression.

Portuguese food and wines havebeen overlooked by foodies and wineaficionados in India for a long, longtime. But it is now changing.Portuguese food is becoming the talk ofthe town, in Mumbai. Yes, it even hasthe potential to gain countrywidepopularity.

This probably explains the reason

why Goa Portuguesa (a restaurantserving Goan-Portuguese cuisine},which started in 1988, has spread itswings throughout Mumbai by havingbranches all over the city. Nandos PeriPeri is another restaurant chain that isproving popular with three restaurantsin the city – including one in NaviMumbai. It has branches in other partsof the country too. Yes, Portuguesecuisine is not just becoming popular inMumbai; it is beginning to tickle thetaste buds of the entire country.

The Culinary InfluencesPortuguese cuisine, has over thecenturies, been shaped by severalinfluences. One can say that traditionalPortuguese recipes include influences ofan array of flavours and culinary

techniques of many other cultures Anycountry’s or a region’s cuisine isinextricably linked with its culture andhistory, and Portuguese cuisine is noexception to this cardinal principle. Thehistory of Portugal is not only ofimperial conquests it also includesgetting occupied by Romans andMoors. Therefore the varied culinaryinfluences in Portuguese cuisine are notonly external, but also internal. TheRoman conquest of the region whichwe now know as Portugal enabledPortuguese to get introduced to wheat.Romans wanted Portugal to become thegranary of Rome. Introduction ofolives, grapes, garlic and onion inPortuguese cuisine can also be traced tothe Roman influences.

The influences of the Moor invasionin Portugal in 711 AD also contributedin giving shape to the Portuguesecuisine. Moors maintained theirstronghold in the southern part ofPortugal’s geography for manycenturies. Almonds, figs, and dessertswith the influence of egg were Moorishinfluences on Portuguese eatingpatterns.

However, there is no doubt that themost major influences on the modernPortuguese cuisine as we know todayhave been because of Portugal’s legacyin maritime exploration and ascolonists, which began in the beginningof the 15th century. The exploration ofthe African coast by Portuguese shipsintroduced coffee, peppers and peanutsto the cuisine of Portugal, and their


C O V E R S T O R Y

forays into the east introduced themand eventually the rest of Europe, tovaried spices, curries and even tea.

At the same time, Portuguese alsoexplored into south and their explorersdiscovered Brazil in 1500. This led tothe introduction of the Portuguesepeople to pineapples, tomatoes, cornand potatoes through the Portuguesesailors. As the centuries passed, all theseglobal influences became part ofPortuguese cuisine. In fact, toPortuguese goes the credit ofintroducing herbs and spices likesaffron, pepper, ginger and coriander,and also of introducing pineapples,potatoes and coffee to the Europe.

Today the influence of Portugal’sformer colonies can be easily observedin the culinary character of Portugal,especially in the wide range of spicesused in the Portuguese cuisine.Similarities between Portuguese canjaand Asian congee cannot also be ruledout, which shows oriental influences onPortuguese cuisine.

Succinctly, the culinary traits fromits former colonies in Africa, India andFar East have made impacts on thePortuguese cuisine, thereby making itdifferent in character than theMediterranean cuisine of itsneighbours. For example, though thePortuguese and Spanish people havemany common ingredients in theirtraditional food preparation, theirdistinct histories and geographies haveendowed them with different cookingstyles and dishes from each other.

Portuguese cuisine was influenced by

various culinary legacies and foodproducts across the globe, and at thesame time, it influenced various othercuisines. For example, the Braziliancuisine has a strong Portugueseinfluence, where Brazil’s own versionsof Portuguese dishes like feijoada (astew of beans with beef and pork)and caldeirada (fish stew) find place.

Goa’s pork vindaloo is inspired fromPortuguese culinary influences. In1543, Portuguese trade ships sailed toJapan and there the Portugueseintroduced refined sugar to theJapanese. Portuguese explorers andmerchants to Japan were followed byPortuguese missionaries. Here itdeserves a mention that tempura, atraditional Japanese dish comprisingseafood and vegetables, was introducedto the Land of Rising Sun by thePortuguese missionaries, during theNanban Trade period.

The Essential Character

Traditional Portuguese dishes oftencomprises of simple ingredients, basedon regional produce. The Portuguesecuisine also has an emphasis on fish. AsPortugal is a sea faring nation with adeveloped fishing industry, it is naturalfor the fish to play a crucial role inPortuguese dishes. Portugal hasEurope’s highest fish consumption percapita. No wonder, many of the dishesof Portugal are fish-based. InPortuguese cuisine fish comes in boiled,grilled, fried, deep-fried, stewed androasted forms. Cod is the most commonfish consumed in Portugal.

However, Portuguese cuisine is notonly about fish. The Portuguese cuisineincludes not only seafood and pork butalso meat, cheese and vegetables. AsPortuguese cuisine doesn’t involvemuch challenges to prepare, and oftenneeds the application of very basicequipment, it is many a time termed aspeasant food. Even a single pot over anopen fire is sufficient to create manypopular Portuguese dishes.

Piri piri or small fiery chilli pepper,black pepper, saffron, vanilla, andcinnamon are some of the spices used inPortuguese cuisine. The olive oil is oneof the bases for cooking and flavouringmeals in many Portuguese dishes.Garlic, coriander and parsley also attractwide usage in Portuguese dishes.

Food From the Waves

Popular Portuguese seafood consists ofnot just cod but also fresh sardines(especially when grilled as sardinhasassadas), squid, crabs, shrimps, prawns,lobster, spiny lobster, shellfish, clams,oysters and many other crustaceans.

A famous fish stew of the Portuguesepeople is Caldeirada, which comprises avariety of white fish and shellfish, alongwith potatoes and tomato, onions andpeppers. It is better to infuse somewhite wine and lots of herbs into thedish. The dish entails the right layeringof various ingredients, which enablesthe flavours to mix well.

Sardines have been popularPortuguese delicacy since centuries.They used to be preserved in brine forsale in rural areas of Portugal. Thiseventually paved the way for thedevelopment of sardine canneries alongthe Portuguese coast. Canned tuna isalso popular in Portugal.

Grilled sardines have become quitepopular in Mumbai. Seasoned with salt,popped on the grill and then served upwith a tomato salad and new potatoes –tasty and healthy! Wash it down with achilled Vinho Verde and you may feel


C O V E R S T O R Y

the bliss near your senses. You can havethe sardines like the Portuguese do, thatis by using your fingers, and on a sliceof bread, and you may absorb all thoseOmega 3 juices.

Arroz de Tamboril (Monkfish andRice) is another popular dish ofPortuguese cuisine, which is worth agastronomic exploration. The Monkfish(having very broad, depressed heads –as wide as the fish is long, with femalesreaching approximately 39 inches) ischopped into chunks and mixed withrice, tomatoes, spices and a range offresh herbs to get a filling andsumptuous dish.

Camarão (prawns) is another popularseafood of Portuguese cuisine. It can behad boiled, fried, peeled or with headsand all. Prawns are always a greatoption at a restaurant servingPortuguese food. Piri piri prawns arehard to beat. Tiger prawns grilled overcharcoal are also no less delicious.

Tasty ChickenChicken dishes are also an integral partof Portuguese cuisine. In Portuguese,chicken is known as Frango. Frango noChurrasco or chicken on grill is adelicious chicken dish from Portugal. “Awhole chicken is butterflied open andput in a typical marinade mixture ofolive oil, white wine, garlic, bay leaf,lemon juice and paprika. Whenordered, it is taken out of its marinadeand placed on a rotating spit over aflaming hot coal pit, basted with a

sauce similar to the marinade, with atouch of butter and a hint of piri-piri added,” explained an expert onPortuguese cooking,. while describingthe preparation of Frango no Churrasco.Frango da Guia is another specialchicken dish of Portugal. The dish isnamed after the town of Guia inPortugal, where the dish is believed tohave originated. Salad with just tomatoesand raw onions is the idealaccompaniment with these chicken dishesof Portugal. For Frango da Guia, Frenchfries are the ideal addedaccompaniment, whereas for Frango noChurrasco go for potato chips asaccompaniment.

Green OptionsPortuguese cuisine is not only aboutflesh and spices. Enterprising Indianrestaurateurs can not only introducenon-vegetarian Portuguese cuisine withheavy influences of fish and seafood inIndia, in a big way, they can alsointroduce vegetarian dishes fromPortuguese cuisine to cater to the hugenumbers of Indians who want to tryexotic food but are vegetarians.

Yes, it may delight the vegetariansand the lovers of vegetarian food thatPortuguese cuisine has in its ambit somedelectable vegetarian soups. Mostvegetarian soups from Portugal arequick and easy to make, and they aredelicious. Their increasing presence inIndian restaurants can help the busycorporate crowd to have a quick and

healthy meal.The Portuguese soup is thick with a

vibrant orange colour, derived frompureed carrot, pumpkin, potato andonion. These soups are made by addingvegetables and garlic into a pressurecooker for about 20-30 minutes andthen passing them through a food mill.Now add a touch of salt to create yourvegetable soup, the Portuguese way.

Many build upon this base byadding cooked green vegetables such asnabicas (kale), espinafresi (spinach)feijão verde (long green string beans)and couve (cabbage), which is usuallypaired with feijão (red kidney beans). Abig bowl of any of these heartyPortuguese vegetable soups can makefor a delicious meal anytime! They cansatiate a busy person’s hunger pangswhen she/he has to skip a formal lunchfor lack of time.

And the vegetarians need not worryfor the Portuguese vegetarian cuisinedoesn’t end with soup. Neither does itbegin with soup by the way.Vegetarians wanting a bite of thePortuguese delicacies can have Tremoco,which happens to be a great beer snackin Portugal, and is usually enjoyed byPortuguese people during socialisingover drinks. They are big butter beans,salted and tasty. The beans should betaken out from the skin before enjoyingTremoco, as beans can provide bitternesson biting. Accorda and Migas are someof the many other delicious vegetarianofferings from Portuguese cuisine. Bothare bread-based dishes.

Just DessertsThe dessert delicacies of Portuguesecuisine are also varied. There are overtwo hundred varieties of sweets foundin Portugal, which an Indian baker canexplore. The rich egg-based custards ofPortuguese cuisine are out-of-the-world. In several desserts the Portugueseuse cinnamon.

Pastel de nata is a well-knownPortuguese dessert. It is essentially anegg custard tart in filo dough that isideally served warm, fresh out of theoven and sprinkled with cinnamon andpowdered sugar. Bola de Berlim, LeiteCrème, Arroz Doce or Portuguese sweetrice pudding are some of the otherimportant dessert creations from theland of Portugal, which can find goodmarket in India. �


B U S I N E S S

Leveraging Sales From RetailRapid urbanisation and increase in disposable incomes has led to retailing in India undergoing transition. Along with the

fragmented local markets, we are seeing large centralised wholesale markets. In the processed food and packaged

goods the advent of organised retailing has been more rapid than in the fresh food markets. Supermarkets, hypermarkets,

discount grocers have been growing in India. Now is the right time for the entrepreneur to enter into organised multi-brand

retailing.

Ashok Malkani takes a look at the intricacies involved in maintaining and enhancing the footfalls in a food retail enterprise.

One of these is the organised and attractive display of the merchandise to attract the customers into making impulse

purchases, which can result in increasing sales.

and as well as in rural areas is expectedto take a long time.

The Trend of Organised RetailingIn the recent years, urban India iswitnessing steady growth in organisedgrocery retailing. Future Value RetailLtd (FVRL) and Reliance Retail Ltd. aretwo major players in the realm oforganised grocery retailing in thecountry. Now we are witnessing aninterest by many foreign players to enterIndia’s retail market. Global retail giantslike Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco arewaiting to enter the Indian retail sector.

So how does one enter the Indianretail market? Current entry options forforeign players are as under:

Franchise Agreements Most widelyused entry channel by multinationalretailers Fast food retailer Domino’sentered through master franchise whilePizza Hut entered through regionalfranchise

Cash and Carry WholesaleTrading100 percent FDI is allowed in wholesaletrading which involves building of alarge distribution infrastructure to assistlocal manufacturers. Wholesaler dealsonly with smaller retailers and not with

Today, retailing is the fastestgrowing sector in the Indianeconomy. The total retail sales

in the country are expected to enhancefrom $ 395.96 billion in 2011 to $785.12 billion in 2015. With over 13million retail stores, India has moreretailers than any other country in theworld. Yet, most of these retailers aretiny and unorganised. However, inurban India large supermarkets andhypermarkets/malls are supplementingthe traditional retail stores. But theshift from local kirana shops toorganised retail in tier II and III cities


B U S I N E S S

consumers.Strategic Licensing Agreements Foreign company enters

into a licensing agreement with the domestic retailer.

Display to Get Market EdgeHowever, simply entering the multi-brand retail sector ingeneral or a grocery business in particular is not enough toachieve success in these endeavours. A consumer-firstmindset is more important than years of experience forsuccess in the retail business. Planning about which goodsshould adorn the shelves and in what quantities is essential,so as to prevent goods gathering dust on the shelves. And ofcourse, you need to get the most affordable deal that ispossible for the products that you would be retailing,without compromising on good quality so that the profitsand prospects of enduring business are complemented. Yes,there are several other factors than these which can influencesuccess in organised retail business.

The consumer behaviour in organised retailing acrosssupermarkets and hypermarkets/malls is somewhat differentfrom that of the consumer behaviour in unorganised grocerystores. Along with service retailing in small kirana stores,where the customer asks for specific items which the retailerfetches, we are also witnessing self service retailing in urbanIndia, across supermarkets, hypermarkets/ malls, wherecustomer herself/himself scouts for the products of her/hischoice and then places them at the counter for billing.

As in organised retailing across supermarkets andhypermarkets/malls consumers get the opportunity to see thedisplay of goods for quite some time, while scouting for their


B U S I N E S S

Supermarkets and

Hypermarkets

One can say that the supermarkets

are an extension of the grocery

stores. Supermarkets are large

self-service grocery stores that

offer customers a variety of food

and household supplies. Here the

merchandise is displayed into an

organised aisle format, where each

aisle is numbered or labeled and

has only similar goods placed

together. The supermarket houses

fresh food products, poultry as well

as canned and boxed goods.

However, supermarkets are smaller

than hypermarkets or big-box

markets, which are basically

supermarkets combined with

departmental stores.

purchases, the visual appeal of theproducts is likely to make a greaterinfluence on the consumers’ buyingpreferences in organised retailing, thanin unorganised retailing across kiranastores.

Moreover, the organised F&Bretailing in India now entails hugecompetition, with a plethora ofsupermarkets and hypermarkets/mallsmaking their presence felt in the urbanretail landscape of the country. In manycases, the goods or product ranges ofone supermarket or hypermarket are notmuch different from the other.

Therefore, in order to attractconsumers, the organised retailers notonly need to keep a plethora ofproducts, which also includes an arrayof food & beverage products, but thedisplay of products also needs to beattractive so as to induce the consumersand the potential consumers of thoseproducts. The arrangement andshowcasing of the goods has to behandled extremely carefully. A player inorganised retailing must be aware of thecustomer profile visiting her/his store.

Normally, in urban areas, thecustomer profile of the majority of thepeople visiting the supermarkets andhypermarkets/malls can be described asgiven in the figure below.

The supermarkets and hypermarkets/malls in India should have their productprofile and display tailored in a mannerwhich would interest this clientele. Astheir consumer profile is often similar,the ranges of products on display in agroup of supermarkets or in a group ofhypermarkets/malls also tend to be

similar to each other in many cases.When the product ranges are similaracross various supermarkets andhypermarkets, their display oftenbecome a major deciding factorgoverning their purchases and thusprofits or loses. Creative displays alsoplay a role in facilitating business inunorganised grocery stores, but their roleis more important in supermarkets andhypermarkets/malls.

Creative Store DisplaysBy using creative store displays you aremaking a certain visual connection withbuyers and potential buyers of yourproducts, a connection that can easily bean enduring one. However, visualmerchandising is not only aboutattraction; it is also about awareness.Good visual merchandising helpsshowcase the product and educate thecustomers about its features in amemorable way, and thus helps theproduct enter the mindshare of theconsumers. Thus the consumers arelikely to become more inclined to make apurchase of the given product.

For promoting items that are on saleor those which required to be soldquickly, end aisle displays endowed withcolourful signs can be intelligentrevenue enhancing options. Placing theimpulse purchases like candies andinexpensive chocolates near the cashregister can attract the customers or theirkids to these items while the consumersare waiting in line to pay the bill. It ispreferable to have the ‘impulse buys’ assomewhat inexpensive to the shopper’sbudget.

Different products in a supermarketand hypermarket/mall should ideally bedisplayed in different ways. Forexample, seafood displays can be madecreative by draping a fishnet around theside of the refrigerated unit. This wouldmake the consumers and potentialconsumers of sea food quickly get theidea that the unit contains fresh catchesfrom the sea. And it is better if therefrigerated unit where sea food arebeing kept is coloured blue. The caseswhere fresh meats are being kept shouldbe lined with green mesh. The colourcontrast is expected to make the meat’spackaging more attractive to itsconsumers and potential consumers.

Similarly, displaying apples andmangoes in bushels, and keeping thevegetables under a white light will addto their attractiveness. However, if youkeep the greens under a yellow lightthey will appear less fresh than theyactually are, so avoid that.

Canned and boxed goods oftencomprise the majority of displays inorganised retailing. These displays havegreat scope of creativity. Use the cans orboxes as building blocks and you cancreate structures like pyramids and cubesout of them.

Themed displays can also beemployed to club together variousproducts that can be relevant purchasesfor a given season or occasion, such asChristmas or Valentine’s Day. However,

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themed displays which correspond to agiven festival or occasion, should beintroduced only a few days before thatspecific festivity or occasion, so to reaprevenues by exciting the popular mood.

Besides creativity in display, somebasic facts need to be kept in mind.Shelves should be properly arrangedand goods must be systematicallylabeled so that consumers do not haveto spend the whole day for makingtheir desired purchases. If they have todo so, chances are they will not visitthe store again. For first impression is alasting impression as far as consumerbehaviour goes.

Location Needs IntrospectionBesides product quality and productdisplays there are other importantfactors behind the success of retailoperations. Location is one of the mostimportant factors behind the success ofa supermarket or hypermarketoperations. Ideal location of a storedoesn’t only mean that the store issituated in an area where its targetconsumers reside or are expected tofrequent, or in an area from where thetarget consumers of the store’s productsare likely to make their purchases.

Whether the retail store is located onthe main road or in an alley is also thedeciding factor in consumer preferencestowards the store. Therefore beforeopening a store this factor also needs tobe considered upon. Whether there areother similar stores in the vicinity, or

whether there can be aparking problem are otherfactors to be weighed uponbefore choosing the locationof the multi-brand retailstore. There are instanceswhen people have expressedtheir interest about goods ina given store, but chose notto visit it because of theparking problem or due toheavy traffic around thelocation of the store.

Wise PricingOne of the sure shot ways of keepingyour organised retail businesscompetitive and successful is to keepthe prices as affordable as possible.Nothing is more appealing to thecustomer than finding that the goodsshe/he purchased at your shop werelower priced than another shop downthe road. This can be done in severalways like having special sales, or buy-one-get-one-free offers. But don’tcompromise on the quality to a greatdeal in order to lower the price range.This step can be counterproductive.Another way of attracting customers isby having a wider range of a given typeof products (say mangoes and apples)and brands (say of coffee) than othermulti-brand retail stores.

Managing the InventoryOf course, the well-stocked shelves alsofacilitate success of organised retail

operations, where the impression of theconsumer plays a huge role in revenues.For example, a consumer is thinking ofbuying a particular brand of fruit juice.She/he is more inclined to buy it from astore where the shelves are stocked withthat brand of fruit juice, along with hugepresence of its competing brands of fruitjuice, than from a store which showcasesonly one or two cartons of the givenbrand of fruit juice, with no presence ofcompeting brands of fruit juice.

Therefore stocking inventory on aregular basis is necessary, and it is alsoextremely important to place newproducts behind the old ones in case ofperishable products like fruits andvegetables. However, at the same time, itis also prudent for the store manager/owner to evaluate which products are

experiencing brisk sales at her/his store,and which products are experiencingnegligible sales, and then tailor theinventory accordingly, so that wastage isminimised.

Though many of these abovediscussed principles seem to be morerelevant for the success and as well assurvival of organised retail businesses,but they can also be useful for the smallgrocery player, in the unorganised retailsector. It may be stated that managingstore operations for a retail business ofany size or complexity, ranging from theneighbourhood grocer to themultinational retail chain, is achallenging task. It entails integrationamong various functions in the store.When all the functions in the store areperformed in an integrated manner andin perfect coordination, the storeoperations are likely to run smoothlytowards sure success. ■


F E A T U R E

The Need for

Sustainable EatingIn the backdrop of incessant

environmental degradation,sustainable lifestyles have garnered

considerable mind and media share.Sustainable lifestyles also includesustainable eating. One of the ways theidea of sustainable eating can be fosteredinto reality is through the practice ofvegetarianism or through abstinence ofmeat products, or at least through lesserconsumption of meat than before.

Vegetarianism has had always beenfairly widespread in India, primarily forreligious and cultural reasons. But nowopting for an exclusively vegetarian diet isgaining popularity across the developedworld, and this trend is thankfullyrunning parallel to the growing meatconsumption in the developing countries.It may be argued that going forexclusively vegetarian diet is gainingpopularity in the developed worldprimarily for personal health reasons,which may include the objective ofhaving lower risk of obesity and heartdisease, having lower risk of cancer, andattaining greater longevity.

Health of Us and the Planet

But there is no denying the fact that

vegetarianism can also positively influencethe sustainability of the planet. It is simplybecause growing agricultural produceresults in less carbon emissions andinvolves less usage of water on an average,as compared to raising of livestock formeat.

Yes, complete abstinence from non-vegetarian food may be quite difficult formany regular non-vegetarians. If notvegetarianism, at least regular adherence toa diet with vegetarian food items, fish andfruits, with no role of meat products canbe helpful in solving the global hungerand water crisis and the continual threatsto our fragile environment, which wewould discuss below. There is no denyingthe fact that huge consumption of meatby humankind is leading and can lead tosevere problems for our present andfuture.

Livestock and Deforestation

The plethora of meat eaters requires thecontinuous breeding and maintenance ofa huge livestock population, which needhuge amounts of land and water, andwhich produce huge quantities of waste.In fact, the huge livestock populationoften leads to deforestation, for growing of

feed crops and grazing, and deforestationis one of the reasons for endangering ourenvironment.

It may sound unbelievable but likemany unbelievable facts it is true that overthe centuries millions of hectares of treeshave been decimated to present meatbefore the forks. We can very well imaginewhat would be the situation after say fivedecades, if meat eating populationcontinues to increase across the developingnations as it is doing now.

Water and Land

Besides deforestation, the maintenance ofhuge numbers of farm animals for meatproduction has effect on our watersources. According to an expert,production of one pound of beef requiresalmost thirty times more water than it isneeded to produce one pound each ofpotato, wheat, maize and rice. If the samedietary pattern continues across the globe,it would lead to severe water scarcity inagriculture by 2050, when the worldpopulation is expected to reach 9 billion.

More than 25 percent of earth’sterrestrial surface is used for grazing.According to FAO’s report titledLivestock’s Long Shadow - Environmental

By Swarnendu Biswas


F E A T U R E

Issues and Options “livestock productionaccounts for 70 percent of all agriculturalland and 30 percent of the ice-free landsurface on the planet.” This land could bebetter utilised for agriculture to feed thehungry millions.

Meat of the Food Crisis

Besides, in a world facing severe foodcrisis, with approximately 1 billion peoplegoing hungry every night, the fact thatlivestock population consume majority ofthe crops of the world may soundshocking, but sadly it is true.

And it is not surprising also for thereare more than 56 billion animals raisedacross the globe each year for slaughterand consequently, for food; which is anumber much more than the globalpopulation of humans And the sustenanceof these animals for slaughter needs hugeamounts of food.

A significant proportion of farmanimals are used for meat, and they areoften slaughtered when their othereconomic utilities are exhausted. It is notonly cruel, but also sheer uneconomical asfar as the food crisis of the planet isconcerned. Grains fed to farm animals can

feed many, many people and thereby savethem from hunger, only if we do not haveto maintain such a huge stock of animalsfor the meat eating population.

If the meat eating human populationcontinues to increase rapidly in thedeveloping world, as it is doing presently,the food crisis is expected to aggravatefurther in the years to come, and this canbe perilous to the future of humankind.By turning vegetarians we non-vegetarians

can potentially place more food before theworld’s hungry population in the future.

Besides the land and food crisis,rampant meat eating can lead to otherenvironmental problems too, besidesdeforestation. The unimaginable quantityof livestock population on earth, which isa prerequisite for meeting the dietaryneeds of non-vegetarians across the globe,generates enormous greenhouse gasemissions, which we all know are harmful


F E A T U R E

for our blue planet.

Greenhouse Emissions In fact, in FAO’s report named Livestock’sLong Shadow - Environmental Issues andOptions, which was published inNovember 2006 and is very muchrelevant today, seven years after itspublication, it was estimated that thelivestock were responsible for 18 percentof greenhouse gas emissions, a biggershare than that of transport. The reportalso estimated that livestock accountedfor 9 percent of anthropogenic carbondioxide emissions, 37 percent ofanthropogenic methane emissions, and65 percent of anthropogenic nitrousoxide emissions. Here it deserves amention that methane’s capacity toinfluence global warming is 25-30 timesmore than carbon dioxide.

Many environmentalists believe thatthe major source of climate changeduring the last two centuries wasprimarily due to increased greenhouse gasemissions. Greenhouse gases, whichinclude carbon dioxide and methane,trap heat in the atmosphere. Theseexcessive greenhouse gas emissions arecontributing towards global warming,which is in turn is leading to melting ofglaciers, rising of sea level and can alsofrequent the occurrence of floods and

droughts. Unchecked greenhouse gasemissions can jeopardise the existence ofour planet.

Air pollution is not the only pollutingeffects of the livestock population rearedfor meat. The huge livestock populationfor meat also generates huge quantity ofwaste, which leads to land and waterpollution. Moreover, animal waste haspathogens like salmonella, E coli, andcryptosporidium among others, whichhas the potential to transmit to humansthrough water run-off or throughmanure. Thus mountains of animal wastefrom livestock can make us prone todiseases, besides playing a role in ruiningthe land and water.

If only more and more people resort tovegetarianism or at least skip meat asmuch as possible, the livestockpopulation would drastically reducewithin two or three generations (for theirneed would be reduced), and thus thestrain on environment would be muchlesser than it is today, thereby helping tosave the future of earth. In fact, manyexperts believe that changing your dietfrom meat eating to vegetarian is moreenvironment-friendly in effect thanchanging from incandescent tofluorescent bulbs. If we collectively donot make a conscious choice to switchover to a more predominantly vegetariandiet today, tomorrow it may be too late.

Vegetarian Eating outThankfully, along with the sharp rise indemand for meat in the developingcountries, more and more people in thedeveloped world are also seen adopting tovegetarianism. The food service businessof our country can play a major role inaddressing these above-mentionedchallenges to our environment and ourfuture survival, by opening up morevegetarian and as well as veganrestaurants for the eating out crowd.

The five-star hotels can also make it apractice to have one exclusivelyvegetarian restaurant in their ambit.Royal Vega restaurant of ITC GrandChola, Chennai can serve as a pertinentexample in this regard. Royal Vegapresents a sumptuous offeringof delectable vegetarian food from themagnificent royal kitchens of India.Featuring a fine collection of signaturevegetarian dishes from across India, RoyalVega showcases the classical grandeur ofthe vegetarian repertoire of the sub-continent and beyond.

The Country Inn & Suites byCarlson, Sahibabad is a unique five-starhotel where dining options are onlyvegetarian. These are some of thepraiseworthy initiative in the hospitalityindustry towards vegetarian dining.

And finding the clientele forvegetarian food in restaurants would notbe a problem in a country where stillmore than 30 percent of the populationis vegetarian, and where abhorrence ofnon-vegetarian food often has religiousand ethical sanctions.

Our Regional GreensIn order to convert many lovers of non-vegetarian food like me to vegetariandishes, the restaurant business inmetropolitan India should go beyondvegetable biryani and vegetable kebabs.They should bring to the forefront themany wonderful vegetarian specialtiesfrom India’s rich treasure-trove of regionalcuisines, on the national platter.

Some examples could be Aloo Posto andMochar Ghonto from Bengal, Litti Chokhafrom Bihar, Sadya from Kerala and Pohayand Vada Pav from Maharasthra amongothers. There is every chance that timelesstastes of these and many more regionalvegetarian dishes could soon waft fromregional to national popularity throughcreative marketing endeavours. ■


A G R I

Tackling

By Swarnendu Biswas

Agri-inflationAgri-inflation

Presently, in India the prices of vegetables have simplyskyrocketed, causing great disturbance in the budget ofcommon people of the country. Though onion price

rise is garnering more media focus, but that doesn’t mean thatprices of many other vegetables are not subjected to severeinflation during the recent months.

Onions may have experienced an almost unbelievable 278percent hike during 2013, but the prices of other vegetablesare also not at all pocket-friendly for the common men andwomen in India. Even the prices of tomatoes and potatoeshave become unmanageable. Cereals are also out of reach formany as are fruits. The soaring cost of Basmati rice in therecent times, deserves special mention in this context. In fact,the food prices in India have enhanced by 18 percent ascompared to the last year, and agricultural products areplaying a crucial role in this back-breaking food inflation.

However, the continuation of this recent escalation ofvegetable prices can not only enhance misery in middleincome and lower income households, which it is alreadycausing, but it does have the potential to affect the restaurantbusiness in the country too, especially those restaurantbusinesses which operate on small margins or are serving onlyvegetarian dishes.

Potential to Affect Eating OutIf the prices of fruits and vegetables continue to remain at the steeplevel, or increase even beyond to where they are at presently, it is

likely that there would be marked enhancement in the prices offood products in restaurant business, in the days to come. This inturn may negatively effect the eating out culture; which in therecent years was gaining momentum because of certain conducivesocio-economic and demographic factors.

Overall, the continuation of the agricultural inflation thathas been recurring in India in the recent years, may result inIndian restaurant business suffering a setback in demand, notonly because of increased prices of food products inrestaurants, but also due to the fact that middle incomepeople would now have lesser disposable income afterspending on their day-to-day fruits and vegetables than theywere having say six months or one year earlier. Succinctly,these huge prices of fruits and vegetables are likely to leavethem with lesser discretionary spending, which also includesthe spending channeled on eating out.

Those restaurants which would steadfastly refuse to raiseprices despite the high prices of some of their chief ingredients(rice, fruits and vegetables), may have to compromise on thequality or portion size. This will be more true for the vegetariandishes. In all the three cases (increase in prices, loss in quality ordecrease in portion sizes within a short span of time) therestaurant business in India is likely to suffer a setback indemand.

Ready to Eat?However, the exorbitant prices of fruits and vegetables can


A G R I

induce the consumers to opt for affordable pre-cooked andready to eat products in a big way, which is likely to give a boostto this segment of the food & beverage industry. Already such atrend is getting evident.

According to a survey by ASSOCHAM, sharp price rises infruits and vegetables have compelled over 55 percent of middleand low income group people in the country to shift to pre-cooked and ready-to-eat food items to maintain their kitchenbudget. However, the nutritional value of many ready to eatoptions in the market can hardly match that of fruits andvegetables.

Such a Huge WastageMany blame the exorbitant price rise of onions for our lowrate of economic growth this year, and some blame the lastyear’s drought for it, and some for the excessive monsoons thisyear. They say that excessive rains in onion producing stateslike Maharashtra and Gujarat is responsible for the shortfall inonion production. And some others blame the middlemen andthe hoarders. All of these reasons are true but these reasonsdon’t reveal the complete story.

It should be remembered that besides onion prices, manyother vegetables, fruits and cereals have also been subjected tosevere inflation this year. In fact, price rise of vegetables andfruits is not a new phenomenon in the Indian economy, thoughthis year the effect of agri-inflation has been particularlystinging. There are various other reasons for the recurring agri-inflation in our economy besides the weather fluctuations andbottlenecks in economic growth, and the influences of themiddlemen and hoarders. Unless we find effective andcomprehensive solutions for these reasons, we cannot solve therecurring challenge of agri-inflation from our economy.

In a recent study, ASSOCHAM has highlighted that Indiaincurs post-harvest fruits and vegetable losses worth overRs.2lakh crore each year, largely owing to the paucity of foodprocessing units and modern cold storage facilities, and a callousattitude towards tackling the grave issue of post-harvest losses.

West Bengal is leading the pack in this regard with annualpost-harvest losses worth over Rs 13,657 crore followed byGujarat (Rs 11,400 crore), Bihar (Rs 10,700 crore) and UttarPradesh (Rs 10,300 crore). Moreover, according to the sameASSOCHAM study, only about 22 percent of fruits andvegetables produced in India reach the wholesale market. This isa pathetic statistics by all standards. “Developing wholesalemarkets together with enhancing the cold storage capacities inlocal and regional markets are key for reducing post-harvestfruits and vegetable losses and enhancing their market arrival,”observed the ASSOCHAM study.

If only the huge post-harvest wastage of our fruits andvegetables could be tackled by more widespread and exhaustivepest control measures, and by building up a comprehensiveinfrastructure of food processing units and cold storage facilities,greater quantity of fruits, vegetables and cereals would haveentered the market. Their increased supply could help theadministration to better tackle their huge demand, therebyinducing a relatively better stabilisation of agricultural prices inthe country.

Direct Marketing by FarmersUrgent actions to prevent further increase in the current prices


of fruits and vegetables in India are necessary. In fact, it isalways preferable to reduce their present unmanageablerates, which would not only benefit the retail consumer,but also the entrepreneur in the food & beverage industryseen struggling with spiraling costs of production.

The corrective steps include drastically curtailing therole of middleman in agriculture. It is common knowledgethat the middlemen often not only prevent the farmersfrom getting their due price for their produce, but also areoften responsible for inflated prices of fruits and vegetablesin the market. It is because they often purchase the farmproducts from the farmers at very less price and sell themat the market at exorbitant rates. Thus both farmers andthe retailers and as well as the food & beverage industrysuffer.

The Indian’s government’s passing of the AgriculturalProduce Market Committee (APMC) Act for the purposeof regulating the functioning of wholesale agriculturalmarkets throughout the nation is a desired step in thisdirection. This law has the potential to help prevent theoperations of middlemen. Rythu Bazars in the state ofAndhra Pradesh is a very good example of direct marketingof agricultural produce from farmers to consumers. Moresuch examples must become reality soon.

If our state governments(since agriculture is a statesubject), along with the help of some corporate players,become proactive in presenting the farmers producedirectly to the urban retail and institutional consumersfrom a plethora of huge supermarkets, the present scenarioof exorbitant fruits and vegetable prices could becontrolled to certain extent in the future. Otherwise, thistype of maddening agri-inflation may occur again…andagain, in India.

Farmers’ cooperatives can also be treated as an effectiveanswer to keep the agricultural prices in check, while at thesame time facilitating to give farmers a good value for theiragricultural produce through direct marketing ofagricultural produce. State governments should supportand promote more and more farmers’ cooperatives toeliminate the scourge of middlemen in agriculture. Farmers’cooperative societies have been successful in MadhyaPradesh and Maharashtra. At the same time, a close watchon the hoarders of fruits, vegetables and cereals andstringent prevention of their nefarious activities by thestate governments is also the need of the hour.

Infrastructure DevelopmentOf course, these steps need to be supplemented with moreand better irrigation facilities, so that farmers’ produceeven in this twenty-first century India do not have tooften entirely depend on the vagaries of monsoon. Thediesel and petrol prices need also to be kept in check forthey play a crucial role in the costs of food products to theend consumers.

Moreover, both the Union and the state governments,along with the support of private players, should jointlyendeavour to vastly improve our bleak scenario in terms offood processing facilities and cold storage infrastructure.More effective pest control initiatives in warehouses storingfood grains are also needed. ■

A G R I


Today with the Indian bakery industryshowing impressive growth, bakerybusiness has great possibilities of success inthe country. And in the unorganisedsector, which accounts for 65 percent ofproduction of bakery products in India,the investment required for this business isalso not that high. Neither is professionaltraining mandatory for success for anentrepreneur entering the bakery business.One can start the bakery business evenfrom one’s home. .

But does in reality a bakery business,especially if it grows beyond a home-basedenterprise and necessitates the renting orpurchasing of a commercial space andhiring of a team, is that simple as itsounds? No it is not, in most cases. Simplyknowledge of ingredients and judgementof the right proportion and temperaturewould not be enough; though absolutelynecessary, to run a successful bakeryenterprise in most cases. Various factorsneed to factored in for making a success inthis highly competitive business. Ofcourse, creativity and sustained hard workare the essential perquisites of bakeryoperations, but they are necessaryconditions for success in this business, andnot sufficient ones.

The entrepreneurs toying with the ideaof entering bakery business or expandingits area of operations into the realm of

bakery business should be aware of theongoing trends in the Indian bakeryindustry in order to tap their businesspotential in this area in a better manner.And they should also be endowed withsome essential skills and attributes, and beaware of some essential market realties.

Location and Costs

First of all, an entrepreneur thinking ofstarting a bakery enterprise (whether as astand-alone bakery or a franchisee outlet)should be sure that her/his location ofbakery is correct. That is she/he should besure that the location where she/he isthinking of starting her/his bakeryenterprise has a need for a new bakeryoutlet or not, or whether the consumerprofile there is suited for the kind ofbaked products which she/he has in mindor has expertise in producing or not. If theanswer to any of these questions is no, theentrepreneur should proceed to anothersuitable location that is within her/hisbudget, without thinking twice.

Before starting a bakery operation, thetotal costs involved in running the bakerybusiness should be calculated in detail,which should include both fixed andvariable costs, and then the entrepreneurshould make a very conservativeestimation of the expected revenues of thebakery unit during the first six months or

For Success in

B A K E R Y

By Swarnendu Biswas

The Indian bakery business isgoing through an impressivegrowth phase. According to a

report with Research and Markets, themarket size for the Indian bakery industrywas pegged at 4.7 billion USD in 2010,and it is expected to reach 7.6 billionUSD by 2015. The report notes thatwith rapid growth and changing eatinghabits of people, bakery products havegained popularity among the masses ofIndia. The bakery industry of India hasalso achieved the third position ingenerating revenue among the processedfood sector.

Considering the fast changing socio-economic profile of the society, bakeryproducts are likely to be in great demandin the near future. In urban India, familiesare having less time to cook, and oftenbusy schedules are inducing snackingoptions to replace main meals. This trendis expected to increase the demand forbreads, biscuits, burgers and pizzas inurban India even more in the near future.The low price and high nutrient value ofmany bakery products can also enhancetheir demand in the market. Many of thebakery products are already items of massconsumption in urban India. Thiseventually can make the bakery business alucrative option for many enterprisingbakers or would be bakers.

Bakery Business


one year of its operations.If the latter exceeds the former, then

only the entrepreneur should initiate her/his bakery business. Two examples offixed cost are the rent of the outlet(assuming the entrepreneur doesn’t ownthe property where she/he decides tocreate a bakery) and the depreciation onthe bakery equipment or the lease costs onthem; two examples of variable cost arethe cost of ingredients and humanresources or labour.

Though salary is often regarded as partof fixed costs, but since most of thebakeries in India operate in theunorganised sector, it is more realistic toassume that human resource costs or staffor labour costs as variable costs, which canfluctuate according to production needs.

It is also very important to realise whichcosts to cut and which costs should be leftuntouched. For example, unheededreduction in costs of ingredients andhuman resource with the objective tobreak even or earn profits in very quicktime may be counterproductive for a start-up bakery operation in these competitivetimes, when people are expecting

innovation and quality in their bakeryproducts.

This step may lead to lowering thequality of the products, which may in turnget your start-up bakery business beingswept away by the harsh and biting windsof competition, to the oblivion. Besidesthat one must remember that in bakeryoperations, creativity and ingredients canbe distinguishing factors from itscompetition, and thus their costs shouldn’tbe unduly curtailed if the entrepreneurwants to succeed in the business, in thelong-run.

Ingredients and EquipmentsIn this context, it is necessary to add thatan entrepreneur venturing into a bakerybusiness should have a sound knowledgeof those ingredients and bakeryequipments, which are to be used in her/his business. Otherwise she/he has lesschance of delivering quality products thatcan withstand or surpass the competition.

Even if she/he has staff to manage theday-to-day operations, she/he must have asound knowledge of ingredients andequipments, or else the entrepreneur can

be taken for a ride by the staff, resulting incompromise in quality.

Fresh Products and Waste Control The bakery business should alwaysemphasise on fresh products, and onminimising wastage. The aroma of freshlybaked products can play a great role ininducing the customers to a given bakeryunit, and can easily convert a potentialcustomer into a real one.

Furthermore, creative display of freshlybaked goods would help shape the firstimpression among the bakery’s consumersand potential consumers, and in bakerybusiness, like in other facets of life, firstimpression though not certainly is the lastimpression(a succession of badperformances may eventually erase thegoodwill earned through initial goodperformance), can easily be a lastingimpression.

For minimising waste in bakeryoperations it is necessary to keep a tab onthe items which the bakery is selling themost, and the items which are attractingunimpressive sales. The inventory must beadjusted accordingly, so that precious

B A K E R Y


expenditure is not misallocated towardspotential waste. This is especially crucial fora start-up bakery with very limitedinvestment, for there waste can be a greatwaste of scarce money, whose continuationcan soon lead to a cash crunch and therebycompromising on necessary investments.

Careful Pricing and PromotionThe right pricing of your products is alsovery crucial. It is always better to priceyour bakery products judiciously, whiletaking into account of not only your costof production, but also the prevailingprice range of your competition nearby. Itis because you need to cover your costsand make a healthy profit, but before thatyou need your products to be sold at thefirst place.

At the same time, it is wise andprudent to give greater weightage onpromotion/showcasing of those bakeryproducts whose profit margins are higherin the bakery over those bakery productswhere the profit margin is comparativelylower in the given unit.

It is a business savvy step to display theproducts whose profit margins are higherin a much more attractive way in thebakery as compared to other products inthe given bakery’s portfolio. This mayhelp the entrepreneur/baker to earn quickrevenues and eventually decent profits bypassing through break-even very soon.

Customers’ ProfileMore than the national trends, theproduct range of a given bakery shouldgive more importance to the local tasteswhere the given bakery is located. Forexample, designer dessert is an emergingtrend in the Indian bakery business, butits consumers are still largely confinedamong the upper echelons of the society,in big cities of India. So if your bakery isnot located in an upmarket locality in abig city, too much of your creativity andmoney invested in designer desserts arenot likely to yield the desired revenues.

However, that is not to say that if youare a bakery owner in a middle class area ofa tier-II city, you shouldn’t experimentwith designer desserts. You can, but youcannot afford to give too much focus onit. Ideally, the focus should be onmainstream bakery products likeconventional cakes, biscuits, breads, etc.At the same time, you can create somethemed and customised cakes with exoticingredients as experiment and be sure not

to price them very high.

Good Range, Health and TasteThe product range of bakeries should notonly be comprehensive, but should try tomerge health and taste well, as health isemerging as an important factor behindF&B purchases. Bakeries which can comeup with innovative, tasty and healthysnacking options to satiate the suddenbouts of hunger pangs between lunch anddinner have a good chance to succeed inthese times.

Bakeries should not only have whitebread, cakes, biscuits, patties, pastries,burgers, sandwiches, etc. Eventuallybakeries should also have products likemuffins, baguettes, croissants, varioustypes of healthy breads and other bakeryproducts, to which urban Indians aregetting familiar with the maturity ofglobalisation.

Themed Offerings, Ambience andDecorTo stand out from the competition,during celebrations like Diwali, Holi, orChristmas, producing of specially themedbakery products which reflect the spirit ofthese celebrations can be a savvy option togarner business. For example, rose shapedcakes on Valentine’s Day or crackers’ andcandles’ shaped chocolates during Diwalican generate interest among the crowd.

The other important factor thatinfluences the success of bakery operationsis the ambience and décor. These aspectsshould also depend upon the locality ofthe bakery or the clientele that it primarilycaters to. For example, if your bakery islocated in an upwardly mobile or posharea of a metropolitan city, the ambienceand décor should be sleek and somewhatunique, but if your bakery is located in a

traditional middle-class area and if youintend to target the consumers withmoderate means and old-fashioned tastes,it is advisable not be too funky with yourambience and décor; for it may prove tobe counterproductive and your would beconsumers would be reluctant to come toyou by perceiving you to be too costly orhigh-end. In that case it is better if youkeep your bakery’s ambience and décorsimple and straightforward.

HR and HygieneGood quality human resource with theright expertise and also the right attitudeto go the extra mile, maintenance ofimpeccable hygiene standards in thebakery unit are some of the other measureswhich need to be taken care of if oneneeds to write an enduring success story inthe Indian bakery industry.

Incompetent personnel or the personlacking the right attitude to succeed in thebakery industry, and rampant untidinessin the atmosphere of the bakery can determany potential guests.

Franchising RouteThese days many retail bakery chains areopting for franchise route, which can bean opportunity for the entrepreneur toenter the bakery business with theadvantage of instant brand recognition.

For a franchisee bakery operation someof the above-mentioned factors forrunning a successful bakery operationneed alteration. For example in afranchisee bakery outlet, pricing of theproducts will not be dependent upon thecompetition in the locality concernedfrom stand-alone bakeries or bakerychains, and neither does the outlet shouldhave any individualistic appeal in terms ofambience and decor. Instead the ambienceand décor of the franchisee bakery outletshould ideally simulate the ambience anddécor of other franchisee bakery outlets ofthe franchise so that brand recognitionprocess is facilitated.

But to become a franchisee of arenowned brand, the entrepreneur oftenneeds to have a tidy sum of money and adecent real estate area with her/him.Moreover, if the product quality of thefranchisee fails, the hard-earned brandreputation of the franchise company is atstake, which may result in cancellation ofthe arrangement.

The feature has been done with inputsfrom Ashok Malkani, Mumbai.

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P R O D U C T

These days, burger has emerged asa very popular snack in theIndian fast food space. The huge

crowd at McDonald’s, KFC’s and Nirula’scounters reflects that the burgers havecaught the imagination of not only theyoung college going generation, but alsoof the urban middle-aged and middleclass section of our society at large. Itspopularity is a part of India’s growing fastfood culture, which again is fostered bygrowing disposable incomes in select butsizeable pockets of the Indian society,influence of global tastes, fast-pacedlifestyles, and growing nuclearisation ofurban families.

McDonald’s is of course synonymouswith high quality burgers, but thepresence of burgers in urban India is farmore widespread than the ambit ofMcDonald’s in the country. Nirula’s andKFC India have their burgers and in therecent past Dunkin Donuts did come outwith a range of burgers for the Indian

market. Not only the organised fast foodchains, but nowadays, we are seeing aplethora of bakeries and other eating outoutlets in the unorganised sectordisplaying burgers on their shelves.

Simple and DelightfulThe global popularity of this simple anddelightful fast food is complemented byits over hundred-year-old legacy.However, all said and done, the history ofburger is not very old as compared tomany other famous food items of theworld. The name burger is derived fromhamburger, and is a short form of thelatter.

A burger can be simply andcommonly defined as a one or morecooked patties of minced goat meat,chicken, beef, pork, potato, etc.,sandwiched between two bread buns.The patties and bun package can bespruced with green vegetables, lettuce,tomato, onion, cheese, as part of the

contents. The burgers are usually servedwith condiments like sauce, mustard,ketchup and mayonnaise, which areeither added to the burger or presentedon the side of the dish.

German Influence, US MarketThough the term hamburger is derivedfrom the word Hamburg, a city inGermany, but modern burgers wereprobably not presented to the world bythe Germans, as is being commonlybelieved. The burger could possibly haveits origins in the US, though the Germaninfluence on burgers could not bediscounted. Here it deserves a mentionthat during the mid- nineteenth century,a plethora of immigrants from variousparts of northern Europe were beginningtheir voyages to the United States fromHamburg, with the objective of settlingin the ‘New World.’ They eventuallyintroduced their culinary legacies andcustoms to their host country, one or

By Swarnendu Biswas

Burger

Biting into the


some of which probably led to the creation of burgers.During that period, New York was the most common

destination for ships cruising from Hamburg, and variousrestaurants in the vibrant city began offering the Hamburg-style steak in order to attract German sailors and immigrantslanding there. During the late 19th century, Hamburg steak,which can be regarded as precursor to hamburger, wereserved in many restaurants located in the port of New York.The dish was a lightly salted and often smoked beef mincedby hand, which was usually served along with onions andbread crumbs. This dish was similar to minced beefpreparations found in Hamburg in those days and helpedto create nostalgia among the huge exodus of German andother European immigrants to the US. And nostalgia isoften channelised into healthy revenues.

It is believed by many food historians that the firsthamburger (which is also referred to as burger) was createdby a Danish immigrant named Louis Lassen of Louis’Lunch — a small lunch wagon in Connecticut — in 1900.Though bread and meat were consumed separately or as asandwich much before the invention of hamburgers, but itis believed that they were first presented between two slicesof bun only in the beginning of the twentieth century.However, there are other claims to the invention of burger.

Many claim that Charlie Nagreen used to sell pork meatbetween two slices of bread at the Seymour Fair (nowknown as Outagamie County Fair), Wisconsin, USA, wayback in 1885, which enabled his consumers to eat whilewalking along. The Seymour Community Historical Societyof Seymour, Wisconsin has credited Charlie Nagreen withthe invention of hamburger. He is also known as“Hamburger Charlie.” But according to the research ofWhite Castle, an US-based fast food hamburger restaurantchain, hamburger was first created in Hamburg, Germany,by a German cook named Otto Kuase, who came up withthis fast food option in 1891.

However, the most popular among these and many otherclaims towards the origins of hamburger or burger is that ofLouis Lassen’s of Louis’ Lunch, who incidentally is believedto have come up with this singular combination, which inthe later half of the next century was going to foster the fastfood revolution, to cater the need of a patron who was in atearing hurry (yes, in those days too time was scarce). Beingtoo busy to sit and dine, he asked for something to eat onthe move, and the ingenuous Lassen came up with the firsthamburger, whose filling was a broiled beef patty.

The Rise of White Castle

If to McDonald’s credit should go for popularisinghamburgers across the globe, to the White Castle goes thecredit of making hamburgers an integral part of the palateof the US people. White Castle was founded in 1921, byWalter Anderson and Billy Ingram, in Wichita, Kansas, US.Presently, the fast food hamburger chain is headquarteredin Columbus, US. Credited to be first fast food chain in theworld, the company is known for its small, squarehamburgers, which are also known as sliders. In theaftermath of World War-I, probably due to widespreadanti-German sentiments in the US at that time, burgers’popularity received a setback in the country. But the sliders

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from White Castle revived the popularityof burgers in the US.

The impeccable hygienic standardsfollowed at White Castle outlets alsomanaged to dispel US people’sapprehension at that time regardingeating ground beef, which was caused byUpton Sinclair’s novel named TheJungle(1906) that showcased the poorsanitation practices of the meat packingindustry. Moreover, White Castle’schain-wide standardised method of foodpreparation instilled confidence amongthe consumers that they would receivethe same quality of offerings from anyWhite Castle outlet.

Besides, as the concept of fast foodwas unknown at that time in the UnitedStates (and elsewhere too), there wasabsence of infrastructure to support thebusiness. The company therefore createdits own infrastructure, which includedcentralised bakeries, meat supply plants,and warehouses to meet its supplyrequirements.

However, the company’s refusal tofranchise or resort to loan has probablylowered its growth potential. Despitepioneering the concept of fast food andthe nationwide popularity of burgers, allof White Castle’s 420 outlets are locatedwithin the US, which doesn’t soundimpressive in front of other huge QSRchains, which begun much later but haveemerged as global forces in the QSRbusiness.

An Inspiring StoryWithout reference to McDonald’s nostory of burger can be complete. Thesuccess of this largest hamburger chain inthe world speaks volumes of theentrepreneurial genius of Ray Kroc, whofashioned its phenomenal growth. Thegenesis of the company can be traced to1940, nineteen years after White Castlecame into being. It begun as a barbecuerestaurant in San Bernardino, California,that was being run by Richard and hisbrother Maurice McDonald.

They produced a limited menu,focusing on just a few items—burgers,fries and beverages—which facilitated orrather enabled them to emphasise onquality at every step. Here it deserves amention that in 1948, the brothersreorganised their business as a hamburgerstand by introducing production lineprinciples. When Kroc, who was amilkshake machine salesman at the time,

visited the outlet for a business purpose,he was impressed by the bothers’ effectiveoperations, and pitched his vision ofcreating McDonald’s restaurants all overthe US to them. Kroc was the first torealise the huge business potential thatthe restaurant did embody. However,eventually the reality of McDonald’s wasto even surpass this initial vision of RayKroc…

The brothers and the visionaryjoined hands in 1955, when Krocbecame the franchise agent of theMcDonald brothers. In 1955, Krocfounded the McDonald’s Corporation.He opened the very first restaurant ofMcDonald’s Inc. in Des Plaines,Illinois, USA. The Des Plaines outletgarnered hundreds of dollars on itsopening day, and soon more eagerfranchisees were lining up. Krocfranchised scores of restaurants tofranchisees. By 1958, McDonald’s hadsold its 100 millionth hamburger…andthat was just the beginning of the story.

The brothers, however, didn’t feel the

pressing need to expand their business ona nationwide basis. Kroc eventuallypurchased the chain from the McDonaldbrothers in 1961. He soon madeMcDonald’s burger not only a nationalfavourite but a global success story inmarketing. The edifices of McDonald’ssuccess story, which created globalpopularity for burgers, were probably thestringent consistency of quality acrossoutlets located in different geographies,and successful franchise operations.

Ray Kroc believed in theentrepreneurial spirit, and rewarded hisfranchisees for individual creativity.Many of McDonald’s most famous menuitems—like the Big Mac, Filet-O-Fishand the Egg McMuffin— were createdby the franchisees. At the same time, theMcDonald’s operating system insisted

franchisees to follow the coreMcDonald’s principles of quality, service,cleanliness and value.

Catering to Indian TastesToday, McDonald’s has presence in 130countries across more than 32,000outlets, and the fast food chain serves58 million customers, on an average,each day. In India, where McDonald’sbegun its journey in 1996, the burgerchain has a network of over 300restaurants. India is the first country inthe world where McDonald’s does notoffer any beef and pork items.McDonald’s have also made earnest andsuccessful endeavours in catering to theIndian tastes.

More than 70 percent of McDonald’smenu in India has been locally developedwith complete segregation of vegetarianand non-vegetarian products right fromthe food processing plants to the point ofserving the customers. McDonald’scommitment to its Indian customers isevident even in development of specialsauces that use local spices and chillies.

Today, burger, a fast food productwhich originated from the other part ofthe planet, has became favourite ofmiddle class urban Indians. Besides theabove-mentioned socio-economic factors,which were mentioned in the firstparagraph of the story, the growingIndianisation of burgers has alsocontributed to their popularity amongIndians, many of whom favour globaltastes with local flavours. McVeggieburger, McSpicy Paneer, McAloo Tikki,Masala Grill Veg burger fromMcDonald’s, and KFC’s Veg Zingerburger, and its recently launched PotatoKrisper — a crispy potato patty, toppedwith tangy sauce and served up in a soft,warm bun — are only some of theplethora of burgers catering to thenuanced Indian tastes.

However, the burger offerings of theQSRs should be more sensitive to theregional flavours of India, and thesechains need to come up with morepocket-friendly burger options thanbefore, if they want the taste and flavourof their burgers to permeate deeper intothe realm of tier-II cities and even thehuge untapped rural India. Probably theQSRs selling their burgers in India thesedays need another genius like Ray Krocto make burger’s popularity a pan-Indianreality in true sense. �


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By Swarnendu Biswas

Syrupy SuccessSyrupy Successstand-alone restaurants, a part of therestaurant chain, or restaurants in hotels,and coffee cafes comprise Monin’s majorclientele in India. The family-ownedcompany caters to the professionals in thebeverage industry, which include high-range cocktail makers and barmen amongothers.

Here it deserves a mention that Monin,with its presence in 144 countries, is aglobally renowned producer of premiumflavourings for beverage and culinaryapplications. Monin, which has wonseveral esteemed awards during its fluidjourney through global success, alsohappens to be an important player in theevolving syrup market of India. Thecompany entered the Indian market in2003, where it has been floating 120flavours.

“Green apple, water melon, peach,mojito mint and passion fruit are some ofour popular flavours in India, which areused to enhance the feel of cocktails andmocktails,” observed Martin. Strobos, theBeverage Innovation Manager at theMonin’s newly built studio at Gurgaon.For coffee bars, the caramel, hazelnut andcinnamon flavours from Monin can createheavenly drinks out of latte, cappuccino,and mocha.

Monin’s range of flavours can not onlyplay a facilitative role in cocktails andcoffees, but also in teas. In fact, theMonin’s flavoured tea concentrates are a

According to ASSOCHAM, thealcohol consumption in India willgo beyond 19,000 million litres by

2015. The fact that in 2011 the alcoholconsumption in India was only 6,700million litres, speaks volumes about thegrowing popularity of alcoholic beveragesin the Indian food & beverage industry.According to the estimates ofEuromonitor International, during 2012-17, the spirits volumes in India wouldgrow at a 7 percent compounded annualgrowth rate.

The rise in disposable incomes andgreater openness in the society due tomaturation of globalisation could beattributed to this trend. India happens tobe the third largest global spirits market in

the world by volume, with only Chinaand Russia ahead of us in this regard.

Along with the growing popularity ofalcoholic beverages, the popularity ofcoffee café chains are also on the rise inurban India and its reasons for growth arealso somewhat similar to the reasons forgrowth in consumption of alcoholicbeverages in general, in the country.

Both these trends are inducing variedcreative concoctions of syrups to gaincurrency in the Indian beverage industry,for these syrups are playing crucial roles inbars and coffee bars by making assortedalcoholic beverages and coffee concoctionsmore appealing to the tastes of theirconsumers. One can say that syrups canplay a hugely facilitative role in the bar

and coffee café business of thecountry, in the near future.

For Bars and Cafes

In fact, the varied usage thatsyrups can be put through toaccentuate the beverage appealof bars and cafes can make oneawestruck. “Our syrups playtheir role in alcoholic beverages,which also include beers, incoffees, in whipped cream, andalso in ice creams as topping,”informed Olivier Monin, thePresident of Monin. He toldthat bars in restaurants,irrespective of whether they be


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Olivier Monin

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refreshing blend of all-natural fruit juices,plant extracts, and gourmet teas. ThoughMonin’s flavours are uniform across theglobe, for the Indian market, Monin hastailored a unique concoction named Chai.The ‘Chai’ from Monin is a spicy tea-based concentrate that combines ginger,cinnamon and clove touches for versatileusage. “Besides continually adding valueto the drinks, we also develop completelynew beverage menu on request, for barsand coffee cafés,” informed Strobos.

In the recent past, Monin has come upwith trendy frappe powders in fiveflavours — chocolate, coffee, non-dairy,yoghurt and vanilla. All these frappepowders, which are Monin’s internationallaunch, are now available in the Indianmarket.

Monin and the Market

Presently, after wisely gauging the growingpopularity of its syrups in an evolvingIndian market, the French company withmore than a hundred-year-old legacy(thecompany was set up by a 19-year-olddynamic entrepreneur named GeorgesMonin, in 1912), has envisaged todeepen its distribution network in India.“At present we have presence in 45 cities

of India but our major focus is inMumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai,Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. Butconsidering the growing demand for oursyrups in the country, we also want todeepen our distribution network acrossvarious tier-II cities of India,” explainedOlivier Monin.

According to him, the post-modernand globalised India of twenty-firstcentury has a huge potential for syrupsacross its restaurants, bars and coffee cafes.

Monin has recently come up with aproduction plant in Malaysia, which isexpected to facilitate the company to tapits South Asian markets, which include theIndian market too, more vigorously.

Studio for Awareness

Of course, despite their increasingpopularity in the country, the market forsyrups in India is at a nascent stage.Therefore exploring the full potential ofsyrup concoctions in alcoholic beveragesand coffees need sustained awarenessbuilding exercises in the Indian food &beverage industry by the syrupmanufacturers in India.

The newly developed studio of Moninat Gurgaon serves this purpose, besides ofcourse conducting R&D activitiespertaining to the development of newrecipes and menus of Monin. “We areplanning to have more such studios inIndia, in the near future, in order toenhance the spread of awareness of ourproducts across the industry, throughdissemination of useful information,”proffered Olivier Monin candidly. Moninhas also conducted road shows in India togenerate market awareness for the usage ofits products. �


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By Swarnendu Biswas

Get Heady with

Nysha

Varun Khera

At a first glance, the Nysha Bar &Grill, located at the poshmarketplace of Sector 18 in

Noida, came across as a combination ofstyle and substance. Further observationconfirmed or rather reinforced the firstimpression.

The 80-cover pub-cum-restaurant,which includes a 30 cover privatedining area within its ambit, exudes acasual yet formal ambience that is likelyto encourage both the fun lovingyoungsters as well as the graying on thetemples corporate honchos visiting orworking at Noida to have a heady timeat the place, after the sun sets on thehectic day. Of course, that doesn’t meanthey need to visit the bar at Nysha Bar

& Grill only after the dusk descends onDelhi NCR, for the place is open from12 am to 12 pm, daily.

The People’s PlaceAt the same time, thefamily crowd or a couplethinking of having aromantic rendezvous maynot mind enjoying theoutlet’s diverse anddelicious multi-cuisineoptions after a tiringshopping spree at Sector18, with or without theaccompaniment of assortedalcoholic beverages. In fact,the private dining area of

the restaurant is targeted at couples,families and friends.

The décor of the place, which isspread across an area of 2500 sq. ft.in

the basement, reflects anamalgamation of Indian andTurkish influences, with asprinkling of Mediterraneantouch in the alcoves.According to Varun Khera,the Managing Director ofNysha Bar & Grill and oneof the four business partnersof Bean Tree Coffee Pvt. Ltd.the décor of the place isgoing to be renovated soon,and the renovated restaurantwill reflect an erstwhile royal


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aura of medieval India, through itsambience and décor. Khera has madequite an eventful journey from his daysas a cabin crew with Jet Airways, but hisunassuming behaviour didn’t betray anyheadiness of success.

Going BackNysha Bar & Grill is one of the threeofferings of Bean Tree Coffee Pvt. Ltd., acompany which was set up in 2005 byfour enterprising men wanting toexplore new horizons in the Indian foodservice industry. The other threefounders and business partners of BeanTree Coffee Pvt. Ltd are ManasWadhwa, Sachin Maharia, and CharuRalli. The other two expressions of thecompany in the restaurant business areDesi Vibes, and Kaffiiaa. Desi Vibes is amulti-award winning Indian restaurantwhere you can get delicious north

Indian and Mughlai food, and Kaffiia isan Italian café and lounge.

“Nysha Bar & Grill was launched inOctober 2011 to cater to the need of anelegant and well-stocked pub whichcould also provide a global gastronomictrip to the guests with spirits to match;here in the heart of Noida,” explainedKhera. The beverage choices at the pub-

cum-restaurant can not only impress anoccasional drinker of alcoholic beveragesbut also a connoisseur.

Raising the BarThe bar truly raises the bar in terms ofits varied offerings. In the realm ofwhiskies, the exotic scotches in RedLabel, Black Label, Gold Label and BlueLabel are complemented with renowneddomestic brands like Black Dog, 100Pipers and Blenders Pride. The singlemalt section has globally renownednames like Glenfiddich, Laphroaig andTalisker adorn the beverage menu. FromBeefeater to Baccardi, the gin and rimsection is also decent enough.

If you like to grin and beer it, thenchances are you would get floored withfrothy choices ranging from Kingfisher,Tuborg, Carlsberg, Budweiser, Coronaand Stella. I could discern that thevodka selections at the exhaustive baralso included the names of importantbrands like Smirnoff, Absolut and GreyGoose. adorning the shelves.

“Our list of beverages alsoencompasses a range of liqueurs, cognac,


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Charu Ralli

Sachin Maharia

Manas Wadhwa

tequila, shooters, bubbles, classiccocktails and innovative martinis, andwines, including champagnes. For thosewho are not interested in alcoholicbeverages, we have a wide gamut ofmocktails to feel in high spirits withoutspirits. We think this exhaustive list ofbeverages can cater to the increasinglydiversified drinking preferences ofmodern urban India, whose microcosmcan be found in Noida,” explainedManas Wadhwa. “Besides the regularcocktails, we also have champagne-basedcocktails on offer, which are liked by ourdiscerning crowd,” added Khera.

Sachin Maharia also joined theconversation. He informed us thatbesides the “evergreen cocktails like Mai-Tai, Bloody Mary, Margarita,Manhattan, etc. Nysha Bar &Grill has some innovativemartinis on offer likePomegranate Martini, Passion& Cranberry Martini,Serpent (a concoction ofvodka, sandal wood, applejuice, lime juice, brown sugarand lemon grass) on offer.”

The Gastronomic JourneyMe and my colleagueDebnath began with 100Pipers, which was accompanied withcrispy risotto with exotic vegetables, andTriple Chicken Sampler Platter. Yes, likethe readers to me also the name of thesecond dish seemed a bit out of theordinary, and I enquired Khera aboutthe contents of the dish. “In the TripleChicken Sampler Platter, we have threestyles of chicken preparations on a singleplatter. It includes chicken satay whichis a Mexican preparation, chickenpentagon which is a Chinesepreparation, and chicken Lebanese,which as the name suggests, is aLebanese preparation,” elaborated thedynamic entrepreneur.

The food anddrink thatfollowed gelledwell with thesoulful Bollywoodnumbers beltedout by the in-house DJ. Themusicalenvironment atthe outlet keepschanging with the

days of the week.The culinary offerings at

Nysha Bar & Grill canwonderfully complementits heady offerings. “Theexhaustive array of headybeverages at Nysha Bar &Grill are complementedwith a gamut of cuisines onthe menu, which includetastes and flavours fromMexican, Italian,Mediterranean, Lebanese,Turkish, Chinese andMughlai cuisines,” assertedKhera.

Whether one would prefer to beginone’s gastronomic journey with acharipaneer tikka or a Lebanese platter, or forthat matter with a non-vegetarian kebab

platter, she/he would not bedisappointed here. Similarlymutton barra kebab, murghmalai tikka and ajwaini fishtikka are not out of placewith herbed chicken lasagneor a crispy whole pomfret inginger chilli sauce at themenu world of Nysha Bar &Grill We found the MuttonRoganjosh and Dal Makhaniextremely sumptuous to our

tastes.Khera stated that the exhaustive

menu also has a section on sumptuousSouth Indian delights which includeitems like Chicken Chettinad andMalabari Parantha among others. “Ourvariety of snacking and fine diningoptions at affordable rates induces manyguests staying at Radisson Blu MBDHotel Noida to dine here,” observedKhera.

In order to meet the needs of adiversified palate, there are three trainedChefs who are exclusively engaged with

Nysha Bar & Grill. One ofthem is trained in an array ofglobal cuisines, another hasspecialty in Indian curries,while the third is a Tandoorexpert.

Intelligent PromotionsThe resto-bar did came upwith some interestingpromotions in the recent past.One of the recent promotionsat Nysha Bar & Grill was theoffer of three pegs of 100Pipers whisky of 12 years old,

for the price of one. This offer was validduring August-October of this year. Thepub-cum-restaurant also offered fourbottles of Kingfisher beer at Rs.549during the summer months of this year,which no doubt, was very wellappreciated by the leisure as well ascorporate crowd visiting the outlet.

“As far as other promotions go, wehave introduced special packages forcorporates, have started ladies night onWednesdays with free cocktails, and alsodid invite upcoming and talented sufisingers to perform at the pub-cum-restaurant,” pointed out Charu Ralli,who heads the operations and brings hisexpertise of event management to thecompany. He added that the outlet hasbeen attracting a crowd of 150 peopleon an average on a daily basis, with thefootfalls going up to 200 people on anaverage, on a given weekend.

Ralli also confidently asserted thatNysha Bar & Grill, which involved anapproximate initial investment ofRs.3000-3500 per sq.ft,. is expected tobreak even by 2014. As far as the brandextension goes, “We are also envisagingnew Nysha Bar & Grill outlets in Delhi,from 2014 end onwards,” profferedKhera. ■


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Creole rice to Teriyaki Lamb, shamikebab to mezee platter, sushi tobiryani, pan fried duck breast in

African style to Napoletana allePronto (fresh pomodoro basilica saucewith broccoli, pine nuts and olives) – thenew generation restaurants are presentinga menu encompassing diverse culinarygenres.

Not very long ago, risottos and paellas,au gratin and steaks were dishes meant tobe savoured at five-star hotels’ coffee shopsand restaurants, in India. There were hardlyany other options to enjoy them. But intoday’s India, you can have them at variousmulti cuisine restaurants too, which are notwithin the ambit of five-star properties.

This is an exciting time for the F&Bindustry, which includes the F&Bindustry of India too. However, the

increasing popularity of various globalcuisines in India reflects diners’sophisticated palates, their quest forgastronomic adventure and their desire toexplore unheard and unconventionalcuisines from the world.

For example, there is a growingdemand for cuisines like Peruvian cuisine(yes, it is from Peru, located in other partof the world), for its unique take onfamiliar ingredients such as corn, potatoesand chilies. Moroccan cuisine, Koreancuisine, and the exploration of Japanesecuisine beyond the familiar option of sushiare also getting vogue in India.

One of the global cuisines which isgetting very much popular in urban Indiais the Italian cuisine. Now there are a largenumber of discerning Indian restaurantvisitors who have knowledge and taste of

the rich treasure-trove of Italian dishes,that go much beyond your regular pizzaand pasta.

But the exciting trend is that alongwith the individual popularity of variouscuisines from the world which have beengetting witnessed in the post-modernIndia’s culinary map since a decade,intermingling of various cuisines fromacross the globe is also taking place inmany restaurants of metropolitan India, inthese recent times.

The matured palate of increasingnumbers of Indians is embracingamalgamation of divergent flavours,which is encouraging many innovativeChefs’ new-age culinary creations.

An interesting trend in the Indianrestaurant business these days is theinnovative way of synthesising theculinary culture and flavours fromdifferent geographies. It is no longergreatly surprising to have an Italian pizzaspruced with South-east Asian flavours, ora galouti kebab filled with foie gras. Chefsare giving global fusion food a newmeaning altogether.

Well, multi-cuisine is emerging as thepragmatic choice for many restaurantsdotting across Indian metropolitan cities.Leave no chance, let the guests be happyon a worldwide gastronomic adventureseems to be an emerging current ofbusiness logic in the high-end restaurantbusiness, in metropolitan India. For theguests, whether you hanker for acontinental or home-style fare, it is time tostep out and eat out. It is because there isa world of tastes waiting for the guests toexplore…

By Sharmila Chand

Globalisation of

Tastes

43Jan-Feb ’13


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

This above-mentioned proclivitytowards having a variety of global cuisineson the platter may be more evident in thehigh-end restaurant business acrossmetropolitan cities of India, but it ispercolating across tier-I and tier-II cities ofIndia too. Here I present some restaurants/restaurant chains, which have successfullycome up with creative multi-cuisinecombinations to satiate the continuallyevolving palate of their guests.

Global Flavours at ProntoFor example, Pronto, the café chain inMumbai famously known for its pastasand pizzas, has now added a wide range ofnew mouth-watering dishes including thedelectable Cayenne Chicken Salad (ahealthy mix of grilled cayenne chicken,romaine lettuce, sautéed onions, cherry

tomatoes and corn tortilla strips served in atangy chipotle dressing) & the TunaSalad made with tuna flakes, apples,mixed greens, jalapeno, basil, carrots andcucumbers, and served with a mustardand dill dressing.

The pastas include a wide variety ofvegetarian as well as non-vegetarian fare.There are some new favourites on offertoo which include Napoletana allePronto (fresh pomodoro basilica sauce withbroccoli, pine nuts and olives), Panna EFunghi (a creamy concoction ofmushrooms, fresh basil and parmesancheese), and Calabrese (pepperoni, hotsalami, paprika, olives, spring onions andfresh tomatoes).

Adding on to the Pronto’s list of pizzasis the must try Best Ever Supreme pizza, acomplete and wholesome treat for everymeat lover. This mouth-watering pizzaconsists of grilled chicken, roast beef, porksalami, caramelised onions and grilledpeppers.

“Most of our guests are loyal repeatcustomers and are like family to us. Toprovide them with the level of service

and comfort they have come to expectfrom us, and rightfully so, we constantlyinnovate and add to the menu so thatthere is always something new for themto try. Our new menu takes inspirationfrom different parts of the world andgives our guests a chance to try fromsouth-west American to mainlandEuropean to oriental dishes,” explainedAditya Parikh, Director, Pronto.

Set’z Celebrate Culinary VarietySet’z in Delhi is the perfect example ofmulti-cuisine gastronomic fare.European, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese,Thai and Indian flavours have foundtheir one-stop destination at Set’z. With20 expatriate Chefs working on theirspecialties, being on this restaurantsimulates the experience of being on a

stage with the skilled Chefs performingfood theatre.

Set’z’s exceptional open kitchensincorporate seven main cooking sections,each complete in all respects, be it thewood-fired Peking duck oven or thegigantic stone cladded pizza oven or thechar griller for kebabs.

With the emphasis on the very best,freshest ingredients, Set’z’s menu featuresuncomplicated, seasonal dishes,highlighted with classic favourites fromeach kitchen. At the restaurant, dinerscan fascinatingly watch as meats, seafoodand vegetables are being prepared andcooked to perfection before being served.

American Legacy, InternationalAppeal The recently opened The CaliforniaBoulevard at Rajouri Garden, NewDelhi, brings together the deepunderstanding of food from across theseas, and rinses this knowledge andunderstanding of tastes with thewonderful wines.

The restaurant named after the iconic

American landmark, presents a picture offlamboyance through Hollywood, music,fashion, design and brilliant service.There is a lot more that goes beyond thename; its multi-cuisine menu along witha curated collection of fine wines exaltsthe sense of taste, while the poshambience and décor, manifested throughposters of leading ladies from Hollywood,designer furniture and serving ware,western music and aroma of luxuriousperfumes together creates a magicaldesigner ambience, making a wonderfulimpression on the other four senses. Aclassy Harley Davidson parked near theentrance of the restaurant accentuates theambience.

The brainchild of restaurateur RajanSethi, the restaurant even has a woodenpizza oven — a testimony to the

attention paid to details when it comes toan authentic multi-cuisine experience.One can say that The CaliforniaBoulevard promises to transport itspatrons to a world that smells likeAmerica, speaks like America, feels likethe ‘American Dream’ but tastesinternational.

From doing survey of these and manymore high-end multi-cuisine restaurantsin the recent times, and gauging theirincreasing popularity notwithstandingthe current lean phase in the Indianhospitality industry, I think that it is thetime to welcome ourselves to an era ofglobal cuisines, an era where Chefs areproducing a plethora of dishes catering toexperimental tastes; bringing together thevery best of east and west. Theglobalisation of tastes and flavours is anemerging trend in the Indian food &beverage industry.

And the perfect complements to avariety of global cuisine offerings on asingle platter are an excellent array of finewines, good coffees, and a wide selectionof popular Continental desserts. ■


A bold new epicurean adventure isthe best way to define the newlyopened Uzuri Deck and Dining

restaurant in the capital. Here theEuropean cuisine is being offered withthe scrumptious taste from the dark andbeautiful Africa.

Uzuri is a Swahili word for ‘the stateor characteristic of being good.’ Themenu has been conceptualised to

present a memorable gourmet experienceto the guests by beautifully minglingthe modern European cuisine with therustic flavours of Africa. The beveragelist includes extensive wine selection andsignature cocktails.

The restaurant, located at M block ofGreater Kailash-II, New Delhi, is spreadover two levels. At Level 1 you can getan intimate dinning space along with

chic décor. It has a seating capacity for40 guests at a time. The Bar and Deckon Level 2 of the restaurant has anequally complementing décor with well-appointed indoor and outdoor space,offering a perfect place to enjoy andrevel drinks with friends and family.

The Interiors

The décor of the restaurant reflectsexotic Africa. Warm, exotic woodsand earthy materials such as stone andterracotta have been used, intricatelycarved with African motifs. The moodybar, overlooking the deck, with loungeseating and palm trees completes thehedonistic experience.

The idea was to present the interiorsthat complemented the cuisine. Tribalpatterned fabrics were designedexclusively for the restaurant. Everyelement of décor of the restaurant isbespoke, from chairs to tables and someof the artworks; all handmade at thestudio.

Preeti Knowles of Hidden Gallery

TastesBy Sharmila Chand

R E S T A U R A N T

from Two Continents


R E S T A U R A N T

fame has done the interiors. She has astring of quality restaurant interiors toher name and is famed for her greataesthetic designs as well as great quality.

The Creative Chefs

Two young and extremely talented Chefslead the kitchen at Uzuri Deck andDining. Guy Clark has joined the teamfrom South Africa and is a celebrated namein the culinary world of the same country.

Rishim Sachdeva of Indian origin is atrained Chef. Being a globetrotter at ayoung age, he has gained tremendoustechnical skills and work experience inEurope with some renowned andcelebrated Michelin Star Chefs andrestaurants like The Fat Duck by ChefHeston Blumenthal and Chef MatthiasTaubert.

The Menu

The Chefs intend taking their guests on

a gastronomic journey across continents,spanning from Europe to Africa or fromAfrica to Europe for that matter.Collectively, the creative Chefs haveconceptualised a menu that beautifullymingles the flavours of the twocontinents and have presented it to theglobal Indians.

The beverage list boasts of anextensive wine selection to complementthe food, combined with selective spiritsand signature cocktails which are nativeto African palates.

The Promoters

The promoters of Uzuri Deck andDining, Aanshul Rastogii and GauravParwani have on board a team oftalented and experienced people in thetrade, who have joined hands on thisproject. Aanshul Rastogii is a hospitalityprofessional specialising in operationaland commercial finance, having headedfinance division at premiuminternational hotels in London. GauravParwani is a hospitality professional fromLondon with hands on experience infood & beverage operations in premiuminternational hotels.

“We aimed to introduce a restaurantconcept that hasn’t existed inDelhi. Our target guest profile is a well-travelled Indian/expat within the agegroup of 30-60. We decided ona European cuisine infused with theculinary touch of Africa, whichentailed hiring the right Chefs. Wehave on board Chef Rishim Sachdeva,who is bringing on the table technicalskills and knowledge of European

Project Consultancy by

Skill Smith Hospitality

Consulting

Bikram Singh is a seasoned

hospitality professional with a

passion for restaurants and hotels.

He has fourteen years of hands-on

experience in setting up and

operations of food and beverage

establishments.

At present, he heads a boutique

consulting firm named Skill Smith

Hospitality Consulting that offers

solutions to hotels & restaurants in

concept development, technical

planning and operations. Singh has

provided crucial support to the

overall concept development, as well

as to the technical and operational

planning of Uzuri Deck and Dining.

Signature Dishes

• Crispy Cocoon Prawns, Mango

& Mint Salsa, Summer Vodka

Dressing with a side of Parma Ham &

Melon.

• Trio of Beetroot & Goat’s

Cheese with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

and Warm Bread.

• Pan Fried Duck Breast, Crispy

Confit Leg, Citrus Mash, African

Style Beetroot & Wilted Spinach

with Port & Madeira Jus.

• Home Smoked Confit Salmon

Fillet with Pickled Koirabi, Sesame

Seeds and Horseradish Vinaigrette.

• Kenyan Coffee and Paprika

Tenderloin with a Smoked Truffle

Compound Butter, Fondant Potato

with Chargrilled Vegetables.

flavours which he had acquired inEurope, and Chef Guy Clark, apassionate cook with knowledge ofAfrican spices,” Rastogii explained,while talking about the restaurant’starget profile and its unique culinarycharacter.

“With the young generationtravelling worldwide and having beenexposed to the international cuisines,they are now welcoming and open toexperimenting new food trends withdemanding standards,” pointed outParwani, while explaining the businesslogic behind this amalgamation offlavours in their restaurant. �

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C H E F V O I C E

and to achieve your goals.

What would you like to say onyour work?

I believe that I am fortunate to be aChef. My profession involves so much oflearning from various perspectives. I get tomeet so many types of guests and the peopleI work with come from different walks oflife. I like to focus on the basics and thenbuild upon.

What is your philosophy of work?It is never say die.

Who is/are your source ofinspiration?

There have been so many Chefs who haveinfluenced me and have inspired me. Thereare GMs who have been very good leaders,and there have been hoteliers, who have helpedme to grow and learn. They are toweringpersonalities in the hospitality industry. In thisregard, I would like to mention about our ownCMD, Dr. Jyotsna Suri, whose energy andleadership are exemplary.

What is your definit ion ofsuccess as a Chef, and how do you

Born and brought up in a small town in Jharkhand, Chandra Shekhar

Pandey, Executive Chef, The LaLiT Golf & Spa Resort Goa, always

has had a love for good food.

At the same time, he was endowed with a good memory of how a

particular dish tasted and also was armed with the ability or rather

the quality to discern and differentiate various flavours and tastes.

These attributes are of course, still with him, only further honed by

experience.

Pandey begun his culinary journey from IHM Mumbai and later he

went on to train under the Kitchen Management Training Program at

the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development. “The program,

which laid an equal emphasis on culinary knowledge and skills, gave

me an opportunity to work under the best Chefs of India at that time,”

recollected Pandey.

He developed his skills in Indian cuisine from working in restaurants

like Kandahar at The Oberoi, Mumbai and at Soma at Grand Hyatt,

Mumbai. “I picked up my knowledge about western cuisine from

Frangipani at Trident, Nariman Point, Mumbai, and from working at

Grand Café and Celini, at Hyatt. My exposure in oriental cuisine is

due to my tenure in quality restaurants like Baan Thai, China House,

and India Jones,” expressed Pandey, quite candidly.

All these exposures in varied forms of culinary arts have helped

Pandey in gaining a broad perspective in various cuisines and in the

application of various culinary techniques. The excerpts of the

interview follow:

How do you define yourself?I am a student of life. I believe in attaining

perfection with continual improvements. Iam spiritual yet rational. I try to be humbleand to learn from everyone. I have an appetitefor knowledge. I believe that unless and untilone does not become a good human being,she/he cannot become a good Chef.

What is the meaning of life foryou?

For me, life is an exciting journey on aroller coaster with its own ups anddowns. Every day is an opportunity to learn

Being Passionate

About PerfectionBy Sharmila Chand



define success at a personal level?Success for me is the satisfaction of my guests, satisfying their

varied demands and expectations, and achieving our businessgoals and success with my team. On personal level, my definitionof success is happiness and peace with my family.

What are the things you are passionate about?They are food, music, cricket, books and my family, not

necessarily in that order.

How do you rate yourself as a Chef?I think I would give myself 8/ 10.

As a professional what are the things you arevery particular about?

I am extremely particular about training and cleanliness. Iam also obsessed with perfection.

What is your favourite cuisine?My favourite cuisine is the Bengali cuisine.

And what is your favourite spice? It is turmeric.

And what would you rate as your favourited i s h ?

Chicken biryani is my favourite dish.

Whom would you consider as your favouritediner/s?

I love to feed the kids the most.

What do you consider as your hot selling item?It is Flambe Gulab Jamun with Rose Petal Ice cream.

What is your favourite equipment and favouritegadget?

Hot plate is my favourite equipment, and my favouritegadget is kitchen thermometer.

How would we see you ten years from now?You are likely to see me as an entrepreneur or a General

Manager.

What are your future plans?I am looking forward to write a book on my culinary

knowledge and experience.

What is the position of Chefs in India, thesedays?

In the recent years, Chefs have gained a lot of recognition inIndia, thanks to the media and changing lifestyles. Todaybecoming a Chef has become a career of choice for many youngaspirants. Nowadays, being a Chef in India provides so manyavenues to showcase your talent and art.

What are the problems and challenges faced by

Chefs, in India?Logistics and supply remain a challenge for a resort like us.

The rising cost of food commodities is also a big concern.


P R O F I L E

Flavours

of ChinaBy Sharmila Chand

Aashita Relan, the Owner and Managing Director of ANI Hospitality,

is one of the youngest restaurateurs in Delhi. She is the daughter of

Ajay and Mala Relan, the owners of the Relan Group of Industries.

She did her graduation from The University of Warwick in England,

in business management. After that she did her post-graduation in hotel

management from Les Roches, Switzerland, where she graduated with

a first class degree.

At the age of 24, she successfully ventured into the hospitality

arena with her first restaurant — Royal China — which is an authentic

Chinese cuisine restaurant in Nehru Place, New Delhi.

”Our motto is to serve authentic Chinese food while keeping in mind

the constantly evolving and emerging trends and tastes from around the

world. With Royal China, we have tried to create a destination

restaurant where we take great pride in ensuring that all the ingredients

that we use are extremely fresh and authentic; they are imported from

China,” stated Aashita.

The restaurant has also got a number of awards in the recent past.

While commenting on the galore of awards won by Royal China in the

recent times, Aashita pointed out that “2013 has been a very lucky

year for us. We have won over 10 awards this year. “

The restaurant has also expanded into outdoor catering, which has

become very popular. Royal China’s Chefs visit outdoor sites/homes and

cook everything from start to finish. The food provided through the

outdoor catering tastes exactly as it does at the restaurant. Moreover,

Aashita makes sure that she is present there at every outdoor party

which Royal China takes up, in order to ensure that everything runs

smoothly!

Royal China has also recently started home delivery. Aashita aims

to cover the whole of Delhi through her home delivery business. So far,

the restaurant is delivering all over south and central Delhi. The

excerpts of the interview follow:

Presenting the Authentic Q First and foremost, pleasespell out some key challenges of

opening a new restaurant? Opening a restaurant is really a tough challenge

to achieve fruition. You have to consider severalfactors and sub-factors while opening a restaurant,starting from the location, which of course is anextremely crucial factor. A potential restaurateurneeds to analyse what area has a market for the typeof cuisine that she/he wants to serve. Is it safe, isthere parking, etc. are other factors to be taken intoaccount while choosing the location of the restaurant.What dishes to include in the menu, staff training,what type of atmosphere to create in the restaurant,etc. are some of the other important challenges to beweighed upon or factors to be considered beforeopening a restaurant.

Q What would you like to sayon the current restaurant business

scenario in Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore?

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Flavours

of China


P R O F I L E

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I think Mumbai has the best marketfor restaurant business right now, in thecountry, though Delhi is not far behind.Bangalore has a growing market forrestaurant business too. Soon it is expectedto catch up with Delhi and Mumbai.

Q Please comment on howthe food trend has changed

over a period of time, in thecountry

Food trend in the country has changeda lot from what it was a decade ago. Dinersare now exploring new international andregional cuisines in a bigger way.

Q What has helped you themost in the image building

of your brand? I believe the quality of food is what

has helped us build our brand. People haveenjoyed the food and we have tried to beconsistent in our food, prices and service.

I don’t believe in changing the menuevery six months. The dishes we had onthe first day are still the dishes that onewill find in our menu.

Q What do you enjoy themost about being in this

business? I love the fact that we can contribute

towards making our diners’ evening morespecial. I feel happy when someone smilesafter a good meal at Royal China.

Q What kind of pressureshave you encountered at

work?We have to face a lot of pressure. The

hours are long and run into late night.Moreover, we need to follow the policythat the customer is always right.

Q What kind of specificchallenges did you face, at

the initial stage? I mean thechallenges which are germane tothis restaurant and notnecessarily to the Indianrestaurant business in general

To start an authentic fine diningrestaurant has not been easy. It took us alot of time to educate people to try ourauthentic menu.

Q How important is it to havegood interiors in the

restaurant?Good interiors and ambience are very

important in a restaurant. When peoplego out to eat they desire to have anatmosphere that peps up their mood. Thatis why we have created a very cosy, pleasantand warm ambience.

Q What are the top threetraits or skills you look for

in your Head — Food & BeverageManager?

She/he needs to be a people’s person.Moreover, the person shouldn’t think thatshe/he is always right. And of course, theperson should have knowledge about thecuisine/s on which the restaurant isfocusing upon.

Q Is it getting difficult to hiregood trained manpower

these days?Yes, with the plethora of restaurants

opening these days, there is a huge shortageof trained staff in the industry.

Q Anything else you wouldlike to say?

I would like to say that we invested alot of time and tailored strategies to getpeople to develop a liking for our authenticChinese cuisine offerings.


H Y G I E N E

Smart Cleaning of

Vegetables By J S Dhingra

Vegetables have the potential topresent bountiful nutrition tohumankind. Vegetables are

necessary for our day-to-day needs ofenergy and are among the basic fooditems for most of us.

With the increase in globalpopulation the need for vegetableskeeps getting higher day after day,which induces steps to increase theirproduce. The use of pesticides,fungicides, growth hormones, etc. isbeing frequently adopted to preventinsect attack on vegetables, therebyfacilitating to increase their yield. Butunfortunately these pesticides andfungicides are used incessantly, oftenwithout discretion, which can causesevere side effects on humans, animalsand the environment at large. Theirindiscriminate usage in agriculture cancause deadly diseases such as cancer,hypertension, skin ailments, and manyother fatal diseases.

However, it is a knee-jerk reaction toadvocate complete banning of pesticidesfrom agriculture since they are necessaryfor increasing the productivity ofagriculture, which is in turn extremelynecessary to meet the ever increasingdemand for vegetables. But their usageneeds discretion and restraint.

The Challenge for Food ServiceInstead it is necessary to get to the cruxof the problem. In our country, the useof pesticides is regulated by the

government authorities and theirdosages are also educated to the farmer.But unfortunately the farmers/growersare less sensitive towards the long-termeffect of excess use of pesticides and inorder to reap maximum possible profitsfrom their crop they ignore the adversehealth effects on the consumers ofvegetables grown by them.

Many of these vegetables with excesspesticide influence also reach therestaurants and other avenues of thefood service industry. They are oftenladen with myriad surface contaminants,which not only include pesticides, butalso handling residues, and othercontaminations piled on the vegetablesduring their journey from farm to thefood service business via mandi.

They together pose a huge hygienechallenge for the food service business.In fact, for any industry engaged in foodservice business, be it a stand-aloneeatery, a restaurant/restaurant chain, ahotel, a catering business, a foodprocessing unit, etc. the knowledgeabout cleaning their vegetables ofpossible contaminants is necessary.

Now the food service business needsto tackle this issue comprehensively, inorder to facilitate presenting healthyfood to its consumers. The guests/consumers not only expect but alsodeserves good quality food, and goodquality not only entail taste andinnovativeness, but also the crucialfactor of health. The restaurants/eating

outlets and other players in the foodservice business should use a qualitywashing agent to eliminate or at leastmarkedly reduce the surfacecontaminants from vegetables andfruits. Reducing contaminant load willreduce chances of ill-health to theconsumers of those vegetables andfruits.

Now what is a quality washing agent?There are a few chemical options likepotassium permanganate, oxidisingchemicals such as chlorine, hypochlorite,chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid,hydrogen peroxide and ozone whichhave been routinely used to reducemicrobial contamination on fruits andvegetables. The oxidising chemicals bydefinition oxidise organic molecules onfruits and vegetables as well as oncontaminating microorganisms. Thusoxidising process kills microorganismsbut it may create by-products whichmay be unsafe.

Chlorine and OzonizersLet us examine the comparativeadvantages and disadvantages ofchlorine and ozone on treating ofvegetables.

(i) Chlorine Compounds – Chlorineis effective on some bacteria. It isexcellent and cheap for sterilising waterbut for sanitising vegetables chlorine isonly partially effective and has issueslike leaving after-taste in leafyvegetables. Moreover, it is volatile and


H Y G I E N E

needs continuous monitoring while inuse. Also chlorine is ineffective inremoving pesticide residues and someother contaminants. In fact it leaves itsown odour and by-products. Chlorineon reaction with organic matter createsby-products called THMs (Tri HaloMethanes) which are associated withcausing bladder cancer and hardening ofarteries.

(ii) Ozonizers – Ozone is a highlyreactive gas. It rapidly reacts with allorganic matter on the vegetable surfaceand either kills them or reacts andconverts them into by-products. Ozoneis not so safe in high concentrations forhumans. To be effective in treatingvegetables it must have a concentrationof 200mg and an exposure of minimum15 - 30 minutes. Whereas the MAC(Maximum Acceptable Concentration)for ozone is 0.30 ppm / 15 min. forhumans. Exposure of ozone in highconcentration above 15 minutes maydamage human lung tissues.

If ozone is used in over the prescribedconcentration, it will damage thevegetables. At the same time if ozone isused in low concentration, it will not be

effective in treating vegetables. Usingthe right concentration of ozone onvegetables is needed for effectivelytreating them and this requires expertiseand high precision. Hence continuousmonitoring by a qualified person isrequired for cleaning vegetables withozone.

Moreover, ozone reacts and createsby-products which can be highlyhazardous to human health. Seldom dataabout the possible health hazard of theseby-products are being supplied.

Ideally, before using ozonizerscommercially or even on an individuallevel, an elaborate study should be doneon each chemical (which includepesticides) to be treated with ozone.Also the study of all by-products ozonecreates and their possible health hazardto humans should be known beforeusing ozonizers.

Without Side Effects

There is also a natural option named VegFru Wash, which is patented for human-safe washing of vegetables and fruits.Veg Fru Wash can be construed as anew-age solution to the nagging

problem of surface contaminantsincluding pesticide residue, bacteria,wax, dirt, grime, etc. on vegetables. It isnon-volatile and can be stored all day ina container for batch wise washing ofvegetables.

Veg Fru Wash is based on sorbitolwhich is edible and is being used inmany food products. Hence Veg FruWash is completely human-safe.Moreover, the usage of Veg Fru Washdoesn’t require any specific know-how.Any person with normal understandingcan easily use Veg Fru Wash.

About theAuthor: J SDhingra is aseasoned experton health andhygiene issues.He presentlyheads JegsonInnovativeIndustries andis responsiblefor newinnovations which are safer for humansand environment.


O P E R A T I O N S

Food costs play major role in anyrestaurant’s success or failure. Forexample, it is wonderful to have

foie gras in the menu, but think twice(or more) if it has a chance of affectingprofits.

Without making a carefulconsideration of food costs, perhaps norestaurant (which include restaurantsin hotels, of course) can have enduringsuccess in the business. With moreprecise food cost management, one caneliminate or at least reduce excessinventory and decrease waste, thereby

increasing margins and businessgrowth.

Deciphering Food Cost We talked to F&B professionals acrossthe hotel industry and found what arethe steps they take or are taking, inorder to keep food costs’ percentage atmanageable levels.

According to Sudeep Sharma, Food& Beverage Manager, Jaipur MarriottHotel, “Food cost surely is one of thehigh costs in any F&B operations.COGS(Cost of Goods Sold) is a key

calculation whenever we fix pricing ofdishes on the menu. All the elementslike procuring costs, stocking costs andpreparing costs are added to reach thefinal figure, which is called the foodcost of any item.” The formula forcalculating total food cost of arestaurant is simple — net foodpurchases divided by net food sales(here net means after the change ininventory).

Pragmatic Steps“Many measures put together help in

By Sharmila Chand

Managing Food Costs in

Restaurants



maintaining the food costs incommercial F&B operations. Forexample, constantly checking theinventory to ensure minimum wastage,maintaining standardisation of recipesand portion size and consistentlydelivering on the standards, trainingour Chefs on a continual basis tomanage food storage and process likeFIFO (first in first out), and throughpricing the menu items based on theirproduction costs,” added Sharma.Many a time, Chefs need to bebusiness savvy too in order to checkthe food costs.

According to Neeraj Balani,Director, Food & Beverage, RadissonBlu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar,“Controlled store requisition, keepingthe perishable food items at the righttemperature so that their shelf lives arenot compromised, ensuring FIFO(First in First out) for all perishableitems, controlling the portion size ofthe dish, establishing yields of therecipes and checking they are beingachieved though production,minimising waste in the kitchen andtracking of waste, organising thestorage room and keeping inventory toa minimum, and by ensuring stockrotation to avoid spoilage,” are some of

the effective ways to manage food costsin restaurants.

Sandeep Panwar, Executive Chef,The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa NewDelhi, emphasises that right ordering isessential for keeping the food costs incheck. “The best way that we cancontrol food costs is by orderingcorrectly.” He further outlined somemore points to keep the food costunder control. He believes in followingstandard recipes, which includesstandard portion and sizes forvegetables, meats, cheese, etc. “Besides,receiving needs to be checked for bothquality and quantity, which entailscompetent person for taking care ofreceiving. Daily checks of fridges andcold room are also needed as this willfacilitate in first in first out process, inmaintaining rotation and decreasingwaste,” Panwar explained.

Balani also stressed on placing foodorders as per requirement. “Trainingand briefing the restaurant employeesto care about the food costs andplacing food orders as per therequirement, especially for banquetfunctions are important steps to keepthe food costs in restaurants in check,”pointed out Balani.

Panwar also recommendedcontrolled production. “Do notoverproduce. This will serve manypurposes; it will save costs, facilitatepresenting fresh products to the guestsand will entail less wastage/spoilage,”

Controlled production is a must. Do

not overproduce. This will serve

many purposes; it will save costs,

facilitate presenting fresh products to

the guests and will entail less

wastage/spoilage.- Sandeep Panwar,

Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

New Delhi

Ensure FIFO (First in First out)

for all perishable items.

- Neeraj Balani,

Director, Food & Beverage, Radisson Blu Hotel

New Delhi Paschim Vihar


O P E R A T I O N S

Panwar pointed out.“Taking advantage of seasonal

produce, ordering perishable items inbulk but receiving in small batches,monitoring waste tracking sheet,monthly evaluation of top 50 productsin spend value, monitoring receiving andissues from stores on a daily basis,forecasting revenue and orderingaccordingly,” are some of the relevantsuggestions by Suresh Thampy,Executive Chef, Courtyard by MarriottMumbai International Airport, forsuccessful management of food costs in

commercial eating out establishments.Sharma justifiably gives a lot of

emphasis on training for managingfood costs. “Training, training andmore training to the food handlers onprocesses and cost optimisation isneeded to keep the food costs in check.A well aware individual will alwaysmake efforts to ensure food quality andcosts are as per defined standards,” heasserted.

Sharma also opines that “Seniorpersonnel like the Head Chefs shouldlead by example in driving qualitywhile maintaining food costs.”However, he stresses on nevercompromising on quality. “Insteadmanage your resources wisely,” Sharmapointed out.

Balani advised that dishes atrestaurants should be priced keepingtheir cost in mind “while at the sametime ensuring a high value for moneyfor guests.” He also calls for planningthe menus around seasonal availability.“Use more of seasonal fruits &vegetables in the menu as they arecheaply available and are likely to be intheir best quality during the givenseason,” he advised.

In fact, almost all industryprofessionals whom I conversed withstressed on ordering as per therequirement, maximising the use ofeach ingredient, and cooking whiletaking into account of the seasonalproduce. The industry professionalsalso suggested restaurants to have morethan one vendor to keep the food costsunder control.

Training, training and more training

to the food handlers on processes

and cost optimisation is needed to

keep the food costs in check. A

well aware individual will always

make efforts to ensure food quality

and costs are as per

defined standards.- Sudeep Sharma,

Food & Beverage Manager, Jaipur Marriott Hotel

Ordering perishable items in bulk

but receiving in

small batches is a wise

thing to follow.- Suresh Thampy,

Executive Chef, Courtyard by Marriott

Mumbai International Airport

Tapping the Technology ToolsUsing technology to check food costs isthe happening trend in the food &beverage business. “We use Prolific as astore requisition software wherein therequisition detail of the day/week/month can be viewed and controlled.Any item which is less in stock can beseen through and ordered,” informedBalani.

“We are using WINHMS softwareto manage food costing. This softwarekeeps the record of all items beingimported in the hotel, helps inordering food products, and inestimating product records. All theseattributes help in managing foodcosting,” concurred Panwar.

“We use menu engineering tool tofind out the most selling, most popularand profitable items on the menuwhich helps to eliminate the non-profitable and non-popular itemswhenever a new menu is launched,”said Thampy.

However, employing sophisticatedtechnology to keep the food costs incheck is not the option for everybody.“At Marriott Jaipur we do not use anysoftware to manage food costs. A Foodand Beverage Controller is employedfor carrying out these calculations, whois accountable for food cost controland ensuring minimum food wastage,”explained Sharma. �


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.

Designer Cutlery & TablewareEstablished in 1982, Neeti Udyog is a leading manufacturer and exporter of

designer cutlery and tableware. With decades of experience in manufacturing

and delivering quality products which are creatively designed, the company

has carved out a niche for itself

in the hospitality industry

across the globe.

The USP of Neeti Udyog is

that it can deliver custom made

products. With its motto ‘You

Sketch We Craft’ the company

can fabricate all items as per

the specifications/dimensions of

the customers and can also develop the existing designs in silver-plated

wares, stainless steelwares, copper wares, and brass wares. The range of

cutlery and tableware of Neeti Udyog are immensely popular across leading

hotels, restaurants, and other food service outlets.

Neeti Udyog

[email protected]

HACCP Manager KitThe HACCP Manager Kit provides the

software, hardware and PC interface for

the collecting, reporting, analysing and

storing of product temperature records

and checklist documentation. The

Handheld is a data-collecting instrument

designed to simplify the gathering of

temperatures and the documentation of

corrective actions as well as managing

standard checklist processes. The

database software allows for

customising up to 300 menu items and

the Handheld can store

up to 3000 temperature

readings. The handheld

also holds up to

1500 checklist

records (150

questions)

with yes/no or

numeric

answers, and

corresponding

corrective

actions.

The HACCP Manager software is the

most important and powerful component

of your HACCP Manager system. Data

can be quickly transferred between the

Handheld and a PC. The database is fully

customisable. Critical control points and

corrective actions can be defined to

ensure a detailed and solid HACCP

workflow tailored to your facility.

Mittal International

[email protected]

Adding to the Drinking PleasureClean glassware is essential for beverage service. A glass free of soils and residue is needed to

maintain aroma and flavour. Using clean, ‘beer-ready’ glassware is expected to increase a

restaurateur’s profits and his customers’ satisfaction.

The glass washers from Krome Dispense can make the beer-ready

glasses a quick and easy process by effectively cleaning the glasses from

inside as well as outside. These glass washers, which are designed in

Germany, can clean all types of glasses. They require no electricity, and

no involvement of plumber/s for their installation. Moreover, they entail

low investment and facilitate a high degree of hygiene in glass cleaning

operations. The Krome Dispense has two models of glass washers in

its portfolio, which the industry can use.

Pacific Merchants

[email protected]

Eco-friendly and Fuel-efficient SolutionNavshakti — the innovative bio-mass gasifier cook

stove from Navitas Green Power (Fuel

Management) Pvt. Ltd. can bring big savings to the

fuel bill. This eco-friendly, low cost, easy to use

cooking solution with flame intensity equivalent to

LPG, and with heat output with flame control

similar to that of LPG, is suitable for a

comprehensive range of bulk cooking exercises.

The equipment has a running cycle time ranging

between 2 to 3 hours.

Navitas Green Power (Fuel Management) Pvt. Ltd.

[email protected]


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


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

A D V E R T I S E R ’ S I N D E XCOMPANY PAGE NO.

A D V E R T I S E R ’ S I N D E XCOMPANY PAGE NO.

* BC - BACK COVER * FIC - FRONT INSIDE COVER * BIC - BACK INSIDE COVER

Regd. Off.Mobile:

E-mail: Website:

: 954, Pocket-2, Paschim Puri, New Delhi-110063+919304913129, 9871215088, 9910306085

[email protected] mahtokitchencare.in / com

Mahto Kitchen Care

A Perfect Range of GratifyingKitchen Equipments

Manufacturers & Suppliers ofCommercial Kitchen, Refrigeration & Food Service Equipments for Hotels,

Restaurants, Banquet Halls, Hospitals, Fast Food Outlets, Sweet Shops,

Industrial Canteens and Other Eating Establishments etc.

Cold Room

Chinese Range Display Counter

Indian Range Shawarma Grill

Four Door Refrigerator Hot Bain Marie Stainless Steel Sink

AKSAI 05

ALIMENTARIA 2014 83

ALLIED METAL WORKS 31, 79

ANOUSHKA GOURMET PVT. LTD. 67

APPLE BAKERY MACHINERY PVT. LTD. 20

ARCHII 61

ARCOROC GLASSWARE 53

ASHOKASHA EXIM PVT. LTD. 27

BMS ENTERPRISES 41

COSMIC HEALERS PVT. LTD. 43

C&S GLASSWARE 11

DABON INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. 07, BC

FCML DISTRIBUTORS PVT. LTD. 47

FHA SINGAPORE 2014 81

FIDELIO INDIA PVT. LTD. 73

FINE FOOD INDIA 91

FnS INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. 15

FOOD HOSPITALITY WORLD EXPO 2013 65

GENNEXT LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. 16

HOSTECH TUSID 2014 87

HOTREMAI 33

HUGHSON NUT ALMONDS 25

IFB INDUSTRIES LTD. 49

JEGSON INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIES 55

KANHAIYALAL TANDOOR PVT. LTD. 85

K.I. GLASSWARE INDIA PVT. LTD. 59

KING METAL WORKS 09

LOOM CRAFTS FURNITURE (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 36, 37

MAHTO KITCHEN CARE 91

MANISHA INTERNATIONAL BIC

McCAIN FOODS (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 19

METAL AVENUES 21

META INDUSTRIES (UNIVERSAL CHEF) 17

MITTAL INTERNATIONAL 35

MITORA MACHINEX 16

MOD KITCHEN EQUIPMENTS PVT. LTD. 29

MRS. BECTOR’S FOOD SPECIALITIES LTD. FIC

MUNNILAL TANDOORS PVT. LTD. 10

NEENA ENTERPRISES 14

PACIFIC MERCHANTS 51

PETALS PACKAGING COMPANY 22

RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 71

RAJKIRAN KITCHEN EQUIPMENT 24

RATIONAL INDIA 12

REMINGTON STEEL ARTS 89

SASKATCHEWAN PULSE GROWERS 13

SHAMSONS FOODS 69

SOLUTIONZ CONSULTING PVT. LTD. 14

STARLITE STEEL PVT. LTD. 90

STEC STAINLESS STEEL PVT. LTD. 45

THAIFEX 2014 75

THE NEW INDIA ELECTRIC & TRADING CO. 89

THE SCS AGRIBUSINESS CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD. 57

UNITAS FOODS PVT. LTD. 18

VENUS INDUSTRIES 01

WANG PROFESSIONALS 23

WINTERHALTER INDIA PVT. LTD. 63

PRODUCT PREVIEW 88

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 89


I N T E R V I E W

4Ps and F&B SuccessBy Sharmila Chand

Satish Fernandes, Executive Assistant F&B Manager, Sun-n-Sand, Mumbai, has been

in the industry for over 15 years, with varied experiences in the hospitality sector. He

has worked as a flight attendant too for a short span.

In his words, “The one thing that I have learnt is to have faith in your team, gain the

team members’ trust, and their respect will follow automatically. At the same time, give

them freedom and also give them your undivided attention when they come to talk or

share anything with you, be it in meetings or in a personal session.”

He believes in the cardinal principle of 4 Ps. “The 4Ps that I focus on are people, profit,

product, and process and I think they are the fundamental pillars of any operations,” he

asserted, while adding, “I try and focus on these 4Ps as much as possible, which in

return guarantees my success and the success of my F&B team.” The excerpts of the

interview follow:

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4Ps and F&B Success


Q What are the top threetraits or skills every Food &

Beverage Manager must have toexcel?

Savvy PR skills, strong financial acumen,and know-how of operations are the threetraits which can get you places in thisprofession. The F&B Manager also needsto know how to explore the social mediaand other relevant online portals, in orderto be able to attract and connect with thegeneration next. The human resource skillsof acquiring, training, developing andretaining the right talent for the operationsare also extremely important in today’scompetitive market scenario.

Q What do you enjoy themost about your role of

being the Executive AssistantF&B Manager?

The ability to create memories for people,which they are likely to cherish for a lifetime,is what I like the most about my job. Thefact that total strangers become friends afterinteracting with us and entrusting us withthe responsibility of creating those pictureperfect moments, is a role that I strive toexcel on, on every day. In our business noday at office is the same day.

Q What do you dislike themost?

It discourages me greatly when anevent or activity does not garner the kindof returns we projected despite no faultfrom our end. The other thing I dislike inmy job is sometimes my inability to fulfill

a guest’s desire to 100 percent, because ofsome autocratic compliance or policy that Ihave to adhere to.

Q Is your job challenging?Can you point out some of

these challenges? Perhaps no F&B professional would

ever say that her/his job is not challenging.We are expected to create a ‘wow’ factor forevery guest, and it seems that each has her/his own bar that she/he has set up mentallyabout what is good, what is excellent, andwhat is over the top for her or him. Andwe, as the deliverer of those expectations,are expected to know or decipher that andmust strive to reach and surpass that bareveryday.

To be able to adapt to changing tastes,trends, and clientele and to come up witha solution at the spur of the moment iswhat makes our jobs exciting as well aschallenging. If you go to specifics then Iwould say that retaining a skilled talentpool is the biggest challenge which everyF&B Manager faces right now.

Not being able to deliver 100 percentsatisfaction to my guests due to statutoryregulations that I am bound by can also befrustrating. In this currently inflatedeconomy, the taxation levied on thehospitality industry is also something thatdenies us to operate with open arms,which is one of the challenges of ourprofession in the present times.

However, with all these years ofexperience I have come to realise that thereis no issue or challenge in my profession

that cannot be handled or resolved. Eachproblem or setback has an answer, justthat we as frontline managers have tocome up with alternative approaches tosolve the same kind of problem.

Q Finally, how has beenyour experience at the

present job?It is a privilege and a great

opportunity for me to be associated withone of India’s legendry hospitalitybrands, and to be working along withsome very experienced seniors likeGulshan Arora as my Senior Vice-President, who has been in thehospitality industry for over fourdecades, and also with the rest of theexecutive team, which is very helpfultowards addressing any operational needor adversity I might face at my job. We allwork as one unit, which is a great thing.

Q Throw some light on theproperty

We have many loyal guests spanningacross generations that not many hotelscan boast off. It is a well-maintainedproperty affording scenic sea views andthe changing colours of the sea, and theowners extend full support and freedomfor its operations. All the suite rooms wererefurbished in the recent past, and theF&B outlets have been renovated duringthe last three years. Our tag line, ‘Smallenough to listen, Big enough to serve’ iswhat we strive to practice as an ideologyand inculcate among our team members.

food & beverage business review (oct-nov 13) the magazine for foodservice & food retail...

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