Premji backed iD Fresh Food plans to foray into North Indian market

iD Fresh currently generates 75% of its Rs 2.75 bn revenues from Southern states and Maharashtra

Ready-to-cook food company iD Fresh Food which dominates the market for idly and dosa batter in South India, is looking at entering the North Indian market, starting with Delhi and Kolkata, by early next year. The expansion is in line with the Premji-backed company’s goal to reach Rs 10 billion in revenues within the next five years.

“For now, we will use our existing manufacturing units in Hyderabad and Mumbai to cater to the markets in North India,” said P C Musthafa, founder and CEO of iD Fresh Food. Both these plants have a production capacity of 50,000 kg batter per day. 

Besides Mumbai and Hyderabad, iD Fresh has production units in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Dubai which serves the UAE market. The Dubai plant will also start supplying to Oman and Saudi Arabia markets by the end of this financial year.

“We are also in talks to enter developed markets such as the US and UK as we think our products will be well accepted by the large Indian diaspora in those countries. Hopefully, this may happen by end of FY20,” added Musthafa. 

According to a Market Research Future report, the Indian ready-to-cook food market was at $233 million in 2013, and is projected to reach $755 million by the end of 2022, registering a compounded annual growth rate of 14 per cent.

Starting with a small kitchen in Indira Nagar area of Bengaluru with a meagre Rs 50,000 seed capital, iD Fresh today reaches over 100,000 homes with its products which have a shelf life of up to seven days. 

The journey, says Musthafa, owever has not been that easy. Back in 2015, the company struggled even to sell 100 packets of batter per day. Today, the iD Fresh is whipping up enough batter for one million idlis every day. The company’s vada batter segment, introduced early this year, alone is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1 billion by the next financial year. Among other ready-to-cook products, while parotas and chapatis are the other big sales drivers, iD Fresh is now looking at selling decoction for filter coffee. “The preservation-free filter coffee decoction will come in sachets for single serving and a pack of 10,” said Musthafa.

However, he added that the company still has not been able to crack the formula for packaged coconut chutney, which would complement iD’s batter business very well. “Our product is our hero. When the whole world is investing in R&D to extend the life of the product, we have a business model to sell fresh,” adds Musthafa.

iD Fresh currently generates 75 per cent of its Rs 2.75 billion revenues from Southern states and Maharashtra while the UAE drives the rest. In 2017, the firm had raised Rs 1.5 billion from Premji Invest, and prior to this, it had raised Rs 350 million from Helion Venture Partners.

ON GROWTH PATH

• The firm’s plants in Hyderabad and Mumbai have a production capacity of 50,000 kg batter per day
• iD Fresh has production units in Bengaluru, Chennai, as well as Dubai which serve the UAE market