Soaring variety in in-flight meals is giving a lift to ready-to-eat brands

Poha to biryani, instant food firms have a full plate as airlines focus on in-flight experience

When Prateek Bhagchandka travels on any of the major airlines in India, he observes the meal options of other passengers closely. If they select a food item from Meal of the Moment (MOM), he tries to see if they finish it entirely. As co-founder and CEO of MOM, a ready-to-eat brand launched some five years ago, Bhagchandka’s interest in people’s in-flight meal choices is understandable.

When it first entered the market, MOM started supplying instant poha to GoAir (now rebranded Go First) while also finding its feet in retail. Today, MOM (the name was given by Mugdha, co-founder and Bhagchandka’s wife) is available on all leading airlines, including IndiGo, Akasa, Air India, SpiceJet and AirAsia. The business, says Bhagchandka, has grown: from 5,000-10,000 instant meals a month to each airline, MOM today supplies between 30,000 and 200,000 ready-to-eat bowls per airline per month. The range includes instant pastas, biryani, fried rice with schezwan gravy, ghee rava upma, poha, besides other packaged products. The demand, he says, is growing.

Data reviewed by Business Standard recently found that Indian carriers flew an average of 372,840 passengers per day in 2022-23, which was nearly 60 per cent more than in 2021-22 (though it was still below pre-Covid levels).

With aviation soaring and the capacity of airlines up, experts reckon that in the next two-three years, 30-50 per cent of the business for instant meal-in-a-bowl brands will come from aviation alone.

From delectable desserts to a range of biryanis, from Thai curries to fried rice, the options by domestic airlines for their in-flight menu is growing. No surprise then that some of the newer, niche players in the segment are working overtime in their respective labs, tying up with chefs, bringing in culinary officers and food researchers to dish out artisanal recipes that can be served in an “instant” avatar.

Take, for example, the Yu brand of instant bowls by Yu Foodlabs. Barely 15 months old, its pasta and instant gajar halwa are today consumed on SpiceJet and Akasa flights. It will soon also introduce its range of hakka noodles on SpiceJet.

While the tie-up with SpiceJet got Yu off to a flying start six months ago, the brand is in the process of closing a deal with a third airline in a couple of weeks. It has also been approached by a low-cost international carrier, says Bharat Bhalla, co-founder, Yu Foodlabs.

Yu Foodlabs founders (Left to right) Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur

Plane platters

Meal of the Moment: Caters to IndiGo, Akasa, Air India, SpiceJet, AirAsia. Supplies 30,000 to 200,000 meal bowls per airline per month -- up from 5,000-10,000 five years ago

Yu Foodlabs: Supplies pasta, instant carrot halwa to SpiceJet, Akasa. Is expected to close a deal with a third airline soon. Co-founder says there's demand from luxury private jets as well
 

Organic Roots: Offers ready-to-eat millet-based khichdi, soups, shorba, chutneys, among others. Serves SpiceJet; is in talks with three other airlines

Triguni Eze Eats: Supplies upma, tamarind rice, bisi bele bhaat, vegetable fried rice, among others, to IndiGo. Brand has grown with IndiGo's flights increasing

The Taste Company: Got its first contract with Hyderabad-based carrier TruJet. Now services Air India, AirAsia, Akasa, IndiGo. Has launched “travel packs” with prawn, chicken biryani, palak chicken curry rice, dal makhani, breakfast oat meals, and more

Bhalla adds that there is a growing interest among luxury private jets as well where the brand’s products are finding traction and repeat orders. The firm recently raised another round of funding (Rs 20 crore).

“Airlines are increasingly looking at products that are innovative, which can be made in a few minutes by just adding water, and which don’t compromise on the nutrition and taste,” says Bhalla.

Yu Foodlabs uses lyophilisation – a freeze-drying technique – to retain the nutrition of vegetables and meats. “It is used by NASA astronauts on space missions,” Bhalla says.

Based on discussions with airlines, Yu Foodlabs is also experimenting with newer products in its laboratory in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and then introducing it in retail. Its Bombay rava upma is a case in point. Developed purely from a discussion that Bhalla and his business partner and co-founder Varun Kapur had with SpiceJet authorities, it was first introduced on the airline and later, based on enquiries from passengers on its website, launched in retail channels.

“It’s one of the bestsellers on Amazon today in the instant breakfast mix category,” claims Bhalla. From 12,000 instant meal bowls supplied on a monthly basis to SpiceJet six months ago, Yu Foodlabs now supplies over 100,000 units per month to two airlines.

Instant but not unhealthy

Yu Foodlabs founders (Left to right) Varun Kapur and Bharat Bhalla

Those in the business of instant meals say that travellers are conscious of what they eat on flights, particularly after Covid.

“Ready-to-eat foods are no longer seen as unhealthy,” says Ishit Pilani, co-founder, Organic Roots, a brand that started in early 2020.

When Covid struck, the company went into trials and product development for two years before it was formally launched last year. Today, it works with over 1,000 organic farmers to bring out ready-to-eat millet-based khichdis, soups and shorbas, chutneys and more. Its products are now also getting promoted by celebrity nutritionist Luke Coutinho.

Last month, its tomato soup was launched as part of SpiceJet’s offering. Organic Roots is also in talks with three more airlines. “Our brand is expanding rapidly, and the aviation channel is an important one that will add significantly to our top line in the next few months to a year,” says Pilani.

According to him, airlines are differentiating through various food offerings. It helps that instant meals are lightweight and easy to keep on a flight compared to, say, perishable items such as sandwiches and other pre-prepared meals that often get wasted when not consumed in time.

Many of the newer players in the category are also ditching plastic and opting for eco-packaging solutions.

Octogenarian Radha Daga, founder-managing director of Triguni Eze Eats, which has been supplying a range of upma, tamarind rice, bisi bele bhaat, vegetable fried rice, among others, to IndiGo for a decade, says, “My brand kept growing because the number of flights in IndiGo kept increasing.”

From 2,500 tubs per month a decade ago, Triguni Eze Eats today supplies between 600,000 to 700,000 tubs a month to IndiGo. Now, with the exclusivity contract with IndiGo ending soon, other airlines are showing interest in what more Eze Foods can offer to passengers.

“We are working on a new range of millet-based products while also planning a focus on the retail market,” says Daga.

Unlike the other players in the category, which get a bulk of the business from retail (both, traditional and e-commerce channels), 80 per cent of Triguni Eze Eats’ business is through aviation. Daga now wants to also increase the brand’s retail presence.

Arshad Khan, vice president, The Taste Company, sees a healthy growth ahead. “The opportunities presented through different airlines are immense and there is a lot of demand,” he says.

According to him, it’s the B2B segment that’s tough to crack, given the stiff competition on ground. Having a presence in airlines can automatically allow for more people to find your brand and give it a chance, he says. The Hyderabad-based company, which was launched in late 2019, got its first contract with TruJet, a Hyderabad-based carrier.

Today, The Taste Company supplies to airlines such as Air India, AirAsia, Akasa and IndiGo, and is in talks with another premium Indian airline. Looking at the growing demand from travellers, it has introduced special “travel packs” that include prawn and chicken biryani, palak chicken curry rice, dal makhani, breakfast oat meals, and more.

Ready-to-eat brands are clearly flying high.