These foodtech startups are changing the way you eat

You cannot live without food. Not just for basic sustenance but food you like, food that oozes nostalgia, food that makes you happy, and more. Food can sometimes also light up our mood.

Now, thanks to the rise of foodtech, at the click of a mouse or a tap on our screens, we can get hot meals, scrumptious desserts, and even ice creams delivered at our doorstep.

And this convenience has led to the birth of a plethora of businesses.

While unicorns Zomato and Swiggy have attained huge success with over one million online food delivery orders daily, the Indian foodtech and services industry has been quite hot. According to Tracxn, there are around 1,047 foodtech startups in India.

A RedSeer report says the Indian online food delivery market is expected to reach $4 billion in 2020 from $0.3 billion in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 90 percent.

YourStory looks at some of new-age and popular foodtech startups that are making their presence felt in the market.

InnerChef

Rajesh Sawhney, Sanjeev Singhal, and Bal DiGhent founded online cloud-kitchen platform InnerChef in 2015.

Under this model, the food is prepared in various central kitchens. While you can order from different locations, InnerChef has one channel that manages the delivery systems, packaging, and consumer interactions.

A team of six women curate all the meals, which are then rolled out from 18 kitchens that are located in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Noida, Delhi, and Gurugram. 

At present, this Gurugram-based startup has several brands under it - Bombay Sandwich Company, YumYumDili, YumYum South, Thalis of India, and Healthie. 

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FoodyBuddy

In 2016, Rachna Rao and her husband Akil Sethuraman realised they can solve two problems at once and founded FoodyBuddy. The duo was later joined by Rachna’s former colleague Anup Gopinath.

This Bengaluru-based food startup connects food lovers and home chefs on one platform with the aim to serve healthy and fresh meals. FoodBuddy also helps home chefs run a business from their kitchens at their convenience with minimal resources and investment.

A customer can see a variety of cuisines (over 1,000 different dishes) on the platform that are chosen by the home chefs serving on the platform. At present, the startup is operational in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Fruit Box and Co

Rishi Sakhuja and Radhika Gupta Singh wanted to provide people with healthier food. To achieve this, the duo set up Delhi-based Fruit Box & Co, an ecommerce platform with B2B and B2C verticals for fresh fruits.

It offers an array of fruits that are sourced from across India and other countries as well. The startup sources its produce directly from farmers, wholesalers, and importers or verified partners.

At present, it has tied up with over 500 farmers, wholesalers, and importers. Fruit Box has backend teams in Maharashtra and Delhi for order tracking, dispatching, and inventory management.

It also has an agro-freeze cold storage unit in Azadpur, where a team handles the packaging, quality check, and dispatch of orders.

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Dezertfox

In 2016, Ayush Agarwal started Dezertfox in Delhi to make high-quality desserts, pastries, and baked goods from local markets available at affordable prices and get them delivered to customers at their doorstep.

Initially, it was only a dessert delivery platform operating from two stores and one base kitchen. At present, it has several stores at prominent locations targeting the high-end market. 

Aimed at customers in the age group of 18-35, Dezertfox has around 12 categories on its menu - a total of 70 items, of which jar desserts and cakes are the most popular. 

RailRestro

Travel enthusiasts Manish Chandra and Suman Priya always found it hard to get good food during their train journeys. Seeing an opportunity to start up, the husband-wife duo launched RailRestro in 2015 in Patna.

The startup works on a marketplace-like business model, with a wide network of vendor tie-ups with restaurants across the country.

Customers travelling by train can order food via the RailRestro website, its app, or using its call service. All you have to do is enter your PNR details or train information. In partnership with IRCTC, the startup is now present in about 800 cities across 400 train stations.

So, if you want exotic food or some ghar ka khaana, or just some healthy food options without a lot of trouble, the Indian startup ecosystem is there for you - at every step of the way.

(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)

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