Licious launches plant-based meat range 'UnCrave'

Licious—India’s first D2C Unicorn—is entering the plant-based meat market with the launch of UnCrave, its first portfolio brand. 

The product range for the brand includes protein-rich vegetarian chick~n and mutt~n seekh kebabs, priced at Rs 349 onwards. At present, the company is also offering a single serve introductory pack at Rs 99. 

The ready-to-cook products are assured to be free of artificial preservatives, trans fat, and Monosodium glutamate (MSG)—a flavour enhancer. The cook time for the products is 8 minutes, and they have a shelf life of 12-14 days. 

Simeran Bhasin, Business Head, alternative protein, Licious, said, “Licious is the only Indian company to house both animal and alternative protein under one roof. We have been able to achieve this because we have always kept our consumers as our biggest priority."

The consumer-backed research and innovation process have played a significant role in the development of the brand over the past two years. 

“UnCrave is very similar to the story of the mother brand. No precedence of the quality standard existed that we could copy. Hence, the two-year-long investment in research and development,” she added.

The team delved deeper into the meat consumption habits of the country and realised that a significant population does not consume meat regularly, and a large section remains protein deficient. 

In addition, we have festivities and beliefs centered around our identity, which may affect when we may consume meat. For such consumers, Licious aims to provide a protein-rich alternative with UnCrave.

Simeran said, "Today, plant-based alternatives are relevant to those who have turned vegan and are actively understanding their food choices. But a large part of India is still not familiar with this category, So, we have taken the onus on ourselves to establish it across India."

At present, the products are available in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru through the Licious app, marketplaces, and Licious stores.  

Over the past 6 years, Licious has made its mark among meat lovers. Since starting up, it has witnessed a 300 percent growth and is actively interacting with consumers across 28 Indian cities viz, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Kochi, and Kolkata to name a few. 

Currently, it provides over 2 million orders every month and enjoys a 90 percent repeat consumption across markets.

Simeran said, "Meat itself is our biggest competitor at the moment, amid the others that exist in the plant-based category." 

"A superior, meat-like taste is our biggest USP; that is why we spell our products with a tilde (~) signifying the products’ similarity to meat in almost every aspect. We are excited about the fact that consumers will be pleasantly surprised at how close the taste is to meat," she adds. 

Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta, shared, “UnCrave is a lot more than just a brand. It is a promise to our consumers that Licious will step up and diversify to ensure that they always have a choice of tasty protein."

“We have invested in over 20 months of R&D, in-house, to develop a range of products that closely resemble the taste and texture of meat in a never-before-experienced way,” they add. 

The brand aims to emerge as a market leader within the first year of launch. 

(The copy was updated to correct a typo)