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In a bid to strengthen its pan-India presence, iD Fresh Food is setting up its idli-dosa batter production plant in Haryana. The plant will enable the company to strengthen its presence in the fast-growing Northern region, especially Delhi-NCR.
Rahul Gandhi, Chief Marketing Officer, iD Fresh Food told BusinessLine, “Delhi-NCR is a fast-growing market for ready-to-cook idli and dosa batter. We have been mostly available through the e-commerce channel in this market. In order to ensure the products are delivered fresh, its important to have the manufacturing facilities closer to the markets. Initially we plan to serve the Delhi market through this plant and we will also expand to other towns in the Northern region.”
Fourth plant in India
The new manufacturing facility is being set up at Palwal, Haryana and will have a capacity to churn out about 10,000 kg of idli and dosa batter. This will be the fourth plant in India for the company, “ Initially we will focus on producing idli & dosa batter at this plant. Once the production stabilises, we will also start producing parotas at this facility” he added.
Talking about the growth of the e-commerce channel in pandemic times, Gandhi said, “The e-commerce business has grown nearly 10 times in the past two years for us. We are seeing Indian households consume idlis and dosas nearly 2-3 times in a week. So for that kind of frequent consumption, doorstep deliveries through the e-commerce channel plays a strategic role. At the same time, we are also expanding our offline distribution in the Delhi-NCR region across modern trade and traditional trade stores.”
To aid product expansion
The company believes the manufacturing facility will also help it expand its products’ reach to other cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Agra. The company is also focusing on growing its presence in metros and tier-2 markets in other regions too.
“The growth that we are seeing in non-South Indian regions has been surprising. The adoption rates of idli and dosa as a meal is growing very fast in households in non-Southern Indian regions. We believe Northern and Western region has the potential to contribute nearly 35-40 per cent to our overall business in the long run,” he added.
Overall, iD Fresh Food is eyeing a growth in the range of 40-50 per cent in terms of revenue in FY 23. In January, this year the packaged food company raised ₹507 crore in Series D round of funding, led by NewQuest Capital Partner and Premji Invest.
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