Harley greets you with a dignified silence, as his younger sibling Pixie goes about interrupting the interview. The bag is sniffed, note-book stepped-on and pen chewed!

At chef-turned-entrepreneur Ishmeet Singh Chandiok’s home, the adoring Indian breed dogs are an integral part of his pet-venture Harley’s Corner, which makes ready-to-eat moist dog food.

The 35-year-old Chandiok, a certified chef, has worked with JW Marriott and Hyatt and heads Kingfisher Airline’s catering operations. With the airline now grounded, Chandiok turned his passion for food, combined it with his love for dogs and started a venture that is gaining acceptance with those looking for home-cooked food for their pets.

Harley’s Corner was launched in August 2012 with a little help from family and friends, including Gregory Roberts, author of Shantaram . Harley’s Corner, under the company Upgrades Infinite, also runs online initiative ‘Pets are people too’ (PAPT), launched months ago by Roberts, in Mumbai.

Harley’s tastes

A campaigner for the adoption of stray animals, Chandiok took home a pup from a construction site and named him Harley, given his own passion for bikes. If another dog came into his home, it would have been named Davidson, he says, bursting into laughter.

But making pet-food was not on Chandiok’s mind. “We always made good food for ourselves, and Harley would wait for scraps from the table, disinterested in his dry food.”

One fine day, Chandiok cooked for Harley without salt and onions “and he wolfed it down”, recounts the chef. In three months, Harley lost weight, but was assured by the vet, the dog had never been healthier.

Soon Chandiok started cooking larger quantities for the neighbours’ dogs, and even got Mumbai’s famed dabbawallahs (who deliver food to office-goers) to deliver doggie packs to about 18 dogs in the city.

Advantage, Chef

“Being a chef, I knew how to freeze the food, keep it fresh for the next day,” get the right mix of ingredients and nutrition, he explains, of the 12-month build-up to the formal launch. Always wanting to be a businessman, Chandiok was aware of the first mover’s advantage. “It all fell into place,” he says, as Kingfisher refused to take-off, even as Harley’s Corner did.

The plan now was to grow the business Chandiok zeroed-in on retort technology, as it allowed food to have a long shelf-life without preservatives and additives. Combine this with human-grade ingredients and recipes provided by Chandiok, and the ready-to-eat dog food was ready to serve.

The products include meals, enhancers, treats and therapeutic foods, made with vegetables, brown rice, special herbs and liver. Chandiok’s recipes are approved by his four-year-old “chief tasting officer” Harley.

Pixie, just one-year-old, is less discerning and eats anything, he laughs! Harley and Pixie are Mudhol and Caravan hounds, he says, stressing that local breeds are best suited to the local environment.

They are made by a third party food-processing unit at Tirupur (Tamil Nadu), famous for its garment exports. “All specifications are provided by me, sourcing is done by them and there is a non-disclosure agreement between us,” he points out. Sold in pet-shops and at veterinary clinics, it faces competition from imported brands like Pedigree’s dry pellet food and Whiskas wet cat food.

Vets are happy with the product from the venture, he says, though competition is stiff from imported products. The products are similar to home-cooked food and priced at about half the imported products’ price, he says.

The fledgling company looks at operational breakeven in March 2014. With investments of about Rs 13 lakh, revenues over the last year have recouped half that amount, and growing.

The product is gaining ground across several States, as the companion-animal products market stands poised for major growth in India. Armed with third party quality certification, Harley products are exported to South Africa.

Cat-food on the menu

There’s more on Chandiok’s plate. For example, therapeutic foods for dogs with renal/kidney, obesity, and allergy problems. Like medicines sold on prescription, therapeutic foods would be recommended by vets, he says.

Then comes cat food, possibly by January. Presently being test-run through cat owners, Chandiok says, cats are “super finicky”. With tuna and chicken options, Chandiok targets 95 per cent palatability.

Pet accessories and services like a 24/7 helpline for hapless pet-owners seeking medical assistance when a pet falls ill at night, for instance, are also on Chandiok’s radar. “But that (service) will have to be sponsored”, he says, by someone like Ratan Tata who has plans for an animal hospital in Mumbai.

VCs sniffing

On funding, Chandiok explains, banks “won’t touch me”, since Kingfisher has not paid his salary for 14 months. So there is no TDS (tax deducted at source) etc, required by banks to fund a venture. Family and friends continue to support, even as venture capital investors approach him. But Chandiok is steering clear for now, as venture capitalists enter with an exit plan. “It is a business, but it is also a very personal venture,” he says, adding, “I can’t sell it, Harley’s Corner is my son’s business.”

>jyothi.datta@thehindu.co.in

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