iD Fresh Foods enters Kolkata; eyes eastern market The Bengaluru-based ready-to-cook food company also plans to expand footprint in west and north India

After establishing a strong foothold in southern India and West Asian countries, packaged food company iD Fresh Foods has launched its ready-to-cook food offerings in Kolkata, and is eying the untapped eastern India market.

The company has placed its products—such as wheat and maida Malabar parota, chapati, Idli and dosa batter, vada batter, and filter coffee decoction—in about ten outlets in the state capital of West Bengal. Apart from Kolkata, iD Foods will also increase supply in Mumbai and Delhi, according to a company executive.

By the end of 2020, the company intends to be present across 10,000 stores in Mumbai up from the current 3,000, and 1,000 stores in Delhi from the current around 200 stores.

"We change our product mix depending upon the region we aim to expand in," P.C. Musthafa, chief executive officer of iD Fresh Foods, told Entrepreneur India. If the region chosen for expansion is Delhi then products such as parota and paneer would have a stronger presence, compared with south Indian cuisine options, as people are more likely to consume parota, he added. Once the brand is established, south Indian food batters will also follow.

The company is tapping into the healthy-food demand. South Indian food, including idli and dosa, are considered healthier and nutritious breakfast options. Launching poha, a staple breakfast option in the western parts of the country, is also in the pipeline.

Musthafa founded the company in Bengaluru along with his cousins in 2005. Operating out of a 50 sq. ft kitchen, iD Foods started supplying fresh idli and dosa batter to local stores. The company then entered Mumbai and Hyderabad in 2012, followed by Dubai in 2013. Today, iD Fresh Foods products are present in 35 cities in India across more than 30,000 retail stores.

Last year, the company also launched its filter coffee decoction in the US across Seattle, San Fransisco, New York, Chicago and Minnesota, among others.

The company sells its products through local kirana stores, high-end modern trade stores, e-commerce platforms, and business-to-business channels. About 5 per cent of the company's revenue comes from online grocery delivery platforms including BigBasket and Grofers, e-commerce marketplace Amazon and Milkbasket.

iD Fresh Foods competes with Bengaluru-based MTR Foods and Maiya Foods, among others, in the ready-to-cook food segment.