Now, startups that hack your snack
Don't want the motichoor that
can make you mota, and the kachori that makes you look like one? Now,
foodpreneurs are selling nibbles that are low on sin and high on convenience
A lot can happen over
coffee... or chai. As romantic as that sounds, it's hardly good news for your
waistline. And in a country where greasy samosas and pakoras are integral to
charchas over chai, it has become important to watch what you munch on.
Enter the foodie
entrepreneurs with their packets of ragi twisters, jowar puffs, fruit chews,
granola crunchers, baked bhakarwadi, health bars and seed mixes. Low on
calories and high on convenience, these startups aim to take the junk out of
junk food.
Chennai-based siblings Arun
Prakash and Mary Shamla got into the business because they felt a real dearth
of healthy munches in the Indian market. In 2014, after a few months of
R&D, the 30-year-old management consultant and his sister decided to join
hands with a friend Arul Murugan, who comes from a food tech background, and
launched Snackexperts. The online company now has more than 40 varieties of
munchies listed on their website, from ragi twisters and kodo millet crispies,
to almond and cinnamon flapjacks and oat and nut laddoos.
The demographic they're
catering to are young consumers who are grubbing round the clock rather than
just sticking to meals.A P&S market research report last year showed that
the Indian savoury snack market (along with China) is expected to witness the
highest growth among all Asia Pacific countries: 16.6% during 2015-2020.The
global savoury snacks market is expected to reach $166.6 billion by 2020, grow
ng at 7.1% in the same period.
With so much grazing going
on, dietician Dharini Krishnan says it's snacking hat trips up even the
health-conscious.“You find people who skip breakfast eating kachoris and
samosas at 11am or consum ng one-and-a-half packets of biscuits.“
This is exactly what drove
foodie Devang Shah to give up his Boston job and aunch Fab Box last year.
“While working n Boston, one of my colleagues ordered some snacks which were
yummy and when saw the low calorie content and nutri ional value, I was hooked
to the idea,“ says Shah. He moved to Mumbai in 2014 and got n touch with
nutritionists, dieticians, and chefs. Changing mindsets was the biggest
challenge he faced. “Food professionals here always want to wrap up in stant
gratification and give it to the customer, so they don't mind adding excess
sugar to your d i s h , “ s ay s Shah. Fab Box's 52 snack varie ties include
nuts, nutri mixes, fruit chews, health bars and even cookies, though they
officially state the cookies are `not healthy' but don't have transfat or
cholesterol. While Fab Box works on a pay-as-you-eat model -a one-month box
with five snack packs of 150g each cost Rs 999 -others like Snackexperts have a
monthly subscription model. Snackexperts' standard box of Rs 699 contains five
pouches of five different items of 150gm each. Jasmine Kaur started The Green Snack
Co last year. Coming from a Punjabi household, Kaur grew up on calorie-rich
khana.“A couple of years ago, I decided to take charge of my health, and
realized there were not too many healthy snacking options,“ says Kaur, who then
checked out what was available internationally. “The more I read about kale
chips, which are really popular in the US, the more I felt it was a good
option,“ says Kaur. “The chips are made by dehydrating them at a very low
temperature, at which the nutrients remain intact and enzymes remain alive.Kale
is rich in protein, vitamins, calcium, iron and folic acid, and low in
calories.“
Three months ago, she
launched another protein-rich product -puffs with six super grains -quinoa,
amaranth, ragi, soya, rice and corn. A 30g pouch of kale chips goes at Rs 200,
the quinoa puffs at Rs 80 for 50 grams.
For Sushant Agarwal, the
availability of healthier options has helped change snacking habits. “I follow
a strict diet as I am quite heavy and borderline diabetic,“ says the
advertising professional. “But while I watch my regular meals, I often end up
eating something fried between meals.“
He finds the little snack
pouches not only convenient to carry to work but also tasty, nutritious and
filling.
All the companies say they
use no artificial colour or sweeteners, and no harmful chemicals. Fab Box, in
fact, says when you order for the first time, the chef will call you and note
your taste and health profile and preferences. “So if you are looking for high
protein, and are partial to lime flavouring, we recommend roasted lemon soya
nuts.“
Some stores now have an
online presence too offering nutritious snacks. “We launched our website two
years ago. Apart from other products, we have more than 50 varieties of healthy
snacks,“ says M Dinesh Kumar, MD of Chennai-based Brown Tree Retail Pvt Ltd .
Their fast movers include ragi chips, diet bhel, and jowar puffs.
Corporates, too, are buying
into the idea. “We deliver our snacks to 15 companies, as they want to keep
their employees fit,“ says Prakash. At Ramco Systems, a tech firm in Chennai,
millet and cerealbased snacks like ragi flakes, oat-and-nut balls and mixed
berry packets from Snackexperts were initially provided at every floor between
4 and 5pm. Now, there's a vending machine. “They're made available round the
clock, as we believe one cannot help munching at the workplace, and snacking
doesn't have a fixed time,“ says Raghvendra Tripathi, chief performance officer
at Ramco.
|
Priya Menon
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TOI13MAR16
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