Flour Power
Cakes are selling
like, well, hot cakes in India, with chains and home bakers doing brisk
business
For India’s largest flower-gifting chain Ferns N
Petals, cakes account for 40% of its online business. “We are also focusing on
creating a robust network of cake retail outlets across India,” says Vikaas
Gutgutia, founder and MD of FNP. Its vertical FNP Cakes N More opened in March
2017 and has 30 outlets already operational.
The trend of combining cakes with flowers is not a
metropolitan fad anymore. Goan florist Lynette Alphonso, who has a
two-decade-old shop in Panjim, too spotted the new direction. “The trend among
individuals and corporates is to gift not just flowers but also include cakes
with a lot of customisation,” says Alphonso.
Consultant Technopak identifies cakes and bakery
products as one of the fastest growing food segments — it is growing at a rate
of 20-25% annually. Industry players put the size of the market at ₹850 crore in the organised
HoReCa (hotels/ restaurants / catering) segment.
Technopak president Saloni Nangia says Indian
consumers, especially millennials, are very comfortable with international
cuisines and flavours and patronise established brands as much as new bakeries
and home bakers.
Many home bakers are using the flexibility of the
business model to monetise their hobby. Chennai hobby baker KP Balakumar
started an online Home Bakers Guild in 2012 with 100 members to connect with
customers and share ideas. Today it has 1,76,000 members.
While the October-January festive season is the
busiest for the industry, festivals, weddings and corporate events have become
cake-smacking occasions.
Paan Flavour
One of the signature products of the Oberoi
Patisserie in Gurgaon is the gluten-free, slow-baked, Belgian chocolate cake.
“Guests are also asking for Indian-inspired French pastry. We take inspiration
from the flavour notes of traditional Indian sweets and pair them with classic
French pastry to create one-of-a-kind desserts,” says pastry chef Rithvik
Ananthraman, who heads the Gurgaon delicatessen.
Kazem Samandari, who moved to Delhi from Paris seven
years ago, invested ₹30 crore in
L’Opera, a premium French patisserie and boulangerie chain that has 15 outlets
in Delhi NCR. Expansion plans over the next five years include more outlets in
NCR and other metros. L’Opera has grown at 15-20% annually and is likely to
scale ₹18 crore sales
turnover this fiscal.
“The market for high-end cakes is certainly growing
in Delhi NCR and other metro cities. Indian customers are developing a taste
for high-quality French products,” says Samandari, executive chairman, L’Opera.
Michelle Pike Kalsi, an American expat in Delhi,
turned bakery entrepreneur with her venture Georgia Dakota, because she and her
friends were looking for healthy bakery options. “Most cakes in Delhi are full
of sugar, refined flours and preservatives. There was a need for a healthier
take on the treats we all crave,” says Kalsi, who started with a Facebook page.
Today she has a shop in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar, an online store and partnerships
with many schools and offline and online retailers.
Paris-trained patisserie chef Pooja Dhingra set up
her first outlet, Le 15 Patisserie, in Mumbai, as a tiny kiosk seven years
back. Today it has four outlets and a café with a team of 70. Many of her
corporate clients prefer to send cakes and gift hampers to customers and
directors. For Dhingra, innovation and Indianisation are the key. “My training
has been in classical French patisserie but there are some Indian flavours that
I love and have tried to incorporate it into our menu. These include paan and
lemon chilli macarons.”
Prem Oommen Koshy, chairman of the iconic Koshy’s
Bakery in Bengaluru, says his family’s traditional products draw even
millennials. “We have a traditional recipe for the Christmas cake, but through
the year, our plum cakes are in big demand.” Koshy’s uses traditional methods
and local ingredients.
While Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai,
Hyderabad and Pune are the biggest markets; smaller cities have seen demand
grow. Chirag Malik’s greatgrandfather Fateh Chand Malik set up a bakery in
Gwalior in 1958. The Nirankari Bakery has three commercial factories with 30
varieties of cakes and products marketed across towns and villages in Madhya
Pradesh. “The market for cakes is increasing exponentially,” says Malik, a
trained patisserie chef, who sees a growth in vegetarian and eggless options.
Ishani Duttagupta
ETM24DEC17
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