Empowering the HORECA Industry: The Journey of Food Service India Pvt Ltd

In 2016, Food Service India Pvt Ltd (FSIPL) was founded by Mr. Ajay Mariwala with a vision to create a strong support system for India's thriving HORECA industry. At that juncture, the HORECA sector was riding a wave of success, boasting a remarkable 10% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) and a substantial market valuation of Rs. 3.5 lakh crores. This presented a remarkable opportunity to cultivate an ecosystem that would bolster the ongoing momentum within this industry. 

In a conversation with Ajay Mariwala, who serves as the Managing Director of FSIPL, we delve deeper into the journey of Food Service India Pvt Ltd.

●    Please tell us about the main mission and vision of FSIPL as a company.

Food Service India Pvt Ltd (FSIPL) was established in 2016 with the primary objective of fostering a robust kitchen ecosystem tailored for the Indian HORECA industry. This venture was initiated at a time when the industry was valued at a staggering Rs. 3.5 lakh crores, with a consistent growth rate of 10% CAGR. Recognizing this, we perceived a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for the industry's sustained growth and success. The proliferation of Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) and the evolving preferences of consumers contributed significantly to the remarkable growth of FSIPL.

At the core of Food Service India's mission is the vision of becoming an indispensable growth partner to all commercial kitchens across the country. Our aim is to equip them with tailor-made solutions and expedite their journey towards achieving unprecedented success.

I firmly believe that FSIPL is on a trajectory to become an integral pillar of the HORECA industry, akin to the strong food service ecosystems present in the United States and Europe.

How did FSIPL start its journey, and what was the turning point that led to its rapid growth?

During our days at VKL, we provided customised seasonings to premium F&B brands. In one of the monthly sales review meetings, we noticed that a few of our products were also being bought by F&B distributors in South India. After repeated purchases from this segment, we discovered that there is a requirement from standalone restaurants, and commercial kitchens across various states in India for such products to run their kitchen better. This was the trigger for FSIPL to create a standard FMCG-like product format to reach the widely spread HORECA industry in 2016.

What inspired you to enter the food distribution business in India?

We started by catering to the HORECA customers in metros at first and then slowly beyond metro cities. There was a huge opportunity with the burgeoning food industry and the only way to serve our customers consistently and smoothly was to build a robust distribution network. Today, we have a strong partnership of dedicated 300+ HORECA distributors spread across 200+ cities serving 20,000+ customers across India. I would say the inspiration to enter the food distribution channel like our conventional FMCG companies is to ensure a consistent and smooth supply of FSIPL solutions to the end chefs, restaurateurs, and cloud kitchens located anywhere, from Jammu to Kanyakumari.

What sets FSIPL apart?

Food Service India believes in the customer-first approach. Along with a wide range of products, we have efficient post-sales services and this sets us apart from other F&B companies, who provide either services or just have a distribution network. FSIPL helps restaurants with 360-degree culinary solutions and services, which include menu development, streamlining the backend process, imparting product training and handholding the staff till they are settled. FSIPL is consistent with innovations and with a great R&D facility, a team of experienced food technologists, and 25+ in-house chefs, we develop each solution specifically after studying the Indian taste palette and HORECA requirements. 

We also serve customised solutions to 40+ F&B brands domestically and internationally. Customising the ingredients for our customers, we deliver on their brief and match their SOPs to the tee. Every new product of FSIPL goes through multiple rounds of sensory, nutrition evaluation, and food application tests. Our in-house manufacturing facility and operations experts control the project TAT and ensure batch-wise quality checks. Last but not least, we ensure timely delivery of products through our established distributors and stockists network. Our products are available on e-commerce marketplaces and our own proprietary customer app, which services existing customers digitally.

Who are the main groups of people or businesses that FSIPL serves, and how do you assist them in their operations?

Food Service India caters to all commercial kitchens - be it a restaurant, hotel, QSR, cloud kitchens, and specialty chain of restaurants. Post-COVID, we have extended the customer base to educational institutes, hostels, corporate caterers, healthcare, and religious entities.  

Our solutions include flavour-infusing solutions like seasonings, marinades, onion dehydrates, onion-tomato base gravies, purees and pulps, aromats, and spices. We also have products that are time-saving and waste-reducing like base gravies, ready-to-cook concentrates, and cuisine-specific ingredients like pasta, breadcrumbs, exotic canned foods, etc. We top it up with beverage solutions like syrups, and crushes. All these products help in kitchen operations by reducing the cooking time, reducing manpower dependency, and creating taste consistency thereby improving the overall efficiency.

FSIPL has several brands in its portfolio. Could you tell us a bit about some of them and what they specialise in?

FSIPL is a house of brands with more than 6 major brands in the kitty - Chefs Art seasonings, Springburst Taste Enhancers, Sunbay ready-to-cook gravies, canned foods and pasta, Marimbula syrups, and crushes, Spicefield spices, herbs and dehydrates, SIL jams, sauces, condiments and more. 

Chefs Art seasonings is one of our very popular product ranges that has grown at 29% YoY basis with sub-categories like marinades and sprinklers contributing to its success. We have enjoyed a dominant position in this category due to Chefs Art unique product formulations and product mix. Our customers have used Chefs Art peri-peri mix to sell 6 cr portions of peri peri fries in 2022-2023. Oregano spice sprinklers, under this category, have been used to deliver 29 million pizzas. 

Another strong performer, Sunbay covers categories like Ready-to-Cook gravies, chutneys, international sauces, dry pasta, and canned foods. Our ready-to-cook base gravies have seen tremendous success due to the authentic mix of ingredients, the right consistency, and no taste compromise. Our regional launches like Sambar concentrate, Chettinad gravy, chopped masala, and even the Jain options are giving us an edge over the competition. 

Marimbula Beverages infuse fun and zing to every drink. It is not just a beverage product, it is a lifestyle brand. With Marimbula, we have given the consumers a proudly made-in-India product with Indian sensibilities and international appeal.

What are FSIPL's future plans and new product launches that we can look forward to?

Food Service India is going beyond borders to launch international brands in India. In 2024 we aim to bring in gourmet ingredient brands and spearhead their distribution in India. We plan to bring multi-cuisine premium ingredients that will add value to our customer offerings. Apart from that, we are also dwelling upon various Middle Eastern exotic flavours like Alfaham, Shawarma seasoning, Mandi rice seasonings, and rice gravy.  On the regional side, we are creating instant solutions for grains and millet-based preparations.

In a nutshell, what do you believe has been the most significant achievement or impact of FSIPL in the food service industry in India so far?

Post-pandemic, the hotel industry turned to FSIPL solutions during its road to recovery. Faced with manpower issues and poor customer turnout, FSIPL products and solutions allowed low inventory maintenance, lesser skill dependency, and most importantly 20%-30% reduced food cost. In my opinion, this is the impact FSIPL has on the food service industry.

Please tell us more about the roadshows FSIPL is organising to help businesses during World Cup Season.

We believe this cricket World Cup combined with the festive season will make the business jump by at least 5 times. Especially in cities like Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Mumbai where important matches are being held, the influx of people to these cities and high demand for hotels make F&B consumption higher. Even the tier 2 and tier 3 cities are witnessing catering and cloud kitchen boosts with more gatherings and events being conducted during the cricket matches. The roadshows conducted by FSIPL were tailor-made to each region where our chefs and mixologists provided live demos, suggested new recipes, and provided expert tips to restaurateurs to grow their businesses.  These customer-centric initiatives help connect and realise the growth potential of the F&B business beyond metros.

Do you plan to go to international destinations and offer your products and services?

Beyond India, we serve the communities appealing to the Indian taste palette. So essentially the HORECA markets in UAE, Saudi, US, UK are the main focus for us currently. We provide customised solutions to 40+ global brands and are extremely happy with the response our solutions are receiving in the Middle East. Our Indian gravies, sauces, drizzles, and ethnic beverage flavours have been accepted in HORECA and retail chains across the USA.