Q1. How did your career journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this Business/Entrepreneurship? I have always been a Hotel...
Q1. How did your career journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this Business/Entrepreneurship?
I have always been a Hotelier with around 2
decades of experience with some of the best Premium Hospitality Brands in the
country. I started my journey as
a Chef, soon found my way into Events and Sales and finally culminating my job
as a Leadership Committee Member and a Director of Sales and Marketing with one of the prestigious Hospitality group. This is when, my entrepreneurial journey gathered in full
swing. The inspiration credit largely goes to my entrepreneur wife who also
stepped out early in her glorious career to take on a complete business of owning and operating a large Lounge Club at the early start of
nightlife wave in the city. She encouraged and inspired me to step out and
start a new journey.
Q2. Kindly share some information about your Business, products and services here.
We
have always strived to bring quality food & beverage solutions to everyone.
To experience a great service or excellent quality of food, one need not have
to visit 5 star hotels. These can be provided at good value for money just by
employing good business practices. We have done just that.
Our core business has always been providing High End Catering solution to Corporates & Private Individuals. Additionally, we also deal in Premium Blended Teas. Our latest offering is a range of convenience Food Products under our brand of Freezr Fresh, with the first line up of delicious frozen Pan Pizzas. Next soon to be launched are various convenience based Sauces, Curries & Marinations which will change the way households cook simple and exotic dishes.
Our core business has always been providing High End Catering solution to Corporates & Private Individuals. Additionally, we also deal in Premium Blended Teas. Our latest offering is a range of convenience Food Products under our brand of Freezr Fresh, with the first line up of delicious frozen Pan Pizzas. Next soon to be launched are various convenience based Sauces, Curries & Marinations which will change the way households cook simple and exotic dishes.
Q3.
What kind of challenges did you face while starting/doing business?
Our
attitude always has been to look at challenges as opportunities to learn and
innovate. We have faced a lot of bureaucratic hurdles at various stages when it
comes to clarity of licenses etc. However almost no one escapes this net and
has to overcome the same with patience and perseverance. Some of our other
challenges which then got translated in opportunities were being able to keep
the costs down but yet provide quality to our clients or designing special
meals to overcome sea-sickness during catering on the yachts. The most recent
being increasing the shelf life of our Frozen Pan Pizzas but still staying away
from preservatives.
Q4. Do share with our readers about your discovery period when you were facing difficulties in your business?
We
realised at various points that solutions exist for all challenges and whenever
there is a difficulty, there is a chance to innovate. We overcame the challenge
of high cost vs quality by simply buying directly at the source. Tailor made
menus with inputs from nutritionists ensured menus and meals are kept healthy
and yet flavourful. Innovative out of the box thinking helped us use alternate
materials and enhance packaging when the plastic ban came into effect. Simple
technological processes have helped us achieve extended shelf life for the
products against having to use preservatives. There is a solution existing for
all problems.
Q5.
Share with our readers about your experiment period after the discovery period?
We have a practise in our company where any product, innovation or change is tested for extended periods before it can be applied to the end clientele. There is a team of experienced chefs, influencers and peers from the industry who help us at various stages. Our newest product has been in R&D or experiment stage for almost a year before being launched to the consumers.
Q6.
What are your future plans? Or now what is your vision for next five years?
Frozen food products are slated to grow at a CAGR of 14% over the next 03 to 05 years. We have entered the market at the right time with a premium product under our brand “Freezr Fresh” and envision the brand to be available PAN India in all leading Retail & Super Market chains under the FMCG category.
Q7.
How would you advice/suggest new entrepreneurs who want to start & sustain
in business?
It
is very important that a thorough research is undertaken and there is no hurry
in getting into a business. Generally speaking, 09 out of 10 F&B outlets or
businesses suffer losses in the first year. Also budget for 06 months of
procedural delay before the start owing to the various governmental norms to be
adhered to. Start with less SKUs and grow big gradually as you will have
consumer data at hand to take better business decisions.
Q8. LinkedIn profile URL link
Q9. Facebook profile URL link
Q10. Twitter profile URL link
Q11.
Instagram URL link
Q12.
Personal blog URL link
NA
Q13. Company website & Company blog URL link
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Interviewed by: Neha Sawant - Lifestyles Influencer from Mumbai, India.
Interviewed by: Neha Sawant - Lifestyles Influencer from Mumbai, India.
Published & Edited by: Khushboo Chotaliya - Lifestyles Influencer from Mumbai, India.
Neha Sawant & Khushboo Chotaliya both are students
of YogeshMA's Digital Influencer's Academy.
Neha Sawant & Khushboo Chotaliya both are students
of YogeshMA's Digital Influencer's Academy.
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