Hyderabad-based Snackerstreet Tasting Success – India Gist

Hyderabad: India is a versatile nation with its varying food preferences. But one trend is remaining constant, the need and demand for convenience foods with the changing lifestyle, particularly in the urban landscape. Freezing technology has helped the industry to ensure a longer-shelf life yet retain consistent quality. One company that has foreseen this coming and been one of the early movers in this segment is Hyderabad-based Snackerstreet.

Having begun its journey in 2007 with catering business in a niche segment of momos (a potli shaped steamed dumpling stuffed with sauteed mixed vegetables originated from Tibet), and other food, Snackerstreet founded by the couple chefopreneurs Divya and Gopinath Medar has made progressive moves from setting up 14 outlets to establishing its own factory in Balanagar, Hyderabad that uses imported machines and freezing technology.

Focusing primarily on the business to business (B2B) space, Snackerstreet today offers over 60 varieties of ready to cook, frozen snacks like momos, burger patty, spring roll, samosas, nuggets, crunchy bites, tikkis and kebabs etc. The company is the first in the country to create coloured and chocolate momos. It today serves over 450 corporates/institutions in Hyderabad.

Meeting market needs

Snackerstreet co-founder Divya Medar told Telangana Today, “The snacks are made using fresh vegetables and ingredients, without any addition of fillers or preservatives. The recipes are specially developed and curated ensuring a strict level of quality and hygiene.”

Talking about the market trend, she says, “The demand for convenience foods is growing fast due to socio-economic factors besides increasing urbanisation, buying capacity and desire to taste new products. On the other hand, frozen foods that are kept below the freezing point of 0°C, such as nuggets are gaining acceptance in the market. Modern food technologies will influence the production of a wide variety of convenience food with enhanced flavor, offering multiple benefits to consumers.”

Chef Exclusive is the company’s mother brand for ready to cook and frozen snacks while Aahaar is its consulting arm that provides services to restaurants, QSR-chains/standalone, FMCG and other eateries. “We have also provided consulting services to companies such as Britannia Industries and Pepsico’s Quaker Oats team for product development and recipe development, respectively, in the past,” she added.

She explains, “We believe in maintaining consistency in taste, presentation and hygiene, besides reducing wastage. And constant innovation to develop newer, trendier, tastier variants and products that would reflect the culinary bowl of the world. Our machine consistency, scalability and reliability of ingredients will keep us ahead of competitors.”

Near-term future

Snackerstreet is in the process of establishing distributor network in key cities of Telangana, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Surat and certain markets of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. With the shelf-life of six months for its products, the company is looking at distributors who have refrigerated vans and other freezing infrastructure.

With a current capacity of handling and supplying 1-2 tonne per day, the company wants to triple its capacity at Hyderabad unit with fresh funding. It is planning to raise Rs 30 crore in 2018 and has initiated discussions with prospective investors.

She said, “In two years from now, we want to be self-sufficient and take our business to other parts of the country, strengthen our regional sales teams and operations. We also want to add more varieties and constant research and development is on.”

The company is expecting to get an ISO certification within a month’s time. Post which, the company will start exploring overseas markets.