India’s largest fresh food brand is all set to conquer new frontiers. After over a decade of successfully providing nutritious South Indian breakfasts to millions of people, iD Fresh announced its next big disruption in the food space.
iD has entered into the fast-evolving organic food market, with a sharp focus on accessibility and affordability, that aims to address the modern day challenges of food sustainability in India.
The phase-wise transition of iD Fresh products into iD Organic kick-started this month, with their flagship offerings – Idly and Dosa batter, Wheat and Oats Dosa batter, Rice Rava Idly batter, Ragi Idly & Dosa batter, Malabar Parota, and Wheat Parota – in the Bengaluru market. Over the course of the year, other iD Fresh products, such as Natural Paneer, Filter Coffee Decoction, Wheat Chapati, and the globally-acclaimed Vada batter, will join the organic group.
The Bengaluru-based company has been awarded certifications from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Jaivik Bharat, under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Commenting on the significance of the launch Musthafa PC, CEO and Co-founder, iD Fresh Food, said, “The second version of our enterprise carries forward the company mission of bringing together the best of tradition and innovation. Most of us have forgotten that India was traditionally organic in its farming. The fertilisers and pesticides came in later, courtesy global influences. At iD Fresh, we are making earnest efforts to go back to our organic roots and embrace the goodness of nutritious food, while cutting down on our carbon footprint. We are constantly in the process of bettering ourselves. A dedicated team has been working on the organic product category since the last two years and we are excited to see how our customers respond to iD 2.0.”
Since its inception in 2005, iD Fresh has been renowned for its 100 percent natural, home-made style of preparation, without the use of any chemicals, preservatives, synthetic stabilizers, artificial colours, or flavours. Social consciousness has been an integral part of the company culture, prompting the business to look for long-term solutions to food sustainability, public health risks and environmental degradation.
“All our ingredients and processes are compliant to organic certification norms – from reputed suppliers to storage facilities and manufacturing units. We plan to take a systematic approach in transitioning over from conventional to organic,” stated Musthafa PC, the youngest recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) in the history of The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB).
A Harvard Business School Case Study, iD Fresh is well aware of the countless challenges involved in making organic food truly accessible and affordable. Right from empowering farmers and developing stronger supply chains to adopting the best environmental practices and safeguarding natural resources, there’s a lot that needs to be done, conceded the CEO and Co-founder.
“We are going back to the wisdom of the past, armed with value engineering in procurement and manufacturing as well as use of technology. The plan is to work towards higher output with no quantum jump in the cost. We want to pass on the cost benefits to our customers,” he added.
According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), when we say that a product is organic, it essentially implies two things. One, it is free from toxic persistent pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth hormones, and antibiotics or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Second, stringent organic cultivation standards are followed, with respect to impact on soil, water, and air.
Studies have shown that the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides increases the risk of diseases, such as cancer, heart ailments, hypertension and reproductive health issues, to name some. Besides mounting health concerns, increasing pollution levels and deterioration of food quality are also fuelling a shift in Indian consumer preference towards organic foods. Favourable government policies, supporting organic farming, too are driving the steady growth of the segment.
In India, the organic products market is expected to touch Rs 10,000-12,000 crore by 2020, according to a report by The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young, released last year. The market size for Indian organic packaged food, the report estimates, will cross Rs 87.1 crore by 2021 from Rs 53.3 crore in 2016, growing at a rate of 17 percent.
Over the last 14 years, iD Fresh – funded by Premji Invest, Azim Premji’s investment arm, and Helion Venture Partners – has evolved from making batter in a 50-sq.ft. kitchen in Bengaluru to modernising food packaging and establishing its presence in 28 cities across India and the UAE. With the launch, the company is stepping into a new future, by stepping back to the beginning. It’s time to #LiveOrganicwithiD.
