The demand for frozen food items is rising in Guwahati day by day, and Frozzeto, a city-based frozen food company providing ready-to-eat gourmet dishes, is pursuing bold goals to seize 40 per cent of the consumer market in the expanding vegetarian frozen food segment.
In an exclusive conversation with Business North East (BNE), Ayush Murarka, the founder of Frozzeto, revealed details about Frozzeto’s growth path, the significance of local flavours, and his approach to broadening the company's footprint in the B2C sector.
Founded under Rensons Brothers LLP, Frozzeto is a brand that focuses on frozen cuisine, including kebabs, burger patties, and vegetarian options. Besides its convenience, it is famous for its unwavering dedication to hygiene and quality.
"We noticed an increasing popularity in convenient gourmet frozen meals that are quick to make, healthy, and easy to cook," Ayush stated during the interview with BNE. "We aim to strike a balance between convenience and high-quality standards," he added.
Frozzeto's products cater to both business-to-business and consumer markets. As the company focused more on B2B clients like hotels, cafes, and restaurants, it now wants to have great growth in B2C, which constitutes only 25 per cent of the sales of the brand and hopes to grow that to 40 per cent in the near future based on the rising trend of frozen food.
"A place like Guwahati is seeing a higher urban population growth and changing preferences in consumers' lifestyles, wherein there is increased demand for ready, healthy frozen foods. Frozzeto's vegetarian gourmet meals are very well-received in this region, with the Northeast primarily comprising vegetarians. Our focus is to meet that preference by providing frozen products representative of the regional flavour profile but with global standards for convenience and hygiene," Ayush further explained.
He revealed that the company was able to establish its niche and claim its space in a predominantly international frozen food market by incorporating regional flavours into its products, enabling the brand to appeal to the local audience while establishing Frozzeto as a leader in the vegetarian frozen meal segment. Moreover, Frozzeto has heavily invested in its infrastructure to expand its operations and meet the growing consumer demand.
"The initial setup cost was around Rs. 4.2 crore. This includes everything from setting up the facility to procuring high-quality food processing machinery," Ayush told BNE.
This investment reflects Frozzeto's commitment to providing the best quality in the frozen food industry. Competitive pricing has also been a success factor for Frozzeto. The products are affordable, ranging from Rs. 100 to Rs. 250 for end consumers, making them accessible to a wider audience.
"We would like to see gourmet frozen food available to the masses, at least in an area where there is still infancy in the market for such products," Ayush said.
Though frozen foods have gained popularity in many countries, misconceptions about the quality and freshness of this food product still exist. Most of the customers in India do not appreciate frozen meals; they find this method of cooking low quality or even artificial.
"Frozen food can be fresh and nutritious if sourced and stored correctly. The key lies in maintaining the right hygiene standards during production," Ayush said while explaining his intent to eliminate these perceptions.
Frozzeto has a priority of local sourcing to ensure that the products not only reflect the regional culinary traditions but also are fresh. International food safety standards, along with the latest food processing techniques, ensure Frozzeto produces frozen meals that are convenient and of the highest quality.
The founder revealed that Frozzeto's expansion plans include increasing its product offerings, especially in the health-conscious and organic food categories. "Consumers are getting more aware of health and nutrition. We are working on introducing products that cater to this demand, including organic and plant-based frozen options," he said.
The company is also expanding its base within the Northeast region and other parts of the country. Although Frozzeto has done an excellent job in Guwahati, the company is now targeting other regions of Northeast India where the demand for quality frozen food is increasing rapidly. "We feel the market for frozen foods is still at a very nascent stage in this region, and there is tremendous scope for growth," Ayush said.
The reason behind Frozzeto's success is Ayush, and location is one reason Guwahati has over the other. Strategically at the crossroads of Northeast India and its neighbours Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, there is an advantage in terms of logistics and accessing international markets. "Guwahati is becoming an important trade hub. Its infrastructure development, along with its connectivity to international markets, offers businesses an advantage that cities like Delhi or Bombay cannot provide," he said.
With a thriving business ecosystem and rising to prominence as a hub in logistics and export, Guwahati remains the ideal base for Frozzeto to scale up its business and compete in the emerging frozen food market.
Frozzeto is a leading brand of frozen food in Guwahati because of its promise of quality, convenience and regional flavours. With the company targeting 40 per cent growth in the B2C consumer segment, it continues to expand its product portfolio and ensure offerings meet the ongoing needs of health-conscious and quality-focused consumers.