17 June,2016 08:30 AM IST | | Suprita Mitter
From spiced peanut butter to organic veggies, desi super foods and cool kitchen equipment, new culinary offerings on a revamped portal will make the new-age foodie smile
(From Left) Salt and Pepper Holder, Baby Beet and Ruccola
"Yes, we have revamped," confirmed founder and CEO Raka Chakrawarti. "A year ago, we were testing the market for a specialised business like ours. The website was a basic version and we had limited products. We realised that the website wasn't capable of handling the traction that we got. So, we worked on the rookie version and now offer 80 per cent more ingredients than we housed then too," she explains.
Whole cut Rohu
The website offers new categories as well as new products in each category. "Most people who sampled our website wanted more options in organic food. We began to hunt for this and sourced not only from farmers and independent entrepreneurs in Mumbai but also in Pune and Uttarakhand. There were many requests from people who are on a specific diet or going to the gym. We started stocking four to five different varieties of spinach that are good for juicing. There was demand for products like organic yeast too. Millets were in demand as opposed to quinoa which people had tried before," adds Chakrawarti, who spent a decade in the hospitality business, both in India and abroad.
Busy browser
When we browsed through the organic food section, we found exotics like baby beet, Malabar spinach, organic microgreens, organic wheatgrass, baby ruccola, Thai basil and organic sweet basil. There was also an entire section devoted to world cuisine - Japanese, Thai, Spanish, Mexican and Moroccan with ingredients like Miso paste to Tempura batter and sushi rice. "We have tied up with a lady from Tamil Nadu who makes cheese for us. The milk is from Jersey cows, considered the best in the world. These are small-scale artisanal businesses, that don't have the bandwidth for retail but have great products," she reveals. "There are cakes, chocolates, bread and hummus, which taste different from the ones available at food stores where packaged goods lie on the racks for long. People can't believe the difference the taste," she adds.
The website also features interesting kitchen equipment. "Off late, we have been getting orders from chefs too. This keeps us on our toes as they have specific requirements. Foodies, too, are becoming conscious of equipments and presentation," shares Chakrawarti. "Used by professionals and amateurs alike, our caramelising blow torch and Silicone Basting Brush are a big hit with our food-loving audience. Apart from that, our dining section features useful items like a double- walled wine bottle cooler, which works as a great accessory if you are dining outdoors and want to serve chilled wine," she adds.
Super store, super foods
We found a section on the website that read Indian Superfoods. Some of the products featured here include green almonds, natural ghee and moringa powder. "This section is something we are most excited about. We exalt virtues of Indian ingredients, which are the equivalent of chia, spelt (also known as dinkel wheat) and berries. Moringa powder is made from drumsticks. It is used in smoothies as well as tea. There are also products like jackfruit.
The idea is to re-introduce today's generation to ingredients used by the previous one. These are undervalued as they have not been publicised enough. In the days to come, this section will be packed with ingredients that people come across daily but don't realise that they are superfoods," shares the Mumbai-based entrepreneur.
Recently, the portal also launched its fresh fish and seafood section comprising of wild salmon, fresh catch such as pomfret, Indian Basa, Rohu and Catla. Crabmeat is also available without the additional hassle of de-shelling the crab. All the varieties are available either in pre-cut portions or as a whole.
