
Snapshots of Food Industry News
Parag Milk Partners TajSATS Air Catering
Parag Milk Foods has tied up with TajSATS Air Catering for supplying cow milk products on international flights. The company has stated that this is the first time that they will be supplying products on flights and they hope to strengthen this partnership further. Parag Milk exports their products to several countries and this is a new step in getting recognition from international customers for their milk based products. Parag Milk Foods sells its products under the ‘Gowardhan’ and ‘Go’ brands.
McDonald’s to appoint new Partner for North and East
After their fall out with joint venture partner Connaught Plaza Restaurants Ltd (CPRL), McDonald’s is looking to appoint a new licensee partner for their northern and eastern zones. In August, the fast food company had terminated as many as 169 franchise agreements out of 430 outlets that were being operated in the north and east by CPRL. The former joint venture partners have been locked in legal tussles after McDonald’s termination of the franchise agreement with CPRL.
CPRL, led by Vikram Bakshi, continues to run the McDonald’s outlets and is hoping the courts will provide a solution or McDonald’s itself will offer an acceptable buyout for their stake. CPRL and McDonald’s India Pvt Ltd have 50:50 joint venture. On the other hand, McDonald’s are continuing their search for a Developmental Licensee partner who is capable of growing their business and rebuilding the McDonald’s brand in these regions. The fast-food company has drawn up selection criteria for their new partner. McDonald’s has also stated that it is not aware of the food and safety standards of the outlets run by CPRL as they are not authorized by them, so they have not been able to check if they are following operational procedures and controls or not.
Healthie.in becomes Leading Healthy Food Delivery Brand in India
Serial entrepreneur Rajesh Sawhney founded Healthie.in August 2017. Since then Healthie.in has been offering fresh, wholesome and delicious food to customers in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. The start-up began with the aim of providing healthy food and lifestyle to Indians and their tagline ‘Healthy Bhi Tasty Bhi’ expresses it all. Healthy.it serves more than 25,000 customers through the platform.
Healthie.in currently runs13 kitchens across the country and is launching another 12 in next three months because of the tremendous response they have so far received. More and more people have become health conscious and Healthie.in has plugged into this food revolution where taste goes hand in hand with fresh, wholesome and healthy food. They offer all-day breakfast, salads, soups, juices, smoothies and healthy desserts as well as full meals like super sandwiches, super bowls, and super Indian thalis, where the emphasis remains on taste and nutrition. Healthie.in is listed on food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.
Grofers Partners with Simpl to Launch ‘Postpaid Grocery Shopping’
Grofers has joined hands with Simpl to launch ‘Postpaid Grocery Shopping’ in its industry-first initiative so as to facilitate customers. With postpaid shopping option, customers will be able to purchase grocery throughout the month and pay just one bill at the end of the month for their entire purchases. For the present, the service has been extended to only loyal Grofers customers. In the second phase, Grofers will extend the Simpl payment option of Postpaid Grocery to all its customers. In simple words, Grofers has adopted the Indian khata system which is prevalent at neighborhood grocery shops.
Dairy Firm MilkLane Bags Rs.27 Crore
Start-up dairy firm MilkLane has raised Rs.27 crore in a ‘pre-Series A’ funding round from Pioneering Ventures, Schreiber Foods, and ultra-high net worth families. They intend to utilize the capital to increase their networks of milk collection centers, village level coolers and for strengthening digital and analytical capabilities in the supply chain so they can provide a fresh, safe and steady supply of high-quality milk to industry partners. MilkLane procures milk from selected dairy farmers and delivers it to industrial scale off-takers such as industrial processors, FMCG companies, and milk product manufacturers. MilkLane started its milk collection operations in January 2017 at Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, and within a span of six months has reached an initial milestone of 85,000 liters per day.
People and Placements
PepsiCo Reshuffles Top Management
PepsiCo has reshuffled its top management, after which Mike Spanos will become CEO of AMENA (Asia, Middle East, and North Africa) region in place of India-born Sanjeev Chadha, who is to retire in March. Chadha will, however, continue with the company as Chairman AMENA and will report to Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. An Alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Chadha has had a long association with the company and has been with them for the past 27 years. Ram Krishnan Senior V-P and General Manager of the global PepsiCo and Walmart business will be President of Greater China Region, taking over from Spanos and he too will report to Nooyi. Krishnan has been with PepsiCo for more than a decade and has served in a number of senior leadership roles. All the new roles will be effective from 1 January 2018.
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