Ready to Eat, The New Buzzword
September 12, 2020
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The Do It Yourself (DIY), Ready To Eat (RTE) and Ready To Cook (RTC) categories of the food industry have seen increased demand during the Pandemic. Ankit Chona tells us about the RTE and RTC products launched by HOCCO brand.
FEA: What made you think of converting your signature dishes into Ready to Cook or Ready to Eat packaged options?
Ankit Chona: In two words – “Our Customers”. During the lockdown we really missed serving. Seeing the smile and satisfaction on the faces of our customers is really what keeps us going at the end of the day and we really missed that. We did have plans to launch our Ready to Eat Product in next couple of years. This Pandemic however accelerated the launch. And so after immense hard work and a lot of care, we have launched our initial range of RTE and RTC products – for our customers to love and cherish.
FEA: Do you think RTC and RTE are growing trends in India or globally?
Ankit Chona: The demand to have food at one’s own convenience was always growing over the last decade – it has increased exponentially with the onset of this pandemic. RTE cannot replace regular home-cooked meals – However, when you are bored of simple home meals or you are chilling on a Friday evening, HOCCO will be there for you to enjoy the signature dishes for which you would usually visit our restaurant.
FEA: What are the factors driving the demand or likely to yield more demand for RTC foods?
Ankit Chona: In my opinion, there are three factors driving consumer demand for RTE / RTC foods. Firstly, more focus on eating from places you trust – which has all the more been accelerated due to this pandemic. Secondly, changing consumer lifestyle with more nuclear families, both partners working, and so they need for a quick meal. Thirdly, availability as these products can be bought off the shelf at your nearest store of the mall. Our HOCCO restaurants might not deliver in remote parts of Gujarat, but our RTE will be available in your nearby retail shop.
FEA: What do you think are the unique features of HOCCO RTC/RTE Foods vis-à-vis other RTC/RTE foods available in the market?
Ankit Chona: Our unique feature which also will help us differentiate from the competition is our taste supremacy. Having been in the business for over 70 years now – we believe we understand both the consumer palate and how tastes are changing in recent times. Price and marketing can be short term differentiating factors, but we believe that what will help us win in the long term eventually are our product and our taste differentiation. That is what made people buy HAVMOR Ice creams when my Grandfather made them, that is what made people come to our restaurants and eateries again and again to have the chana puri and that is what we believe will drive them to buy HOCCO Ready to Eat.
FEA: What kind of measures do you take to ensure the health and nutritional components of the RTC dish?
Ankit Chona: Earlier, there was the feeling that anything that is instant is not tasty. That has changed now. Customers need convenient gourmet food and that is exactly where RTE meals play their part. We ensure at HOCCO that products made are with the utmost care and thoroughly detailed. Hence all HOCCO Ready to Eat products are not only preservatives free but also do not contain any artificial colors.
FEA: Which are the dishes you have already launched and which ones do you propose to launch in the future?
Ankit Chona: Currently, we have launched our iconic Chana masala made with a recipe unchanged since 1944 (but with a little twist) – which are available both in Regular and Jain versions, our slow-cooked Dal Makhani, Mumbai Bhaji, a Makhani gravy and a ready to eat Gulab Jamun. All our products are just “heat and eat” – making them an extremely quick and delicious option for our consumers to enjoy the convenience of their homes.
House of Chona has long been known for its Chana masala, samosa, etc among the people of Gujarat. Are you looking at exports to places with a Gujarati Diaspora?
That is there as part of our agenda in the long term. I remember how as a teenager, I used to carry a suitcase full of packets of our chana to the USA during my college days and I am sure there are a lot of people like me who would be missing home. The idea is to bring HOCCO home, wherever it may be.
FEA: Do you think DIY and RTC will grow in popularity as opposed to sit-down and dine-in because of the pandemic?
Ankit Chona: I strongly feel that one is not a replacement of the other because they satisfy completely different demands. Dine-in is very experiential and service-oriented while RTE is targeted at helping our customers take a break from home cooking after a long and tiring day or hectic week. And hence in my view, they will always complement rather than compete.
FEA: What are your future plans of HOCCO?
Ankit Chona: Our Vision for HOCCO is two-pronged with us envisaging both expanding our eatery business as well as extending the distribution of our ready to eat segment. Unfortunately, with this pandemic, any vision or strategy is depending on a lot of external factors – so we will have to wait and see how the COVID situation pans out before we can firm up our plans for the future.
Trail Leader
Anil Mulchandani is an independent writer from 1992. His articles have been published in more than 50 publications, including most of India's leading newspapers, magazines, inflight publications, newsletters and journals. Largely known for his travelogues and food articles, he has also covered diverse subjects like the arts, handicraft,enviromental and social issues, social development initiatives, industry, innovative entrepreneurs, architecture and interiors, sports, among others, Anil is the author of many internationally-published travel books, including guides to Kerala and Southern India, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and other states. He has also written coffee table books and commemorative volumes for industry associations and government organisations. He is also a food critic and author of food guides. He has lectured on heritage, eco-tourism and culture at many seminars. conferences, workshops and symposiums. He is also a tourism or food committee member of many associations and industry organisations. On 12th July 2017 Anil Mulchandani launched the social media group called FEA - Food Entrepreneurs Alliance that connects more than 1500 people in the food and hospitality industry to each other for common causes. He has started the Innovative Food Entrepreneurs Associates, a social enterprise with Dilip Thakker, Rohit Khanna and Darshan Rawal who are co-admins of FEA. He was awarded Best Travel Writer by Madhya Pradesh Tourism. Gujarat's 50 Golden Destinations, a coffee table book authored by Anil Mulchandani for Gujarat Tourism, won the national tourism award.
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