‘‘We have already started working on our latest expansion with an investment of INR 325 crore”: Kamlesh Karamchandani, Director, Hyfun Foods

Serving more than 10,000 customers across 225 cities in the country, Hyfun foods is targeting to serve 20,000 customers across 240 cities by the end of this year. Having established a strong market base, the company supplies products to national and global QSR clients like Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl’s Junior, Café Coffee Day, and TFS (Travel Food Service). The aim of the company is to be a solution provider and not just a product seller. Asmita Mukherjee spoke with Kamlesh Karamchandani, Director – Sales & Marketing, HyFun Foods to know more about their expansion and investment plans.
Kindly brief us about your company’s product portfolio.
We have always believed that our product range will simplify the life of a chef and the purchasing team of the HoReCa segment. Since our company has focussed on manufacturing high-quality potato-based products, HyFun Foods is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of French Fries in the country. Our signature product is French Fries where we offer five different types of fries. The company curates and makes an array of high-quality other products like patties, wedges, nuggets, puffs, pizzas, etc. HyFun offers more than 25 ready-to-cook frozen snacks, including popular Indian snacks like aloo-tikki, aloo vada (a Mumbai special), and sabudana patties. Another exciting and unique snack from our portfolio is ‘potatobets’ (mashed potatoes shaped into letters), made especially for kids. Apart from the frozen potato products, we have also entered into the frozen bakery category and launched unique products like puffets, frozen pizza. We are also on the verge of launching some frozen hot desserts like apple pie, pineapple pie, chocolate lava pie. We have several such products in the pipeline for our customers and the beauty of all the products is that they are ready to cook. It can be served to the final customer within 3-4 minutes of cooking, and the shelf life is also extended from 9-18 months. So, the freshness of all the products is intact, even if the product is 12 months old or 15 months old.
What is the USP of your products that make your brand stand apart from its competitors?
I believe we have an upper edge over the other brands where the company has a different category of products to offer because no one in our country right now is serving such a vast mix of product range to the customers. Being Indian entrepreneurs, we have developed and designed the recipe of our products in such a way that suits the Indian palate. Being a family-owned company and business, the turnaround time and the decision making is quite faster than other brands available in our country, so being flexible can also be considered as our USP.
In this time of increased awareness regarding social distancing and self-isolation, are you planning to focus on e-commerce platforms?
Many consumers have shifted to e-commerce now, and this digital shopping has been adapted very widely in our country after the arrival of the pandemic. So, looking at that change and shift, we have also started working on three different types of platforms. The first type is the readily available platforms like Amazon, Big Basket, and Grofers. So we have already started speaking to them and getting our products listed there. The other platform is that we are also developing our website, enabling it to accommodate e-commerce. For this platform, the last-mile delivery will be controlled by our in-house team. And the third most interesting platform, which we are very proud of sharing, is our application by the name ‘DigiGrocer’, where we will be going to all the retailers and shopkeepers, giving them the free application service, through which they can list their products along with our products, and they can also take the order through WhatsApp, Facebook or any other digital mode. There are many kirana stores in our country, who are losing their business because they are not available online. So, to help them sustain and increase their business, we are coming up with this free application.
What are the technologies that have been adopted by your company for ensuring and adhering to the food safety norms?
The process of production is completely atomized from the first step to the last step of packaging, which helps us to minimize human intervention during the production cycle. As far as quality protocols are concerned, we have been recognised and certified by BRC food.
Kindly let us know about your investment and expansion plans?
It is a very proud moment for us to share that we are already a leading manufacturer and exporter from our country within a short span of five years. As the momentum is being continued, we foresee and envisage that the Indian and the exports market will be completely changed over the coming years. India will be adapting to frozen foods with the wide range of products that the segment has to offer. Hence, we have already started working on another expansion with an investment of INR 325 crores. With that expansion, the production capacity which is currently at 80,000 tonnes will rise to 200,000 tonnes.

Source: HospitalityBizIndia