Hyderabad firm Instahot Foods, as part of its foray into the ready-to-eat food segment has set up a factory that can produce two million meal boxes a month.
Stating that the factory, with advanced dehydration and freeze drying technology unit, has been established at Patancheru here, the company said nearly $3 million (around ₹ 22 crore) had been invested on the infrastructure and research and development. The company has a 40-member team right now, a release said.
The focus of the products, marketed under ‘The Taste Company’ brand is on Indian breakfast and meal categories. It is the first firm in the country to offer non-vegetarian ready-to-eat meals. Way2online founder Raju Vanapala, who launched the venture a year ago, said the customer response during the pilot project undertaken in the last six months had been encouraging.
Consumers just need to pour hot water and eat directly from the box. The meals take 3-5 minutes to be prepared, with no hassles of cooking. All the products have a shelf life of six months, the release said. The firm has partnered with several companies, airlines, co-working spaces, multiplex chains and coffee chains to cater to their needs. On Monday the company launched the products in modern retail outlets across Hyderabad and Bengaluru markets and targeting to expand to 3,000 outlets by this year-end. The products are also available online.
“We see great market fit and massive opportunities for our ready-to-eat food products,” Mr.Vanapala, who is the CEO, said.
