Kolkata gets a new healthy food brand 'Binge Baefikar'

For everyone counting down the days until the BTS Meal arrives at McDonald’s, the wait is over! The band’s signature order – featuring a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium World Famous Fries, medium Coke®, and Sweet Chili and Cajun dipping sauces inspired by recipes from McDonald’s South Korea – is now available at participating U.S. restaurants nationwide.

Tonight, we’re offering up yet another way to celebrate this much anticipated collab. Alarms should be set for 7 p.m. EST, when McDonald’s and BTS will drop a show-stopping merch line on the Weverse Shop app. This head-to-toe collection is inspired by some of the craveable, hand-picked menu items from the BTS Meal, with dynamite threads like hoodies, purple bathrobes, socks and sandals. Whether it’s the McDonald’s fry box logo with seven fries for each BTS member, or the marriage of BTS purple with McDonald’s red and gold, these designs are the perfect representation of an iconic partnership between two fan-favorite brands. And to get it, you must download the Weverse Shop app and create an account to prepare for the merch to drop.

“Seeing the passion and anticipation from our fans worldwide since we announced the BTS Meal has been incredible,” said Morgan Flatley, Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer, McDonald’s USAby adding that they are preparing to give customers even more ways to experience this collaboration in the coming weeks – through a merch drop and exclusive digital content that will provide a behind-the-scenes look at BTS.

Building on the celebrity signature orders McDonald’s released last year, the BTS collab marks the first of its kind to include four straight weeks of dynamic in-app content for customers. Starting today, McDonald’s will reveal never-before-seen digital surprises each week featuring the band, viewable exclusively on the McDonald’s app in the U.S.

U.S. customers can order the BTS Meal in-restaurant, through contactless mobile order and pay in the McDonald’s app, at the Drive Thru or via McDelivery until June 20. And with the BTS Meal coming to 50 markets globally, customers worldwide will soon be enjoying the artists’ go-to McDonald’s favorites. The full list of participating markets and dates for meal availability can be found here.

One of the leading institutional B2B2C food-tech company HungerBox, has signed on new clients in a bid to extend its smart cafeteria management solutions to malls and tech parks.

The frontrunning food-tech brand has already signed deals with AIPL Business Club, ORRIS malls, M3M, Signature, and Galaxy, and is in talks with other leading organizations for management of their F&B services.

“There is a new world order where almost every aspect of our lives has been digitized and the way we consume food is no exception. Just as employees return to work, malls and tech parks are reopening and the F&B leasing sector is largely unorganized, and there is an urgent need for an efficient, smart solution,” shared Sandipan Mitra, CEO, and CO-Founder of HungerBox.

As the sole point of contact for all leasing requirements that include customizable technology, HungerBox has over 3000 F&B vendor partners working jointly with it on various projects.

Powered by leading-edge technology for smart cafeteria management, the company offers a wide array of services including contactless desk ordering and delivery, self-pickup, etc., with over 30 digital payment options at users’ disposal. The fast-growing F&B brand also has a complete vendor POS system that will be deployed at all the food counters.

Pre-COVID times saw the issue of queues while placing food orders, particularly at tech parks where there is hardly more than one cafeteria for the entire premises, making it an extremely time consuming and tedious process. With people now looking to avoid crowds and queues, HungerBox has digitized the process of ordering food, making it a safe and convenient experience. Hence, it will be digitally managing the food courts at malls and tech parks.

“HungerBox’s solution aims to bring all the F&B services under one roof while prioritizing safety and hygiene. We will also be looking to increase sales by way of multiple offers from our payment partners and AI/ML-based upselling. We thank our clients who have trusted us to manage their F&B requirements. We will soon be expanding our services to other malls across the country,” he added.

Customers can now download the HungerBox app or use its progressive web app for users who don’t use the app frequently to place orders that can be delivered or collected at the entrance, parking lots, or a store at the mall where the individual is present. They simply need to scan the QR code available at food courts and will be taken to the HungerBox app where they can place their orders for delivery or collection.

Hurrem’s, India’s first-ever Turkish baklava brand, a part of Prime Foods and Confectionery LLP, is expanding its footprint by partnering with Foodhall.

The brand aims at growing its presence in the country and widening its reach via this long-term partnership, providing authentic and premium Turkish delicacies across the country.

“We are pleased to make our offerings available to a wider audience by partnering with one of India’s most valued retail chains, Foodhall. We launched Hurrem’s with a singular vision of bringing authentic Turkish baklava to patrons across India and are delighted that our vision will now further gain momentum through this strategic association,” shared Ahmed Farid, Co-founder and Promoter, Hurrem’s.

Also Read: Sushi and More launches new kiosk at The Café by Foodhall in Mumbai

The brands will be introducing the association with a dedicated shop-in-shop (SIS) experience for Hurrem’s at Foodhall’s flagship store in Linking Road, Mumbai, gradually expanding its presence in other Foodhall stores.

The dedicated Hurrem’s SIS at the store will be serving close to fifteen varieties of authentic 100% vegetarian Turkish baklava, freshly handcrafted everyday using ingredients flown in from Turkey and by its chef of Turkish origin who has been trained in Gaziantep, Turkey.

In addition to the baklava, over fifteen varieties of Lokum i.e.  authentic Turkish Delights, close to twenty varieties of dates and Turkish tea as well as Turkish coffee will also be made available.

“Through Foodhall, our goal has always been to bring to our patrons flavours from around the globe and we believe that Hurrem’s will be an ideal partner in helping us further strengthen this positioning,” added Hameed Ismail Khan, Business Head, Fresh Food at Foodhall.

May Interest: Eros Hotel, Shangri-La celebrates Turkish food fest

Through this partnership, Hurrem’s also aims at driving its objective of leveraging India’s rapidly growing gifting industry and introducing a new trend in the premium gifting space that of artisanal, luxe Turkish food hampers.

Hurrem’s will be offering custom-made hampers via Foodhall’s gifting brand Blue Ribbon, apt for all occasions, festivals, weddings as well as corporate events. A select assortment of Hurrem’s artisanal hampers will also be listed on Foodhall’s website for enquiries and bookings.

भारत का सबसे तेजी से बढ़ता हुआ फूड ब्रांड सत्त्विको ने पांच फ्लेवर्स में खाखरा चिप्स निकाले हैं। इन चिप्स को लॉन्च करने का मुख्य उद्देश्य नए साल में भारतीयतता को फैलाना है। नए खाखरा चिप्स में मेथी, पिज्जा, जीरा, जलपेनो और मसाला इंडियन के फ्लेवर्स उपलब्ध होंगे।

ये प्रोडक्ट हेल्दी भारतीय मसालों के साथ-साथ खाद्य तेल और गेंहूं का मिश्रण है। फिलहाल ये खाखरा चिप्स 10 शहरों में उपलब्ध हैं। जिसमें दिल्ली (एनसीआर), मुंबई, पुणे, बेंगलुरू, हैदराबाद, जयपुर, उदयपुर, गोवा, लेह और चेन्नई शामिल हैं।

सत्त्विको के को-फाउंडर और डायरेक्टर प्रसून गुप्ता ने कहा, 'अपनी स्थापना के समय से ही सत्त्विको सभी आयु के लोगों को ध्यान में रखते हुए नए ग्राहकों को सेवाएं देता आ रहा है। ट्रेडिशनल फूड के मॉर्डन अवतार को दिखाने के लिए हमारा प्रोडक्ट पुरानी फूड रेसिपी और मॉडर्न फूड टेक्नोलॉजी का परफेक्ट संगम है।'

उन्होंने आगे कहा, 'खाखरा चिप्स की लॉन्च के साथ हमारा उद्देश्य देश के हर घर में भारतीयता को लाना है। साथ ही विभिन्न फ्लेवर्स के इन प्रोडक्ट्स के साथ हम अपने लक्ष्य के काफी करीब पहुंच रहे हैं।'

गुप्ता ने ये भी बताया कि रेडी-टू-ईट स्नैक्स की बढ़ती जरूरतों के साथ भारत एक अत्यधिक विविधता वाला देश है और इन अलग-अलग फ्लेवर्स वाले खाखरा चिप्स के साथ हम लोगों को ऐसा स्नैक दे रहे हैं जो हेल्दी होने के साथ-साथ टेस्टी भी है।

India's fastest-growing food brand Sattviko has unveiled Khakhra chips in five flavours. The objective of this new launch is spreading Indianness in the new year.

The new Khakhra chips flavours include Methi, Pizza, Jeera, Jalapeno and Masala Indian. The product is a mix of healthy Indian seasonings, along with edible oil and wheat.

The Khakhra chips are available in ten cities, including Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, Goa, Leh and Chennai. They are available in single packs priced at Rs 10 and 40g packs of four priced at Rs 100.

Prasoon Gupta, Co-Founder and Director, Sattviko, said, "Since its inception, Sattviko caters to the new-age customers across all age groups. Our products are a perfect fusion between old food recipes and modern food technology to present traditional foods in a modern avatar."

"With the launch of Khakhra chips, we aim to bring Indianness to every household in the country and with products like these that are available in multiple flavours, we are getting closer to reaching our goals," he added.

Gupta further stated, "India is a highly diverse country with a growing need for ready-to-eat snacks, and with these Khakhra chips, we are providing a snack that is healthy as well as tasty."

Kellogg's CEO is retiring and will be succeeded by an executive from a vitamin and protein bar company, as packaged food makers try to keep customers who are looking for healthier products.

The maker of Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts and Eggo waffles said “Chief Executive John Bryant will be replaced by Steven Cahillane, an executive from The Nature's Bounty Co”.

Cahillane will start as CEO next week and will join the company's board. Bryant, 51, will remain executive chairman of the board until March, when Cahillane will take over that role. Cahillane, 52, has also worked at Soda Company Coca-Cola Co. and beer maker AB InBev.

Kellogg has struggled to make its cereals and snacks more appealing to Americans who are increasingly seeking to avoid processed food. Its revenue has fallen every year since 2013.

John Bryant said “Cahillane's experience at Nature's Bounty would help Kellogg adjust to consumers' demand for healthier food, but that it wouldn't apply to all of Kellogg's products. I think in our cereal business, health and wellness is important. The snacks business is more about indulgence and taste. The Kellogg Company was founded on health and wellness, so it's not a new move for us. It's a continuation of that belief the company has in delivering products that help people live a healthier and happier life."

Packaged food conglomerates have been trying to appeal more to consumers who favour fresher foods, smaller, local brands and are worried about the ingredients they eat.

Bryant would not say whether Kellogg had plans to cut jobs or drop certain lagging brands.

Godrej Nature’s Basket (GNB), India’s pioneering food chain, launched its transformation strategy aimed at redefining India’s freshest and finest food experience. The company’s transformation is centered on being the go-to place for the customer’s ‘Daily Food Delights’. Geared towards being a quality fresh neighborhood store, the brand aims to meet both special and daily food needs of consumers. In line with this transformation, the Managing Director, Avani Davda, unveiled a refined and refreshed brand identity, today.

Tanya Dubash, Executive Director and Chief Brand Officer of Godrej Group, said that this marked a huge step forward in the brand’s journey. “Godrej Nature's Basket is a pioneer in the food and grocery space and we are committed to continually redefining the food retailing experience in India. Godrej Nature’s Basket is an exceedingly strong brand with immense potential and this transformation will ensure accelerated growth in a sustainable and innovative manner. The refreshed brand identity centered around the promise of “Daily Food Delights” is an expression of this transformation.”

Speaking about the company’s new value proposition, Avani Davda, said, “We embarked on our transformation journey a year ago and towards this, the business has invested significantly behind talent development at all levels and in technology to uplift employee experience by creating a cultural transformation. The other key areas included strengthening a robust world-class supply chain, creating enduring customer experiences and leveraging tech capabilities for enhanced retail processes.”

Avani further added, “Godrej Nature’s Basket has and continues to be an iconic and much loved brand, owing to the strong brand loyalty and equity among our customers. Our new brand promise manifests itself across various levels and will help us offer a more wholesome experience to our customers. As a part of this, in our vision to be a neighbourhood store for daily food needs, we will be focusing on specific categories, which have the potential to accelerate our growth story. One that we have identified is the ‘Fresh’ category, which contributes to over 40% of our revenues. We expect this to increase to 50 to % by FY18.” 

Vermicelli manufacturer in South-India, Top Anil Marketing Company, is mulling plants in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, beef up its product line with pasta and others to touch a turnover of Rs 275 crore, a senior company official said.

The firm has decided not to pass on the 5 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the customers and is also helping retailers and distributors to get registered under the GST regime.

N. Sugumar, Executive Director, Top Anil Marketing Company, said, "We are planning to expand our production base. We are planning to set up production facilities in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Each plant would involve an outlay of around Rs 10 crore."

Closing the last fiscal with a turnover of Rs 230 crore, the firm is looking to grow to Rs 275 crore this fiscal. The firm is also targeting to increase its export revenue to 10 per cent from the current 4 per cent.

Sugumar said, "We are shipping our products to countries where Indian population is largely concentrated. We now plan to have a separate set up for exports."

He added, "Nearly 40 per cent of our turnover is from vermicelli and the balance is contributed by products like salt, broken wheat, rice flour, maida, ragi vermicelli, noodles, atta and others."

N. Kamalahassan, Managing Director, Anil Group, said, "The group planned to get around 10000 retailers to get registered under the GST regime free of cost so that they do not face any hassle under the new tax regime."

Sugumar said, "The tax rate had gone up to 5 per cent from zero. We have decided to hold our price line without passing it on to the customers." 

With an aim to popularise its Daawat brand of rice in Europe, LT Foods commenced operations of its first rice processing plant at Rotterdam, Netherlands. LT Foods has made an investment of $15 million in the plant with initial capacity of 60000 tonnes and scope for further expansion in the future.

LT Foods plant is the first rice processing plant by any Indian foods brand in Europe. LT Foods plans to expand its geographical footprint in important markets of Europe and UK through this plant by increasing its sales from the current 5000 tonnes to 60000 tonnes over the next 3 years. 

The Company would be manufacturing a wide range of rice including popular varieties like Basmati, Thai, Jasmine and American rice from the new plant. Rotterdam, which is popularly known as the gateway to Europe will be a critical geographical location as it will give the Company easy access to the whole of Europe and UK for its expansion plans.

Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor, Rotterdam, Netherlands, said, "We are extremely happy to welcome such a reputed Indian Company to make Netherlands its base for manufacturing for the whole of Europe. Our endeavour has been to make our country one of the most business friendly places globally. We would like to welcome more Indian companies to set up operations in our country to leverage our strategic geographic location, skilled manpower and advanced infrastructure to expand their footprint across Europe and UK."

Ashwani Arora, CEO and Managing Director, LT Foods said, "Europe and UK are critical markets for LT Foods for our future growth and we intend to make deep inroads in these markets by making our most popular rice brand ''Daawat'' a household name. The location of the plant was also critical for us as Rotterdam will provide us easy access to whole of Europe and UK. We want to exponentially increase our geographical reach and product portfolio in these markets by offering our globally acknowledged best-in-class food products to every consumer."

LT Foods has collaborated with Rotterdam Partners, The Port of Rotterdam Authority and Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) for this initiative.

The company has already launched Daawat brand in six new countries this year and plans to expand its product offerings and portfolio globally.

Taco Bell, the world’s largest Mexican style fast food giant, has partnered with Zomato for online ordering.

“Taco Bell, with its Mexican inspired food experience, has a massive growth opportunity in India. The increase in the on-demand category presents us with a tremendous opportunity to bring Taco Bell to our fans where and when they want it. We are delighted to partner with Zomato, a market leader in the online ordering space to launch delivery,” shared Ankush Tuli, General Manager, Taco Bell. This partnership also marks Taco Bell's entry into the online ordering space in India.

The association will now allow users to order Taco Bell’s international classics like Crunchy Tacos, Burritos, Chalupa, Double Crunchwrap as well as Tikka Masala Burrito developed especially for India to suit the local palate, online on Zomato.

The online ordering service for Taco Bell on Zomato will start out with Bangalore; and the services will be expanded to more cities across the country soon.

Through its investee company Grab, and logistics partner Delhivery, Zomato will also service the delivery logistics for Taco Bell in India.

“Our online ordering business is growing at 40% month-on-month, and we are certain that we will continue to drive immense value for restaurant brands, as well as give our customers a wide selection of places to order from online. We have a lot of ground to cover given how online food ordering is still comparatively nascent in the country and it's an exciting time to be collaborating with those who share our vision,” said Pankaj Chaddah, co-founder of Zomato.

By Sunil Pol

Parag Milks Food Limited, one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of dairy-based branded foods in India, has tied up with Germany's cheese maker Hochland to bring and promote their champion product Almette fresh cream into India. This is the first that the brand will be available in India and will be co branded as Go-Almette.

“With the launch of Go-Almette in the country, we are broadening our portfolio of consumer health and nutrition based products. With this co-branding, we are also embarking upon a new relationship with Hochland Group,” shared Devendra Shah, Chairman, Parag Milk Foods Limited.

Currently they have launched two variants of Go Almette, Original and Fine Herbs in the market and shall soon be launching other variants as well to enhance the consumer taste buds.

“In the near future, we will be expanding our product portfolio with an increased focus on health and nutrition products to suite the Indian palate,” added Shah.

Domino’s Pizza, the recognised world leader in pizza delivery, has named Andy Ballard to its Board of Directors, effective at the company board meeting July 15.

Ballard, 42, serves as the CEO and Co-founder of Quad Analytix, a technology and data start-up and is the Founder and Managing Partner of Figtree Partners, an investment firm focused on digital media. He is also the Vice Chairman of Zignal Labs, a digital media monitoring firm.

Additionally, Ballard serves as a Senior Advisor at the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, where he was previously a Managing Director. He has had previous board roles at Activant Solutions, Catalina Marketing, DoubleClick, Getty Images, Internet Brands, and Vertafore. Prior to joining Hellman & Friedman, he worked at Bain Capital in San Francisco and Boston, and Bain & Company.

"We are absolutely delighted to have Andy joining us as the newest member of the Board," said David A. Brandon, Domino's Chairman of the Board. "His expertise in the realm of technology, media and finance will be a tremendous resource to us as we push into new areas of digital consumer innovation. He brings important skills to our accomplished board."

"Domino's is a strong brand known for service, great food, and increasingly, for cutting-edge technology," Ballard said. "Domino's has blazed a trail with innovations providing customers with new and more convenient ways to order pizza anywhere, anytime, on any device. I'm looking forward to lending my technology and marketing expertise to this great organization as it continues to lead the way with digital solutions."

South African fast-food group Famous Brands has pulled out of India two years after re-entering the nation, said the brand on Monday stated a report by Reuters.

Though looking to expand outside its domestic market as South African consumers continue to be squeezed by high unemployment and sharply rising electricity costs, the brand said it had committed extensive resources to evaluate the company's performance in India before deciding to pull out.

The company, which also has operations in Britain, the Middle East and 16 countries in the rest of Africa, reported a 15 percent rise in headline earnings per share (EPS) to 467 cents in the year to February 28.

Headline EPS, stripping out certain one-off items, is the main profit gauge in South Africa.

The owner of brands such as Steers, Wimpy and Mugg & Bean, re-entered the Indian market in 2013 after opening and closing a pizza restaurant near Delhi in 2003.

But it said on Monday that it ended the master licence agreement with its partners in India in April and closed the two Debonairs Pizza restaurants in the nation's largest city, Mumbai.

The group opened 213 new restaurants in its home market in the year and plans to add a further 202 in the current year, while aiming to add 35 restaurants in the rest of Africa.