Bake-n-call! Know about FoodRaju, India's first online marketplace for bakeries
What's the story
The CEO of FoodRaju, Abhisek Prusty, aims to bridge the gap between retailers and merchants in the baking industry.
Through his initiative, which is a first-of-a-kind B2B e-commerce start-up, he wants to unite over 10L bakers in India.
Currently based in Bengaluru, FoodRaju caters to over 25 retailers within the city.
In his conversation with NewsBytes, the entrepreneur shares more about this journey.
Start-ups
Prusty, graduate from NIT Rourkela, had worked with several start-ups
After graduating from NIT Rourkela, Prusty worked as a Business Analyst at Hindustan Unilever from where he says the "entrepreneur bug" bit him.
He then co-founded Khanaselect.com in Odisha, the first such food delivery platform in East India.
It was during that time the loopholes within the supply chain of the baking sector caught his eye, which paved the way for FoodRaju.
Beginning
In its initial days, FoodRaju focused on finished bakery goods
Prusty notes that about 80% of bakeries in every city source their products from other manufacturers.
In its initial days, FoodRaju worked to bridge this gap and the venture was able to connect over 200 bakeries within the town for on-demand delivery services.
However, this had to shut down amid the pandemic since several registered baking units were shutting down due to business loss.
Impact
The impact and changes brought in by the pandemic
Like every other sector, the pandemic negatively impacted the baking segment, the community that FoodRaju catered to.
In May 2020, at a time when retailers were getting their foot back into business, the main challenge faced by them was to procure raw materials.
In this light, Prusty added a new vertical for supplying raw materials to restaurants and bakeries, keeping safety as a priority.
Online market
FoodRaju offers a wide variety of quality raw materials
The new business soon picked up the pace, with orders pouring in from across the city, making FoodRaju India's first marketplace for bakeries and restaurants.
Today, the company offers a wide variety of raw materials, of every brand and customized quantity, at a lesser price than most wholesale stores.
The start-up also strives for on-demand wholesale delivery, which isn't a common aspect in India.
Challenges
Field work and pricing are major challenges in baking community
Though a tech company, Prusty says that connecting to bakers involves a lot of fieldwork.
This is primarily because there isn't complete information on online portals and directories available for the baking community.
Prusty adds that pricing is another major challenge that is associated with the business and the only way to monetize the venture is by trading with the retailers on the platform.
Expansion
Expansion plans include South and East Indian markets
When asked about his expansion plans, Prusty maintains that he intends to cover South and East India in the coming year.
FoodRaju is also on its path to welcoming 50,000 bakers on its community platform, making way for easier trading between retailers across the country.
A rare venture and such determination is not everyone's cup of tea.
We wish Abhisek Prusty the very best!