WHEN FOOD TURNS INTO A HEALTH FAD

Millennials are at constant war with themselves for food. In fact, there seems to be a health meter ticking all the time at the back of their minds that refuses to compromise on taste as well as health. Basically, they find peace when they eat right. From the grocery store to leading restaurants, everybody is walking in tune with the pace of the corporate culture in metropolitan cities. However, some of these busy bees are not yet clear about the idea of health. “Consuming a bowl full of mayonnaise with a handful of veggies diced in a branded bowl of some international restaurant is not healthy; rather it’s the organic food which provides the needful,” says Rahul Narula, CEO, Organic Express, a leading health cafe in Gurgaon.

Ingredients and Menu

With a casket full of organic veggies tossed in extra virgin olive oil, a glass of fresh juices, smoothies and a bowl of sprouts, salads and soups, health cafes generally avoid using potatoes, sugar, oil, butter, ghee, white rice, preservatives or artificial colours. “People relish sumptuous healthy food such as these and love the filling ‘South Meets Mediterranean Cottage Cheese Steak Meal Platter’ in the main course and ‘Strawberry and Mixed Berry High-Protein Smoothie’ in drinks, which are the highest-selling food items,” informs Talwar. Narula, who has been working on the idea of organic food for the last seven years, has made ‘Multigrain Khichdi’ the highest selling item. “Although we can prepare organic mayonnaise, we serve freshly prepared chutney because it is a healthy mixture of veggies and seasonal fruits,” he says. Narula serves more than 85 dishes to offer a variety in taste and health.

The Business Model

Corporate culture is invoking the demand for healthy food. “By 2020 India would have a majority of health cafes and restaurants,” says Narula. Health cafes are flourishing rapidly and promise lucrative returns to an entrepreneur. “We provide healthy food to corporate companies such as Wipro, Galgotias University, EXL Business Process Solutions, Life Augmented, and others,” says Satish Kumar, CEO, Lefresco, indicating a trend that is bound to pick up momentum as and how an increasing number of people become health-conscious.

The Franchising Route

Nurturing a health-based brand in the food industry is quite delicate and fragile since people generally hesitate in joining hands with anyone. “We want our franchisees to be as passionate as we are because it is not easy to establish a brand in a 20-kilometer radius where more than 3,700 restaurants are registered on Zomato while maintaining a relationship with some of the best farmers in the country. Presently, we have tied up with more than 3,500 farmers who give us organic veggies and fruits,” shares Narula.

It is, in fact, difficult to hand over your dream project or brand name to someone and so health cafes are taking baby steps. Lefresco will start its franchise model by March 2018 and they are planning to expand in cities like Jaipur, Mumbai, and Bangalore. On similar lines, guided by a vision to make India healthy, Health Wealth Cafe, located in Delhi and NCR has franchisees in Bangalore at Koramangala and Hosur Sarjapur Road (HSR) Layout. The franchising pathway is now witnessing some traffic!

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