iD Fresh Food revamps packaging to highlight preservative-free ingredients; company CMO Gaurav Kwatra announces QR codes for virtual factory tours and transparency initiatives

April 28, 2025 (Pitch) –

Gaurav Kwatra , CMO, iD Fresh Food, shares how the fresh food manufacturer is looking to drive trust and leverage innovation

'Absolutely brilliant,' says Gaurav Kwatra of his current stint as the Chief Marketing Officer at iD Fresh Food that manufactures a range of fresh foods including Idly/ Dosa Batter , Parotas, chapatis, curd, paneer etc. Having joined the company recently, the first initiative executed by him - to drive trust and transparency - has been to change the packaging, a key medium which the brand is leveraging to tell consumers that iD Fresh Foods is natural, uses preservative-free ingredients just as in kitchens at home. In a bold move, the brand has completely stripped all the design elements on one side. Kwatra explains, "We're letting our commitment to purity and transparency take centre stage. So, instead of the design and iD Fresh Food's brand communication, we are using one side of the pack completely to make the promise that there are no preservatives or additives and the batter is not touched by hand, which is very visible to the consumer. For this campaign, we will utilise more than three million packs. We want people to sit up and notice again what iD Fresh Food stands for and reaffirm our commitment to purity and transparency in our consumers' minds, and also make other consumers conscious to choose iD Fresh Food."

In an effort to build consumer trust and ensure transparency, every year the company organises a factory visit for its consumers with the founder of the company, PC Musthafa also present. Last year, the company invited grandmothers to the manufacturing facility, and this year, students were invited, and they quizzed PC Musthafa and the iD Fresh Food team on issues ranging from sustainability to innovation to the competition. Taking innovation a step ahead, the packaging has a QR code, which, when scanned by the consumer, takes them inside iD Fresh Food's factory where they can see the entire process of food production.

Commenting on getting GenZs to tour the facility, Kwatra says, "

This time, we thought of getting in the toughest audience - GenZ and Gen Alpha who are the custodians of the future, are very aware and can scrutinise the brand when it comes to transparency and trust. The idea was to have the toughest authority come in, see and audit us in terms of what we do and challenge us, ask us questions and then be convinced that what we do is absolutely clean. In the process, they give us some to build the next phase of growth."

A formula one ride

Kwatra recently joined iD Fresh Food, after stints in FMCG majors Nestle and Britannia. Asked what sets the batter maker apart in the FMCG category and learnings he says, "The three things which amazed me about iD Fresh Food are: first, the passionate and driven set of leaders and team, many of whom have been with the company for a long period and built the company ground up. Second, the speed of innovation, work or even the speed at which a campaign is executed. If I were to give an analogy, it's like driving a Formula One Car for the first time, and you are amazed at the speed. Similarly, the speed at which iD Fresh Food can work has been fascinating. The company has a flat structure, and this allows it to move fast, and I'm learning as well how fast I can drive iD Fresh Food and stay in control. Third, it's a very data and insight-rich organisation, and all aspects of the business are data and insight-driven.

Leveraging influencers

Being a digital-first brand, it's not a surprise that most of the media investments are targeted at digital media, given that the medium helps iD Fresh Food target geographies and audiences who are more receptive to the brand's products. The company has particularly used its content to educate consumers, especially when it is related to product innovation. An example is the launch of ID's butter stick last year, when the company used short-form video to explain its product innovation, whereby the reusable butter stick had to be twisted to easily spread the butter. Currently, the brand's use of television is "less or almost negligible", however, it is looking at the OTT audience to reach out to its consumers. Kwatra says, "We have used print very effectively in this campaign, where a QR code was published on the front page of the Times of India , to allow consumers to scan and get a peek into the factory. Our key mantra is innovation in everything we do. If we find an idea which is suitable for television, we will definitely try it, but right now the media mix is definitely skewed towards digital."

For a category that is suited to influencer marketing, iD Fresh Food has not fully jumped on the influencer bandwagon, and this is something that Kwatra is looking to change. He says, "Food influencers, mom influencers play a very big role in shaping the food ecosystem, and influencer marketing is something which I definitely want to do more. iD Fresh Food has been shy on working with influencers, and you will now see more on this from ID's stable." He adds, "Getting an influencer campaign is not only about the numbers and RoI, but also about having the right fit. For ID, we would be looking at people who share the same food philosophy, i.e. food in its purest sense, as it used to be, as it is supposed to be in your mother's or grandmother's kitchen. Meeting of minds and personalities would be a big criterion when we look at influencer campaigns, and also where we get better returns on our investments. Campaigns which straddle across all types of influencers - large influencers, micro and nano influencers - with the right fit should work best for the brand."

iD Fresh Food = Innovation + Localisation

Looking back at iD Fresh Food's origins, the brand started by selling Idli and Dosa batter (hence the name ID). The strategy was to help ease the effort that goes in the preparation of idli and dosa batter, has today led to the company having multiple SKUs across food categories, but all based on the same principle - ease in the food preparation.

Currently, Idli-Dosa batter is the biggest category, followed by parathas (called Indian breads). Kwatra says, "We are betting on both our core categories - idli-dosa batter and parathas, and you will see us more active in adjacent categories. While our batter business is doing fantastically well, over the last one year we have launched for expressions of batter such as ragi batter, a multigrain batter, a high protein batter which promises 2x protein etc." He continues, "You will see a lot more innovation and activations coming on the batter side and paratha side."

The way forward for the Indian bread is more innovation as well as bringing in some of the lost breads which are part of India's culinary repertoire. Looking at iD Fresh Food's popular Malabar parotta, plans are afoot to bring in more innovation in this bread soon. The other opportunities the company sees in Indian bread is in the indulgent and health space. He adds, "The Indian bread category could be the next big thing in the Indian fresh food space and we are betting big on it, as that's where a lot of the pain of cooking has to be taken away in a more convenient and healthy manner. Apart from that, wherever we see an opportunity to disrupt the category by our philosophy of authenticity, clean label products, we will definitely look at entering those categories."

While iD Fresh Food's origins are in South India , with its range of products primarily from this region, the company's focus is to go beyond southern delicacies to localise and then try and capture the broad base of India's diverse regional cuisine. Recently, the company launched Ulavacharu, a time-consuming dish that is specific to the markets of Telangana. Kwatra says, "Localisation is going to be a big part of our strategy. You will see innovation and a modern Indian twist going ahead." Recently, iD Fresh Food launched fresh sambar and chutneys and is looking at disrupting new categories.

Ramping up on distribution

iD Fresh Food follows the direct-to-store distribution. Being in the fresh food space, this strategy ensures that the product reaches the retailer's shelf within a day of when it is made. Being in the fresh food space, quick commerce is the suited channel than traditional e-commerce; with quick commerce now an important channel along with traditional trade and modern trade. He says, "Quick commerce has been a growth channel for us as the accessibility of product is greatly enhanced on this platform for a fresh category like ours. Quick commerce is a match made in heaven for us. We're growing in quick commerce, and it contributes a significant part of our sales as well as our investments."

Currently, South is the brand's biggest and dominant market. A big focus area is Delhi , which has seen significant growth and is growing at 2x the pace of what South India is growing. Overall, iD Fresh Food has been growing between 25% to 30%, with all channels growing and quick commerce growth a few percentage points higher.

Looking at expansion, the company has taken on an ambitious project called K2K - Kashmir to Kanyakumari with a penetration-driven volume growth. Kwatra says, "There are enough and more aspiring consumers across Tier I and Tier II cities. Being a fresh food brand, the challenge is that our manufacturing setup has to be close to the cities we are entering. Our manufacturing footprint, as well as a distribution footprint, is increasing rapidly, and as part of the Kashmir to Kanya Kumari initiative, we are adding another 50 cities to our fold. Our products, including frozen products, are supported by a chiller, and we need this infrastructure in new towns. We're expanding and investing in both our distribution as well as how we support the retailers to expand the category and have more ID assets." A big challenge for the category overall is inflation and how cost optimisation and better efficiencies can give the least amount of pain to the consumer.