Deli Meat Provider Prasuma's Focus Continues To Be On Uncompromised Quality

Resham Suhail Mar 02, 2022

Prasuma was launched in 1985 by Mahendra Suwal and has created a legacy through its fresh and chilled deli meats. His daughter Lisa Suwal took the reins as CEO of Prasuma and launched the brand's now marquee product – Prasuma Momos in 2019.

Today, Prasuma Momos has an omnichannel model with distribution across 70 cities, with major traction coming from the top 12 metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolata and Bangalore. However, Prasuma is also witnessing steadily-growing demand from Tier 2 and 3 cities. Prasuma is available in all top modern retail chains as well as e-commerce platforms.

Prasuma Momos has been delighting its patrons with its range of frozen momos. The Momos have been in the making for over a decade and boast a rich history. Each variant of Prasuma Momos has been researched, tested and developed on the back of the most authentic recipes gathered over the years. For instance, the chicken momos are our home recipe slightly tweaked to appeal to a larger consumer base. Our pork momos are based on a recipe from a Japanese gyoza expert celebrating all those umami flavours. Our new launch, the Desi Chicken and Spicy Mutton Momos are based on recipes from the tranquil hills of India bursting with spicy mustard oil and more.

From the very beginning, we chose to only bring to market products that we believe in, unwilling to compromise on quality or cut corners. Starting from the procurement of fresh raw ingredients to the process as well as packaging and distribution, our only focus continues to be on uncompromised quality while delivering the joy of eating Momos and other products alive.

What are the unique key points (USP) of your company?

Prasuma momos have become India's favorite Momos in just 18 months. These momos are a cut as they are 3x juicier than any Momo in the market. With hand-picked fresh high-quality ingredients, these are preservative-free and devoid of hormones or antibiotics in the meat. Every variant can be traced back to a cherished family recipe or memory. Each variant is researched, tested, and developed on the back of the most authentic recipes gathered over generations

How are you different from the existing competitors?

Prasuma's flagship offering, its lip-smacking Momos are different from anything else available in the market. Fresh meat and veggies are sourced every single day to make the fillings for these delicious Momos. The meat is hand-selected and minced at the factory to ensure the consistent quality of every Momo. Veggies also come directly from partner farms that strive to sustainably grow the best quality products to ensure the maximum flavour and nutrition.

To achieve the signature three times juicy Momo with the delightfully thin outer coating, the dough is kneaded at least 3000 times, thinning it down to under 1 mm. The Momos are frozen as soon as they are ready and tested, to lock in the quality for customers to enjoy.

What is the monetisation model?

The company has been following an omnichannel approach, and it only receives orders from distributors, modern trade, general trade, and e-commerce platforms.

What challenges are you facing in running your business?

India is still a developing nation, and electricity is an unstable resource in many parts. For us, uninterrupted power is a prerequisite to stock our products as even the tiniest temperature instability can ruin the quality and, more importantly, make the products unfit to consume.

While the number of stores with freezers is growing with the increase in demand for frozen products, the evolution is limited by infrastructure and power unavailability. The Indian consumer’s palate is evolving. They are embracing frozen products that are not just fresh and delicious, but also ready to eat in a matter of minutes. However, India is not yet equipped for the explosive growth that the frozen category is poised towards.

To overcome these challenges, we use strict processes with our operations teams to thoroughly vet our distribution and retail partners and their infrastructure. We are also constantly reviewing and revising our distribution.

How would you decode the impact of the pandemic? How has been your customer's response so far post lockdown?

The pandemic has transformed customer tastes and preferences. There is an increased focus on high-quality, hygienically-packed, and safe products. Taste, of course, will always remain to be a key driving force behind consumer demand. As customers become more discerning between high-quality and average-quality food, they will continue to aspire for only the best ready-to-eat meal solutions in their daily life. On our part, we are all set to give them an arsenal of products to ace their food games at home.

What are the traction details (achievements of the company)?

Our products are available across 70 cities, with major traction coming from the top 12 metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore

We have also partnered with Meatigo.com, Nature's Basket, Walmart, and Bigbasket and are available in 100 stores of DMART. The brand is also growing within Reliance and is also seeing 30 per cent growth in the month on month sales. This has instantly added up to ten thousand customers to our pool of sales and Prasuma can continue to reach up to a million potential customers through these stores. Prasuma will be adding at least 300 new outlets by March 2022.

In 2021, on the back of growing consumer demand, the brand’s distribution footprint almost tripled, increasing from 40 to 70 cities. Its retail presence went from 1000 to 5000 stores over the past year. Furthermore, sales during the peak festive months of November and December up to 30 per cent compared to non-season sales, with a 70 per cent YOY growth.

How do you look at expansion?

The year 2021 has been exceptional for Prasuma in terms of growth and expansion. Overall, our distribution footprint almost tripled, increasing from 40 to 70 cities. We have also expanded our presence from 1000 to 5000 stores over the past year. We are gearing up to expand its presence to 140 cities by March 2022 and then to 200 cities by the end of next year

What are your marketing plans?

Prasuma Momos has become India's favourite Momo brand via organic consumer outreach and word of mouth. It is driven by innovation and evolving consumer behavior. Consumers are becoming more sophisticated with their preferences and expectations from brands they choose to invest in, even in this category.

Prasuma's most extensive awareness driving medium until very recently was word of mouth and we have recently launched Digital ads, SEO and influencer marketing activities. These have been contributors to driving brand discovery and trial.

Prasuma as a brand is at a point where we need to drive brand awareness, consideration and trials, this is our main objective. We are confident about the quality of our product, and there is an organic pull coming in from trade across our markets, be it Modern trade, General trade or E-commerce.

What has been the biggest learning so far?

Our most significant learning is the importance of high-quality ingredients, the discipline of process, and the latest food technology adoption. By blending all three, Prasuma Momos have achieved stellar success.

What are your future plans, with respect to the Indian market?

Momo are the number one street food in India, estimated to be close to a $2.7 billion market. Around 97 per cent of this market is still unorganised. Fortunately, the pandemic has encouraged consumers to look at healthier, hygienic frozen food, leading a shift towards the organized market. Prasuma Momos, has sold over 100 million Momos in under 2.5 years.

Catapulted by the stellar response in 2020 and 2021, Prasuma Momos is gearing up to expand its presence to 140 cities by March 2022 and then to 200 by the end of next year. We aim to exceed customer expectations by continuing to innovate and offer the most lip-smacking Momos in a variety of flavours, among other high-quality offerings.