Startup Story #7: Gourmet food made by you

September 19, 2016

Gourmet Eat In co-founders Swati Jindal and Tanuj Sinha

‘You are what you eat’, an ancient quote that stands true even today. With a stressful urban lifestyle looming over most of us, cooking is no longer considered therapeutic or a healthy choice. Take-outs or eating out seem like a convenient option after a hard day at work. Thus, with certain food apps promising to deliver your meal before you finish the cumbersome task of chopping vegetables, cooking does seem like a tedious task. But, Tanuj Sinha and Swati Jindal, a couple who have made Pune home, have set out to demystify the benefits of cooking at home with their startup- Gourmet Eat In. After working in the IT sector for almost 13 years, the couple decided to follow their passion for food and explore ways to spread it as well. “My wife and I came back to India in 2013, at the time when there was a startup boom. Therefore, we decided to quit our jobs and take the plunge. After flirting with a number of ideas we came up with the concept of offering our customers a lifestyle option,” explains Tanuj Sinha.

The main idea behind the six month old startup is to remove the perceived “stress” from cooking, promote cooking as an activity that allows “real” bonding between families and create an ecosystem that benefits chefs and foodies. Before starting out on their venture, the couple spoke to a number of friends and family to understand the current scenario in Pune. “We realised most people eat food that is cooked by their maid, or at restaurants or order in. Some of the main issues with cooking they cited were-time, difficulty in getting full proof recipes and the task of learning how to cook,” elaborates Sinha. In a bid to make cooking a much easier chore and allow you to enjoy good food at the comfort of your home, Gourmet Eat In provides a holistic kit inclusive of the ingredients required and a recipe to go with it. “People no longer need to buy ingredients just to prepare one beautiful meal. More often than not the excess perishable produce goes to waste. Therefore, to eliminate this issue, our kit includes a step by step recipe for the meal selected along with all the ingredients proportioned as per the recipe,” says Sinha.

The Gourmet Eat In website (http://gourmeteatin.com/) features an array of dishes catering to every demographic. The menu consists of options ranging from breakfast, to a starter, main course and desert and undergoes changes every few weeks. The customer can select their choice of dishes and a well-packaged kit (plastic boxes and Ziploc bags) will be delivered to your home. With each kit designed to serve two people, the portions and prices would increase in case more quantity is needed. The produce is procured from wholesalers around the city, including Green Tokri.

“We want people to know that the stuff they see on cookery shows can be made by them also and that too under 30 minutes. Also, we want people to realise the importance of a healthy lifestyle as opposed to eating out. There are parents who cannot help but head to fast food joints for their children. We have a solution for them as well, with our basic burger and pizza kits,” explains Sinha. Their initial intention was to target the 25-35 age group, but they observed a different trend. According to Sinha, “Most of our customers are between 35-45 years of age, contrary to what we thought. At that age, people become more health conscious as health issues which are lifestyle related increase.”

Also, taking their initiative ahead, the couple aims to create an ecosystem for food bloggers and foodies to work together and monetise the process. Sinha further elaborates, “We want bloggers to share their recipes with us which will be displayed on the website. This will still take a while as people start recognising the value of this.” With almost 200 kits being delivered monthly, part of their future plans is to create a bigger market for their service and expand to other cities. For the first time entrepreneurs, one of the major hurdles to overcome was where can they get the right source of advice. But, setting up in Pune made their journey easier. “Compared to Mumbai and Delhi, the logistics of a startup are much easier here. Also, there is a decent market for our service due to the varying demographics of students and working professionals,” smiles Sinha.