Made at home, served at homes

Nothing beats the satisfaction that good home-cooked food can bring. From a simple meal to lip-smacking snacks, homemade food has always found its place on top of the cravings list. This longing has given birth to a new kind of market and the industry has been quick to tap into it.  For an exceptionally good cook, having their delicacies branded and bottled for sale on the supermarket shelf might be a far-fetched dream. That’s where Kochi-based Wow! Homemade steps in. Founded by Joseph Jacob, the brand was formed keeping in mind the love for traditional, ethnic and healthy food.

“We have a variety of packaged products coming from individual kitchens which can be ordered online,” says Joseph. Explaining the concept, he says, “This is a platform for any individual who has good cooking skills and wants to do business from their home. They can sit at home and cook while we take care of everything right from packaging, branding, getting them registered and procuring mandatory licensing. Orders and product delivery is also taken care of.”  

A person joining Wow!Homemade has to undergo a session of food tasting and kitchen inspection. Only if they qualify, do they come on board. Snacks, savories,pickles and jams are high on demand here. Festival foods like Ney Payasam during Onam and cakes or chocolates during Christmas are also on demand.

Products available at WOW!HomemadeLaunched six months ago, Joseph points out that the market response has been good and they are planning to expand Wow!Homemade to Chennai and Bangalore. “The idea is that if a Kannadiga in Kochi or Chennai wants a traditional homemade delicacy, it will be delivered to them.” “A majority of the products we sell are those that are unavailable in the market. Our promise to the customer is to give them good, healthy, homemade food,” he informs.

Tastejet, another online platform is a huge hit when it comes to delivering home cooked meals and other ready-to-eat dishes. Founded by Parvathy B Nair and her husband Rakesh, Tastejet has been functioning in the service industry since 2012 at Startup Village in Kochi and was introduced into the market this year. Explaining how they function, Parvathy says, “The kitchen of each homemaker with good cooking skills is converted into a money making machine. They tell us which dish they are confident about and our chefs rate its quality. Photos are clicked and a feasible price is fixed for the dish and it is uploaded to our site with their name and description of the dish. Branding, packaging, marketing and delivery is provided by Tastejet.” 

Some of the dishes available at Tastejet online food portalExplaining further Parvathy says, “Except for regular dishes like meals and chappathi, our online menu keeps changing every week to introduce variety. Orders are taken a day before and the chefs are informed as per the count. People usually book for a week or for a month through online subscription service, especially for elder parents whose children are settled abroad or by parents whose children are studying here. There is a huge demand for organic salads.”

Baker Milna Boney is passionate about baking. Assisted by her daughter , they have been delivering fresh home baked cake for five years under the brand name Bakers Nest.  The duo have noticed a boom for homebaked products from the last two years. “People prefer homemade products. Since we use organic products, we get a lot of orders for weddings, baby showers and birthdays. There is a huge demand for theme cakes now,” informs Milna.