India has seen a subtle revolution in its dietary and culinary horizons, and the generation from millennials to Gen Z born during the digital dawn is spearheading this change. Food is not just a source of sustenance and convenience for them, it is a form of self-expression and the trio that’s reshaping this food landscape – sustainable, holistic and gluten-free are at the forefront of this. The appetite of today’s cohort has brought forward a massive change in India’s food and beverage market, driving them to innovate and deliver healthier, smarter, and more inclusive indulgences. A recent research report pegged India’s Gluten-Free Food and Beverage Market size at USD 22.25 million, and projected growth of CAGR of 13.93 per cent.
Food production companies are taking note and among those to have taken the lead in ushering healthy changes is Wow! Momo, which launched India’s first-ever gluten-free momos.
The Statesman interviewed Sagar Daryani, Co-founder and CEO of Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd who shared how momo for him has always been an emotion rooted in comfort and culture and how the latest gluten-free momos reinforce the brand’s aggressive focus on health.
1. When you opened your first 36sq ft kiosk in Tollygunge in 2008, the market was not saturated with organised momo chains then, how has the market evolved for you now?
I think for us, what worked is that people would not really look at momo as a brand or as a product. That made us think, why not give it a look and feel, maybe give it a shape, and let’s give it a brand? And I think that’s how we build it from scratch. For us, the biggest USP was the innovation of the products, steam momos, fried momos to pan-fried momos, then again sizzler momos to chocolate momos and momo burgers. Over the years, we have redefined what momo could be. Now when people think of momo, they think of our brand, especially in cities and states where momo was not readily available. There are a lot of challenges when building a brand; however, it’s a lot of fun too. You are able to innovate, and I think that’s what has led to our success. It has been more than 15 years of hard work, and dedication by the team as well as the patrons who have eaten our products and made us what we are today.
2.Quick-service restaurants (QSR) are experiencing a significant shift in consumer behaviour, with much of the change being driven by Gen Z, so how is your brand responding to this rising demand around changing dietary preferences?
I think for us, we have always believed in making food fun just like how Gen Z believes in having a lot of fun, whether it’s at work or whether it’s the lifestyle they live. Our brand is still a very young brand and a vibrant one at that. While launching gluten-free momos, which I would definitely regard as the diet momo, we were looking for a product that would be healthy, kind and inclusive. I think it’s the right product at the right time. I have always believed that the youth of today is a generation who prefers to relate with brands which they consider to be their own. Very soon, we’ll be launching gluten-free momos at a national level.
3. What was your inspiration behind creating India’s first gluten-free momo?
A lot of our customers would come and ask us to provide them with a gluten-free version, especially ones who were gluten-intolerant. Before, they would either eat dimsums, which are made of rice flour, or they would not eat momos at all. So for them to enjoy momos, this category of gluten-free momos is going to be a game-changer. This is not only going to generate new patrons for us but would take up the revenue. And I think it just fits into the right place at the right time.
4. While your brand has carved a niche for itself in the tier-1 cities, how much has your brand evolved in capturing the diverse consumer range in tier-2 and tier-3 cities?
We are now in 70-plus cities. For us, the most successful cities are actually the tier two and the tier three cities. Cities like Patna, Jaipur, Indore, Bhopal, Cochin, Trivandrum, Guwahati. I think we are doing very, very well there. While the brand has done exceptionally well in tier-one cities, consumers in tier-two and three cities have always been with the brand at every step. Let’s say when we open stores in these cities, the love we get in terms of a queue on the opening day is not what you get to see in a metro city, because metro cities are driven by international brands and others. We are grateful that no matter where we open a new store, we have always been welcomed with open arms.
5. What are your expansion plans in the coming years after capturing the market this year with Wow! Noodles and gluten-free momos?
Today if you ask me, I think for us, we want to focus on the already present four verticals in the QSR segment. We feel we have a lot on our plate. Also, we want to be available anywhere and everywhere, just like how several brands have left their mark in the Indian market, coming from abroad, we wish to go from India to abroad.
However, we are working on a few innovations and hopefully are on a successful path towards launching our sauces by the end of the year along with some spices.
6. Defying convention by starting with humble beginnings and now running a QSR empire, what would be your advice to the youths wanting to start their own entrepreneurial journey?
I think my advice to the youth will always be to start as early as possible because the fear of failure is not there when you start early. When you start your life with a high-paying job, you get comfortable in it, making it difficult to leave everything behind. It takes a lot of courage to let go of something that you already have in hand. Between 23 and 33 is when you learn and between 33 to 43 is when you really earn. And by earning, I mean, earning experience, earning knowledge, and in the right manner. Hence, the sooner you start, the better it is. And this is for everybody, you have to be diligent and hardworking. Nothing comes easy in life. There will never be a shortcut to success.