Licious launches first meat based spread range in India 20 August 2019 | News | By Manbeena Chawla With presence across raw meat & seafood, marinades and RTE, Licious is India's first Meat Food brand Consolidating its position as India’s first and only Meat Food Brand, Licious announced its foray into packaged food category with the launch of its latest innovation. The company launched a first-of-its-kind ‘meat-based-spreads’ that will transform the way we consume meat in India. In its fifth year of operations, Licious is entering a new phase of growth with product diversification and exciting line-up of launches planned through the year. The product was unveiled by Bollywood celebrity, Shilpa Shetty Kundra in a gala gathering at Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai. The spreads category in India, valued at $800-million, is growing at a steady rate of 16 per cent. Butter, jams, chocolate spreads and mayo-based spreads have been the key products, with little on offer for the meat lovers. Given that 72 per cent Indians consume meat, for Licious, the gap in the spreads category presents a huge opportunity. As India’s first consumer unicorn in the making, Licious is all set to revolutionise this category, starting with six uniquely flavoured meat spreads- butter chicken, continental chicken, honey-mustard chicken, shawarma chicken, sweet tamarind chicken and herby-tomato chicken. The USP of Licious’ meat spreads are presence of generous amount of freshly cooked real chicken chunks. These meat spreads contain 35 percent of chicken chunks per 100 gms of the product such that there meat in every bite. Not only are they a natural source of protein but also they are free of artificial preservatives, flavours and colours. They contain 0% making them the perfect choice for health-conscious consumers. The spreads can be used with bases like bread, paratha, chapatti, and salads to make wholesome sandwiches, wraps and salads. Speaking at the launch, Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta, Founders, Licious, said, From“ selling a range of fresh and raw meat products online, we have evolved not only in terms of core offerings in the raw and fresh meat category, but also entered the ready-to-cook (RTC) and ready-to-eat (RTE) categories with pre-marinated meats and bottled spreads. We envisage a promising omni-channel play for our range of products. We are building a brand in a highly fragmented and unorganised space. Our vision is to create a loved consumer meat brand.” “The spreads market is witnessing robust growth due to changing consumer tastes, expanding middle-class population and increasing demand for tasty and healthy food products. Today, Licious has kick-started an ambitious diversification journey with the launch of India’s first meaty spreads, strengthening our position as a consumer product company. The RTE category is an important growth engine. As the company diversifies into varied categories under the packaged food segment, our target is to acquire 15 per cent of the market share in the next three years,” said the founders. Over the the next three years, Licious is aiming at growing their packaged food business to contribute to 20 per cent of the overall business. The chief guest for the event, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, said, “As a mother and health-conscious individual, I am aware of the daily food battles that our busy lifestyles challenge us with. We are what we eat, goes the saying. So, quality is of paramount importance. I’m glad that a home-grown consumer brand like Licious - a meat food company playing in multiple categories - is exploring new frontiers of food innovation in terms of world-class products that offer wholesome nutrition, bringing together the best of health and taste. I’m a fan of their all-natural meat-based spreads. It’s going to be the new staple in my household.” Licious was founded in 2015 in Bengaluru as an online brand that sells raw meat products like chicken, sea-food, red meat, pre-marinated meat, and gourmet meat-based products. The company has revolutionised the traditionally unorganised market by delivering fresh and hygienic meat at the doorstep of consumers within 120 minutes of ordering. Today, the company also offers a range of value-added products under the RTC and RTE categories. Currently, Licious is present in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Over the coming months, the plan is to establish a national presence as India’s first omni-channel brand in the meat space..