Interviews

Conscious Food entered the Indian organic food industry in 1990 and since then we have been the flag bearers in promoting the organic lifestyle. We offer a wide range of organic and natural cereals, seeds, flours grains, natural sugars, pulses, nuts, power-packed snacks and cold-pressed oils to complement the lifestyle of healthiness. Donning the hat of an innovator, we are constantly looking out for new ingredients, especially home-grown, to make the culinary journey more varied, satisfying and enjoyable. We are very particular about sourcing the responsibly-grown produce only, promoting the indigenous varieties and following sustainable practices wherever possible, while maintaining an ethical supply chain. Our products are available at premium supermarkets, specialty food outlets, gourmet food stores all over India. We are also available with all major online retailers. 

What are your predictions about the growth of the Indian organic food industry and how you see the demand for yourproducts?

The organic food industry in India has seen a robust growth in the past few years. Today, people are more aware about harmful chemicals and pesticides in most of the food items available in market. People now have started looking for organic products, especially for their kids. Customers can vary from die-hard consumers to sceptical ones, but everyone now wants to make organic products a part of their lifestyle. This increasing demand of unprocessed and unadulterated food has given a tremendous boost to the growth of organic food in recent years. A growing number of health-minded and well-informed customer base has pushed the companies to expand their portfolio, consequently adding to the popularity of these products.

Our primary objective is to maintain the best standards at each level of lifecycle of the food that we provide. Our raw materials are sourced from farmers who engage in organic farming practices. The produce then reaches our warehouses, where it is stored hygienically in optimum conditions. The whole spices are iron pounded to ensure low heat grinding, allowing the natural oils and flavours to remain intact. Similarly, different kinds of oils are stored in stainless steel containers and then packed in glass bottles, ensuring zero contact with plastic, ruling out possibility of any chemical reaction. Going by our philosophy of maintaining the highest standards, utmost precision and care is taken while packaging of food. An exhaustive process of cleaning and inspection of every product takes place before packing. Conscious Food is certified by ECOCERT, operates a HAACP certified workshop and maintains stringent quality control measures.

COVID-19 has pushed people to consume healthier and immunity-boosting food. It will not be an exaggeration to say that this pandemic has significantly changed the lifestyle of people. People are now more conscious about their health and eating habits. The demand for the immunity boosting category has also grown tremendously, and we believe that the segment would expand more in the next one year. Now the customer is well informed about every aspect of the product he buys and the focus is now shifting to health based products. If the pandemic has taught one good thing, it is to take good care of one’s health. People are realising this and are investing in their health by adopting organic lifestyle as best way to get healthier life and improved immunity.

In this time of health crisis, we believe that educating people about the benefits of consuming uncontaminated and wholesome food is the right way to bring value to our customers. To achieve this role, we have been creating content to teach consumers on how to use organic products and be more conscious buyers. For this, we have teamed up with renowned chefs, dieticians and wellness experts to curate healthy and delicious recipes. One such interesting recipe was Turmeric latte - a fun twist to the usual Haldi milk. This has gone viral and many people have come to us to thank us for the innovative recipe. Moreover our in-house dietician has been passionately educating the Conscious Food community about health benefits and the importance of immunity boosting foods within our product range. For instance, she recently taught us about the antioxidant component in turmeric, “curcumin” that helps the body remove toxins and fight diseases. People are actively participating in such initiatives.

The organic food landscape is highly competitive in terms of visibility and offerings. We have successfully come out with a vast range of organic products. Our products are natural, minimally processed and free from synthetic ingredients. For example, our natural Gir cow ghee is traditionally produced using ancient Ayurveda techniques. All our oils are packaged in chemical-free and sustainable glass bottles and sealed with recyclable corks to prevent the harmful effects of plastic. We also make sure our production process is sustainable and has the minimum adverse impact on the environment. Along with our high quality organic products, we provide excellent backend support and processes and this makes us stand out amongst other players in the market. 

We have our own website and take orders for delivery across India. Our products are also present in most of the departmental stores like Foodhall, Nature’s Basket etc. Our products are even available on platforms like Amazon and Bigbakset. We have recently ventured into international markets at Carrefour in Dubai and Dempsey project in Singapore.

 

Seeing the increased demand of organic food products, we are aiming at expanding our footprint geographically, both online & offline. Keeping up with the current trend in the food industry, we are launching a range of new products. We constantly keep a tap on the market trends and our research has helped us understand the preferences and liking of the customers. This has made us add products like organic honey and Khapliatta to our product category. At the end of the day, we want our consumers to make healthy choices and at the same time care for the environment and support our farmers. Apart from business growth plans, we have always endeavoured to educate the consumers about the reasons to choose organic food for its numerous health benefits. To do this, we are now actively looking at collaborations with nutritionists and experts in this field.