Kolkata-Based Entrepreneurs Launch Preservative-Free Ready-To-Eat Food Brand; Serving 15,000+ Meals

Imagine finally getting into the international university of your choice. A long year of unwavering hustle has paid off. The only catch? You’ll miss home-cooked, Indian food.

Or maybe you’re on a trip and it’s been days since you’ve managed to put together a good, hearty meal that reminds you of home.

Or perhaps, you’re returning home after a long day. The commute from your office was a little too exhausting today. Maybe it’s the weather. Your throat doesn’t feel right too.

It’s 9 PM and you’re starving.

You’ve already spent the entire day on a burger and ordering takeout just doesn’t feel right.

And the thought of chopping vegetables, cooking rice, and standing at the kitchen counter? No way. Not today.

This is the plight of numerous young students and working professionals who often live away from home.

“It’s not just working professionals but also students who go abroad and miss the taste of Indian food. Many people travel frequently, and while food is essential, quality food is even more important. That's what we strive to provide at Spice Up Foods,” says Amit Murarka, co-founder of Spice Up Foods in an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

In 2024, Amit Murarka started Spice Up Foods as a Kolkata-based ready-to-eat D2C food brand that offers delicious, homemade vegetarian food that can be enjoyed without the hassle of sourcing, chopping, cooking, or refrigerating. 

All one needs to do is empty the contents of the pack in a pot or pan and add hot water to it. The brand also offers food bowls for on-the-go needs, where hot water can be poured directly into the bowl.

To date, the ready-to-eat D2C food brand has delivered 15,000+ meals to more than 2,000 customers.

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Hailing from Kolkata, Amit has an MS in Finance from ICFAI while his wife, Shalu Murarka, holds a BCom degree from JD Birla College.

Amit has been involved in a successful outdoor advertising business for the past few years.

A few years ago, he was traveling to Switzerland with Shalu. That trip went on to become the base of Spice Up Foods.

“We saw a couple eating dehydrated food in Switzerland. We were very intrigued by the whole process—because it was so simple and the food was ready in minutes. No preparation went behind it,” explains Amit while talking to Startup Pedia.

After coming back to India, Amit and Shalu decided to start something in the read-to-eat realm of India and offer quality food to customers. Amit’s sister Madhu Goel also joined in.

Amit, Shalu, and Madhu gradually transitioned into startup founders, piloting Spice Up Foods before its official launch.

“The reason we spent so much time before officially launching the brand in 2024 was simple: we wanted to get things right and we wanted to do them on scale. Food businesses, especially in the ready-to-eat category, require a lot of research and development. We gave it enough time and only launched when we were completely ready,” adds Kokata-based startup founder.

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CHALLENGES

The entrepreneurs decided to adopt freeze-drying technology to make ready-to-eat Indian cuisines. They zeroed down on 100% vegetarian food options.

The brand started with a bootstrapped approach wherein Amit Murarka invested money from his savings. Initially, a lot of trial-and-error went behind cracking the manufacturing aspect of the food startup.

“The thing in the ready-to-eat market is that you can easily procure machinery but manufacturing remains a key challenge. A balance has to be achieved—you cannot over-dehydrate or under-dehydrate a product or it’ll end up losing its taste, nutrition, and texture. With time, we were able to finally get it right,” says Amit, co-founder of D2C food brand, Spice Up Foods.

Another challenge was to get the taste right. Ready-to-eat food brands need to appeal to a national taste palette.

“We are from Kolkata and we’ve seen people from all over the country like this city’s food. We decided to keep our food options brimming with the authentic taste of Kolkata. It’s perfect—not too spicy, not too sweet. It’s a healthy mix of everything,” Shalu shares.

With positive customer feedback and successful test runs, Amit Murarka, Shalu Murarka, and Madhu Goel finally launched Spice Up Foods in early 2024.

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SPICE UP FOODS: YOUR REGULAR MEALS BUT BETTER

Spice Up Foods is a ready-to-eat D2C food brand that has something for everyone: hostellers, young professionals, busy mothers, students going abroad, or people traveling abroad for a long period. 

It is simple, hassle-free, and tastes just like a freshly cooked homemade meal.

As a ready-to-eat food startup, Spice Up Foods stands apart from others in the same space by offering food products that have no preservatives at all. Amit tells Startup Pedia, “We follow the same freeze-drying technology that is used in the food products that astronauts travel with into space. They do not have any additives or artificial preservatives.”

The startup founders have also remained very serious about the quality of the ingredients used. Only the best-in-class rice, vegetables, oils, and spices are used and a sincere standardization process stays in place.

The brand follows a batch-wise method of preparation so that the taste, quality, and ingredients remain consistent. Amit, Shalu, and Madhu have hired female home cooks on a contract basis who prepare these meals following the SOPs the brand has set.

Shalu says, “This does two things. First, we get the taste of homemade meals. Second, we get the chance to cater to our social responsibility of generating meaningful employment. These are women who are terrific cooks but don’t really know how to monetize their skills. Spice Up Foods fills this gap.”

Another unique selling point for the food startup is the weight its products have compared to other options in the market. Currently, luggage weight is a major problem for people traveling via trains and flights. Spice Up Foods’ freeze-dried meals weigh only 20% of their original weight, making them lightweight and travel-friendly.

Spice Up Foods offers various ready-to-eat food options like Dal Makhani, Yellow Dal, Pav Bhaji, Rajma, Mixed Veg, Upma, Idli Sambhar, and Punjabi Chole. The same options also come with rice that can be mixed for meals on the go. 

Apart from this, the ready-to-eat D2C food brand has a special kids’ menu featuring food options that are low in spice or completely spice-free. Additionally, the brand has no-onion, no-garlic options to cater to the Jain customer base.

Customers only need to add hot water to the food packages, wait for 7 minutes, and enjoy homemade meals without any preparation time.

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GROWTH STORY

Since its market launch, Spice Up Foods has been receiving great customer feedback. 

While Madhu Goel looks after the production processes, Shalu Murarka oversees sales, and Amit Murarka looks into the marketing and expansion side of the business. 

Spice Up Foods has an exclusive in-house team, for operations, production, and marketing and operates with a larger group of female cooks who are on a contract basis.

Entrepreneur Amit Murarka tells Startup Pedia, “Our high customer retention rates reflect the quality and appeal of our products. All first-time buyers become our regular customers.and that is our single biggest win.”

To date, Spice Up Foods has served 15,000+ meals to more than 2,000 Indian families.

Amit, Shalu, and Madhu are working towards expanding and positioning their ready-to-eat D2C food brand Spice Up Foods in the daily use category where people look at ready-to-eat preservative-free food as a regular option rather than something that is opted for only in times of travel or other emergencies.

Amit Murarka signs off by saying, “With a vision to make preservative-free, ready-to-eat meals a regular part of daily life, Spice Up Foods is redefining convenience for Indian families. Whether you're on an international flight, in a hostel, or simply having a busy day, our food options ensure that you’re never far from the comfort of a homemade meal.”

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