Asmita Mukherjee | Hyderabad 
Rushabh Jhaveri’s passion for food led to the creation of Recipe Cup, inspired by Mumbai’s street vendors who prepare family recipes at home. Jhaveri, Founder & CEO of Recipe Cup connects these home chefs with a wider audience, helping them share their signature ingredients and earn extra income. Asmita Mukherjee spoke with Jhaveri to know more about his plans for the brand.
Can you share the inspiration behind the founding of Recipe Cup?
My true passion has always been food. This passion really flared up on a trip to Mumbai. Remember those amazing street-side stalls, the ones run by the same friendly bhaiyas for years? The ones serving up the most incredible eats? Well, I noticed they weren’t as busy as they used to be. It got me thinking – the food industry needed a refresh. Here’s the thing, many of these bhaiyas actually prepare those delicious dishes at home, using secret family recipes passed down through generations. Recipe Cup was born out of this realization. We see these amazing home chefs, including our street food friends, as a vibrant community with a unique culinary heritage. Our platform isn’t just about connecting them with a wider audience, but also about empowering them to share their signature ingredients. This becomes an extra source of income for them, and for the foodies out there, a way to recreate those beloved dishes in their own kitchens!
In your opinion, how has the food industry evolved over the past decade?
I see several interesting trends shaping the Indian food industry:
i) Shifting Consumer Preferences: Consumers are increasingly prioritising health, convenience, and personalization in their food choices. With the latest trends we see a significant change in consumer preferences towards home cooked food, rather than restaurant food.
ii) Rise of Dietary Restrictions: Awareness of dietary needs and preferences like vegan, gluten-free, and organic options is growing rapidly.
iii) Demand for Culinary Experiences: People are looking beyond basic sustenance and are interested in exploring diverse cuisines – Indian as well as international.
At Recipe Cup, our focus area is sustainable lifestyle, and by promoting sustainable eating, our partner home chefs represent integration of this model quite naturally with their offerings
How does Recipe Cup bridge the gap between home chefs, cloud kitchens, restaurants, and consumers?
Recipe Cup empowers home chefs by providing a user-friendly platform for them to launch their own brands. While a brand can be widely recognized, individual chefs often get overlooked. Our approach ensures that customers not only recognize the brand but also appreciate the chefs behind it, helping them retain their individuality.
We offer a flexible income opportunity by allowing home chefs to set their own menus, prices, and availability. This flexibility enables them to create a personalized income stream based on their passion for cooking.
In addition to this, Recipe Cup provides essential support and resources. We offer training on hygiene practices, photography tips for showcasing dishes, and marketing assistance to help chefs succeed on the platform. We also collaborate with our partner chefs on social media, showcasing their offerings to a wider audience.
Our efforts have significantly helped our partner home chefs scale their businesses. Within just a few months of onboarding, many have achieved substantial growth, thanks to the comprehensive support and exposure provided by Recipe Cup.
What makes Recipe Cup’s platform unique compared to other food tech solutions?
Recipe Cup focuses on home chefs and regional specialties, setting us apart from platforms centered on restaurant delivery. We empower home chefs, championing the diversity of regional specialties and hidden culinary gems to offer consumers a truly authentic dining experience.
Our priority is fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. Recipe Cup promotes healthy options and allows customers to buy signature ingredients directly from the chefs, ensuring the highest quality and flavor.
Our unique value proposition lies in providing home chefs with a platform to showcase their talents and earn a living. At the same time, consumers gain access to unique culinary experiences and delicious, home-cooked meals.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in building Recipe Cup, and how have you overcome them?
Building a successful food tech platform like Recipe Cup involves overcoming several challenges. Convincing consumers to trust home chefs and ensuring food safety standards is paramount. We addressed this by implementing a rigorous vetting process, including hygiene inspections and background checks for all home chefs.
Coordinating deliveries from geographically dispersed home chefs can be complex and requires efficient logistics. We tackled this by partnering with top logistic aggregators and offering pre-order options and delivery time slots to manage demand and optimise routes.
What are your plans for expanding Recipe Cup to Tier II and Tier III cities in India?
Recipe Cup recognises the vibrant culinary scene in Tier II and Tier III cities. Our expansion plans prioritise localization efforts. This includes partnering with local home chefs, promoting regional specialties, and offering content and user interfaces in regional languages. Also we understand the importance of a strategic approach. Our expansion into Tier II and Tier III cities will be gradual, allowing us to adapt to local needs and build a strong foundation for long-term success.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the FoodTech space?
I would advise aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on a specific need or pain point. The food industry is vast. Look for areas where technology can address unmet needs, whether it’s connecting passionate home chefs with consumers, promoting healthy eating habits, or tackling food waste. Also don’t be afraid to innovate. The food tech industry is constantly evolving. Be open to new ideas, adapt to changing consumer preferences, and embrace flexibility in your approach.
