In the new edition of our Food Frontiers episode, we engaged in a conversation with Ms. Mira Jhala, who is the founder and CEO of FroGo, a pioneering online frozen food delivery service company. FroGo has quickly made a name for itself in the competitive frozen food market by offering a diverse range of products, including ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and meal kits. She is steering FroGo towards significant growth in the food tech industry Under her leadership, FroGo focuses on enhancing convenience and quality in the frozen food segments.
In this podcast, we discussed her journey, the challenges and triumphs of running a food tech startup, the frozen industry trend and potential, customer behaviour, cold chain management, and her vision for the future of FroGo.
IBT: FroGo aims to redefine the frozen food market in India. Can you elaborate on your vision for the company and what motivated you to start this venture in the frozen food industry?
Mira Jhala: I have spent my entire career in business, and I have seen a steady exposure to frozen foods in the supermarket as well as in the retail market. 2009 is when I started my first business in India to have a consistent taste and focus on quality. The rise in frozen foods is attributed to their cleanliness and convenience, as frozen freezing is the cleanest form of preservation. Micronutrients are preserved intact, making it a viable option for businesses.
The industry is currently growing at a 17% CAGR and is worth 50,000 crore. Consumers are increasingly recognising the variety, convenience, and instant accessibility of frozen food. Research indicates that about 30% of an urban Indian consumer’s grocery basket will come from the frozen category in the next five years. This indicates a growing demand for frozen food.
However, consumers are increasingly seeking variety, convenience, and instant access to frozen food, making it a viable option for businesses. FroGo is working to provide a better experience for consumers, ensuring a consistent taste and quality in the frozen food industry.
IBT: Given the challenges often associated with frozen food delivery, how does FroGo ensure a seamless and satisfactory customer experience from order to delivery?
Mira Jhala: In the frozen food supply chain’s entire ecosystem, we can divide that into three parts. The first part is a production, which happens in a factory, from a factory to a warehouse; this movement of frozen foods is called the first mile. Then from the warehouse to a dark store or to a retail store, it is called mid-mile, and then from a dark store to an end consumer, or dark or a retail store to the end user, it is called last-mile.
The first mile involves the movement of frozen foods from a factory to a warehouse, where products are stored at negative 25 degrees. Transporters and logistics players play a significant role in this process. Frozen Go offers brands integrated services of warehousing and logistics, providing them with temperature data loggers for real-time temperature monitoring.
IBT: What do you consider to be FroGo’s unique selling propositions that set it apart from competitors in the frozen food market? How do these elements reflect in your product offerings?
Mira Jhala: The frozen food industry is experiencing 17% growth YoY, driven by customer demand and innovative products. However, there is a gap in distribution, requiring a reliable and transparent way for frozen food brands to reach consumers. FroGo addresses this by offering a vast, specialised dark store network for frozen foods, fully integrated with aggregator platforms, marketplaces, and e-commerce websites. This allows brands to reach a larger customer base and reach new geographies.
Frog serves as a dark store service for frozen food and other food brands, organising the unorganised sector and helping small businesses scale up. FroGo’s customers include not only New Age brands, D to C brands, but also large established Fortune 500 companies that require distribution for their products.
FroGo’s approach addresses the challenge of missing the distribution link between demand and supply by providing a fully integrated virtual store, specialised infrastructure, and distribution to newer geographies and a larger customer base. This approach helps Kroger address the gap in the frozen food industry and ensures a seamless and efficient distribution system for its customers.
IBT: Cold chain management is crucial for maintaining product quality in frozen food. Could you elaborate on the measures that FroGo has implemented to ensure effective temperature control throughout the supply chain?
Mira Jhala: The supply chain is ensuring products are maintained at a temperature of negative 18 degrees, with real-time temperature logging being implemented. This technology gets updated every 15 minutes and provides transparency to customers and brands, ensuring their products are stored at the correct temperature. IoT temperature loggers and data loggers are used in logistics, warehouses, and dark stores, ensuring the products are stored at the correct temperature.
IBT: What current trends in the frozen food industry have you observed, and how is FroGo adapting to these trends to meet changing consumer demands?
Mira Jhala: Today’s consumers demand convenience over everything else, and quick commerce has become a significant factor in this demand. Frozen food, in particular, fits this need. Frozen food brands can now choose between 30 and 90 minute delivery from the micromarket, allowing them to reach a wider customer base and control their products and offers.
Frozen foods have a large segment of ice cream brands, which leverage the network of dark stores to serve a variety of products. Other categories include snacks, kebabs, fruits and vegetables, chilled products, dairy products, dairy-based beverages, juices, ambient products, and nutrition-based products.
Frozen food companies can leverage the dark store network to reach their customers quickly, including gifting during the festive season. This includes food, gift packs, chocolates, and mint highs sold through the network. As Diwali approaches, many businesses are expected to join the dark store network, allowing them to reach a wider customer base and generate demand.
IBT: How important is sustainability in FroGo’s operations? What initiatives are you pursuing to promote environmentally friendly practices in sourcing and packaging?
Mira Jhala: The frozen food industry relies on passive cooling solutions, such as Robo vehicles, which are non-polluting and charge overnight to maintain product temperature. To reduce carbon footprint and promote greener practices, froGo uses innovative technologies like PCM technology and PCM technology for cooling products. They are constantly seeking sustainable and scaleable solutions to maintain product integrity. As they scale, they are also exploring new technologies to implement at scale, ensuring product integrity is maintained while reducing energy consumption. As they continue to innovate, froGo is committed to implementing more sustainable solutions in the frozen food industry.
IBT: As an entrepreneur in the food sector, what are some significant challenges you have encountered while building FroGo? How have these challenges shaped your business strategies?
Mira Jhala: The frozen food industry faces challenges in distribution due to limited shelf space, temperature control, and power reliability. The Kirana store network in India is a good example, but many frozen food products are exported and not accessible to Indian consumers. The froGo’s endeavour aims to make these products available to Indian consumers by building a dark store network. This will allow brands to reach a larger customer base across cities, allowing Indian consumers to appreciate and enjoy the products made in India.
IBT: Looking ahead, what are your goals for FroGo in the next few years? Are there new markets or product lines you plan to explore as part of your growth strategy?
Mira Jhala: FroGo’s plans to establish a presence in 45 Indian cities within three to four years, servicing consumers through a dark store network and product line. The company aims to provide a reliable distribution network for food brands, allowing Indian consumers to use their products and scale their sales to foreign markets. The company’s first use case is frozen food, and it plans to expand its services to other cities.
Ms. Mira Jhala is the founder and CEO of FroGo, a pioneering online frozen food delivery service company.
