KOCHI: To fulfil Kochi’s insatiable appetite while simultaneously delivering homemade food sans adulteration quickly, Kudumbashree has jumped on the online bandwagon with their Kudumbashree Kitchens. Soon, delivery boys from major food delivery platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato and Uber Eats will deliver food exclusively prepared at Cafe Kudumbashree in city. What started as a livelihood opportunity for women has expanded onto online platforms, thereby upgrading Kudumbashree services and increasing their availability to a larger audience.
“In the August 2018 flood, a lot of our cafe units were affected. A Delhi-based NGO, American India Foundation, sought us and tied up with Kudumbashree to revive these units with a fund of `25 lakh. In a meeting convened with Kudumbashree workers, around 80 units affected by the flood were decided to be revived. We decided that Cafe Kudumbashree needed an upgrade to the app-based food delivery sector. Currently, we started centres in Vyttila, Kakkanad and Kalamassery. Another one will be set up soon either in Kaloor or MG Road. The trial session has been completed and services will be restarted in a few weeks,” said Kiran Babu, assistant project manager, Kudumbashree Kitchens.
While the initiative was to be inaugurated on September 9, the August flood and ensuing disasters hampered the project. “More flood-affected units were situated in rural areas, so it was a constraint getting them to urban places. However, the issue has been cleared. Currently, we have around 180 cafe units in the district, only 20 will be a part of the online delivery services. We also plan to sell Kudumbashree food products via the apps,” he said.
Five different micro-enterprises will be connected to one centre, said Dilraj K R, project manager, Kudumbashree Facility Management Centre. “Sales will be boosted and it is also an additional source of revenue. However, as food-delivery apps have numerous eateries, a business strategy is being developed along with marketing support to ensure that Kudumbashree Kitchens is easily viewable,” he said.
Around 30 varieties of food items will be available via the apps including chappathi, biriyani, beef and chicken curry and pothichor. “The initiative brings more revenue to Kudumbashree catering units. Ad campaigning is extremely important and will take place soon. As orders increase, the number of varieties of food will also become flexible,” said Harikishore S, executive director, Kudumbashree.