KOCHI: Onam without Onasadya? For Malayalis, that would be unthinkable. And this thought has opened up a new market in the food sector. Onasadya — both frozen and retorted — are now being shipped across the globe, enabling Keralites to enjoy the delights of home. According to industry sources, the market has been expanding ever since the first pack of Onasadya was launched in 2020.
Brijith Krishna, founder of Eatery Malabarikas, told TNIE, “For us, the major market for ready-to-eat products is the UK. We entered the Onasadya market just this year, having been doing R&D for the past four years.”
In Kerala, the concept of ready-to-eat or retort-packed food has not yet become popular, unlike in the West where it is common, he pointed out.
“The defence forces too use retort-packed food. It is safe. Now, things are looking up. In the past two years, I have seen a jump in the ready-to-eat Onasadya market from 1% to 6%. That is a quantum jump,” Brijith said.
He cited the long Onam celebrations overseas as a reason. “For example, in the UK, the celebrations extend up to two months,” he pointed out.
Explaining the retort process, Brijith said, “Unlike freezing, which first freezes food at a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius and then at -18 degrees Celsius at cold chain supplies, retorting involves sterilising the food packets at a very high temperature and pressure in a machine similar to an autoclave to kill all the microbes. The food is treated to an out-of-the-world experience, ensuring a longer shelf-life.”
Brijith’s company – products of which have found customers even in northeast India — has brought out a retort-packed Onasadya that serves a family of four. “It will be 30 to 35% costlier than a normal sadya because of the cost accrued in packaging. Our Onasadya pack, that costs `1,800, has 23 items. The entire process of preparing the sadya begins a month ahead of the festival, factoring in the time taken for shipping,” he added.
Strengthening Brijith’s statement regarding the increasing popularity of packaged sadya, Manoj T P, senior manager (sales), Tasty Nibbles, said, “We have a growing clientele not only abroad (exporting to 27 countries) but also within the country. Besides the complete Onasadya pack, we also have retort-packed items that can be bought individually. Tasty Nibbles was the first company in the state to use retort technology in the food industry.”
He said the company has supplied sadya to military and paramilitary personnel serving in far-off places like Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) and Agartala (Tripura).
“We have three ranges of the sadya. One is priced at `1,999, serving four. It has 1kg of rice and 17 side dishes. Then there is a pack that costs `1,499, which can serve two people and has 12 side dishes, while the `999 pack has only two curries,” he said.
Besides the retort-packs, frozen Onasadya too has many takers. According to Rony Tom, managing director of Jacame, there has been a significant jump in the number of customers since the company first brought out the sadya five years ago. “Our main markets are in the UK, Australia, Austria, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. This year, we supplied 50,000 packs of frozen Onasadya,” Rony said.
The company provides the sadya in two variations. “One pack that serves a family of five and the other that can serve two persons. Of the 50,000 packs that were exported, 30,000 were the ones for five people,” he pointed out.
Jacame had also launched frozen Vishu sadya, cakes for Christmas, and Passover specials like indri appam and vellappam. Rony said the company expects a marked increase in the number of Onasadya packs next year. “We expect the numbers to touch 75,000. That’s because people, especially professionals, find getting packaged sadya easier than cooking a full-course meal from scratch,” he added.
In the case of frozen Onasadya, the entire preparation begins by May as transportation takes months, with these products shipped in temperature-controlled containers.
What then about the market after Onam? The companies said individual products like curries, chips, and other items are the major revenue sources. As for the US tariff issue, the industry insiders felt it would adversely affect the food export industry in India.
Happiness in packets
A few companies bringing out packed (frozen and retorted) Onasadya
Retort - Tasty Nibbles, Eatery Malabarikas
Frozen - Jacame, Daily Delights, Ajmi Flours India, Bleeko Imports and Exports
Market size has increased from 1% to 6% over the past two years
Target customers - Malayalis living in the UK, Canada, the US, European countries, and Australia, among others