-CB News Desk (publisherchefbharath@gmail.com)
Capital Foods, established in 1996, is an Indian food product company serving consumers nationally and internationally across several countries. In line with their commitment “good taste knows no boundaries,” they are consistently innovating to bring global food culture to the consumers’ tables and cater to their ever-evolving food palate. With their disruptive and diverse range of products under two brands – Ching’s Secret and Smith & Jones – the company is focused on creating excitement in food. Noticing the demand for Chinese food in India, the company created a category of Desi Chinese with Indian products, for Indian people. Ching’s Secret is the category owner of the ‘Desi Chinese’ cuisine offering products like including quick-to-cook Chinese masalas, uniquely flavoured noodles, sumptuous soups, and a first of its kind – the versatile Schezwan Chutney. Smith & Jones specializes in condiments and cooking pastes, fusing together local and international flavours. Navin Tewari, CEO, Capital Foods, speaks on his solutions. Edited excerpts
How Safe are Capital Foods’ products?
Capital Foods takes a two-fold approach towards safety focusing on product quality and operations.
Product quality: Natural ingredients, which are picked after thorough quality checks are used. For example, to give the Schezwan Chutney, a category leader, its rich red colour, paprika is used in place of artificial colour.
Plant operations: While the plants have always followed the highest standards of safety and product quality, the company is also going through great lengths to ensure that adequate measures are taken during the COVID19 pandemic:
- Arrangements are made for staff’s lodging, food and entertainment at the factory premises to ensure reduced exposure.
- All vehicles entering and leaving the plant and depot premises are thoroughly sprayed and sanitized. And every person entering the plant is checked for temperature and provided IPA sanitization.
- All team members are following social distancing and other safety protocol guidelines.
- To provide support to its employees in case of any eventualities the company has also launched a special COVID19 insurance policy.
Please explain the taste and Flavours from the base of Capital Foods’ products:
Being a home-grown brand, Capital Foods truly understands the pulse of Indian consumers. Fondly calling India as a “Desh of Chatoras”, the company’s products are consistently innovated by understanding consumers’ evolving trends of taste and catering to bring excitement in food.
While food preferences change every 100 kms in India, the one unifying thread from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is Chinese food. Moreover, though it is Chinese cuisine, the dishes and flavours have an Indian twist to them – like Gobi Manchurian and Momos have. Identifying this, Capital Foods came up with ‘Desi Chinese’ cuisine. It produces a range of different products like flavoured noodles (Manchurian, Schezwan and Hot Garlic Noodles) and instant and cook up soups in five flavours (Tomato, Sweet Corn, Hot & Sour, Mix Vegetable and Manchow).
The company also recognized that pasta was becoming increasingly popular in Indian households and that some even consumed pasta as a sabzi eaten with roti. It thus created the Pasta Masala under its brand Smith & Jones.
How many Indian & Western foods can be made from Capital Foods’ products?
Global Food culture is a part of Capital Foods’ motto. The company fuses global flavours with local tastes to provide fusion products. A few of these examples include:
- The Ching’s Secret’s noodles are across different categories ranging from Hakka noodles, and instant noodles. Within that there are several international varieties like Pad Thai and Singapore Curry Noodles and more Desi Chinese versions like Schezwan and Manchurian noodles.
- Known for its quirky, tangy flavour the Schezwan Chutney is a truly versatile product which adds a punch of flavour and excitement to any dish. The dish can be used as a dip, spread or to cook for different dishes:
- Dip: As a dip in international dishes like chips and nachos or the local favourite – khakra!
- Spread: Across Indian dishes like dosas or parathas and global favourites like sandwiches and pizzas.
- Cook: it can be used to give a zesty twist to Indian dishes like poha and idli and even in Italian and Mexican foods like Pastas or burritos.
- Its range of masalas are a mix of international and Indian flavours. Smith & Jones’ provides products for classic Indian dishes with their Mutter Paneer, Shahi Paneer and Soya Wadi masala. On the other hand, its Peri-Peri masala which can be used with fries and Pasta Masala for pastas allow home-chefs to cook up international dishes in a jiffy.
- Capital Foods’ Ching’s Secret’s Desi Chinese Masalas add a whole new meaning to delicious Indian and Chinese fusion dishes with masalas for dishes Paneer Chili, Chowmein Hakka Noodles and Chicken 65.
How Affordable are Capital Foods’ products?
At par with competition in the space, Capital Foods’ products also come in different SKUs giving the consumers a wide range of options in price. Even their more versatile products like flavoured noodles are available at affordable prices. The schezwan chutney alone comes in the following SKUs and prices:
- 40 gm – INR 10
- 250 gm – INR 75
- 600 gm – INR 150
- 1 kg – INR 240