Who doesn’t like the lip-smacking taste offered by the myriad of street food in Indian towns and cities?. Different culture, costume, and cuisine of India is best represented in her streets . Yet, street food sector in India is plagued by various factors viz. hygiene, cleanliness and of course the competition posed by various online food startups.

Founded by Harsh Shah, Ek Plate is a Mumbai based Startup which aims at changing the dynamics of the Indian Street food sector by making it more organized and yes, making Street food available online.

“When we place an order at a Street food vendor’s stall, invariably, every order is preceded by “Ek Plate” meaning One plate. Hence the name of our Startup- Ek Plate. Our endeavor at “Ek Plate” is to amalgamate the latest advancements in technology with the perpetual craving for Street Food to recreate the best street food experience for foodies no matter which city you are in and no matter how old you are.” said Harsh to Times of Startups.

According to Harsh, Ek Plate is the only app that gives its users an option to make the app a “Veg Only” app. Once selected, the users will not be shown any Non-Vegetarian food item.

So what basically is ‘Street food’ for Ek Plate?

For Ek Plate, any food that is partially or fully prepared on the street or in a small shop facing a street is what they define as Street Food.

Also, food that is served really quick, is freshly cooked and can be eaten on the go.

According to Harsh, everyone reviews and promotes restaurants but there is no such mechanism for Street food. If someone wants to experience the true flavor of any place it’s the Street Food one should try. Street Food vendors are the true heroes who are working hard to retain the unique flavors and authentic traditions of their place.

“Globally with over 2.5 billion people consuming Street Food everyday, the street food sector has come a long way. With the influx of global influences and convergence of cultures, many authentic cultures and traditions are swept away in the avalanche of globalization. We at “Ek Plate” want to help people locate the Street Food jewels who have yet retained their authentic flavors and traditions so they are motivated and empowered to continue doing what they do best. Serve great Street Food.” he added

Ek Plate’s platform showcases the Street Food Vendors and their product  information online. Customers get the option to locate them, rate them on taste & hygiene and further promote them by providing great reviews.

“Ek Plate” wishes to be recognized as the connoisseur of “Street Food”. Initially they wish to Offer their Street Food locator through the mobile app locally (first in Mumbai then across India) . They also want to aggregate the biggest possible repository of street food information and contacts and connect the street food patrons to their favorite “Ek Plates”

In the coming years, their endeavor will be to grow “Ek Plate” into a global brand and first port-of-call for street food lovers.

In the near future, Ek Plate is planning to set up their first-  Ek Plate Cleanliness Training Drive  – where they will train a group of Ek Plate street food vendors about food safety and cleanliness.

Currently, Ek Plate is Live On both Android and IOS.

Have you tried Ek Plate? Please send us your experience at hello@timesofstartups.com

Do you love home cooked food but hate the preparation part of it? Do you abhor going to market to purchase the various ingredients that go into making your food awesome?

Well, if you are from Chennai, here is some good news for you.

AwesomeChef.in , a Chennai based Startup is the City’s first ready-to-cook meal kit provider. Founded by Praveen Kumar and his wife Anjali Anand, AwesomeChef wish to help home chefs and first-time chefs save time and forego the hassles of shopping and reduce wastage by providing fresh, pre-measured ingredients for the recipes featured on their website.

All one has to do is order the dish from the menu available on the site and Awesomechef takes care of the ingredient shopping, packing and delivering to the customer’s door-step. This also enables customers to get to know what goes in each dish and nothing remains a secret.Their kits serve a minimum of 2 people.

“In the past, we faced many instances where eating out became a big problem. Event though we loved restaurant style food but at the same time wanted to spend more time with the family at our home. This is where the seeds of Awesome Chef were sowed. The idea where everyone could cook restaurant style food at home, at their own pace, without the hassles of shopping and reduced amount of wastage.” said Praveen to Times of Startups.

The couple did a bit of market research before implementing the actual idea. Currently, they have an inventory for dry ingredients and they procure fresh vegetables every day.

“Pride in being a home chef has increased over the past few years, thanks to amazing programs like MasterChef or shows featuring famous chefs like Chef Venkatesh Bhat or Chef Damu. The “Art of Cooking” these days, has surpassed the gender divide and we see amazing chefs in husbands, dads and kids.” he added.

According to Praveen, there were many challenges they had to overcome in their entrepreneurial journey. Right from validating the idea, to sourcing, packaging and building the brand everything was new for the husband-wife duo.

However, he also believes that awesomechef has the benefit of being the first to launch the concept in the city. Also, the menu on the website covers a wide range of cuisine with new ones being added each week.
Though the couple has not demonstrated their concept to investors yet, they have received positive feedback from various stakeholders.

Meet the founders of Moshik’s,India’s first homemade chocolate brand which is Trademark Registered and ISO 9001:2008 Certified

The chocolate market in India is silently booming with time. Statistically speaking, per capita consumption in India has risen from 0.05 kg in 2005 to 0.14 kg in 2016. But these numbers may not justify the surge in demand for chocolates in the last 2-3 years. Demand for both branded and homemade chocolates is on the rise and understanding this trend entrepreneurs in India are trying to use every bit of the opportunity.

Trying to establish its name as a touchstone of home-made chocolates is a young but successful company from Bhopal. Moshik’s, the brainchild of Mohit Kumar Jain and Shikha Jain was founded during the Christmas/new year period of 2013-14 . After few initial challenges, there is no looking back for the couple.

Being from a simple middle-class family and having no business degree business knowledge,it was a challenge for us to establish ourselves in the market. Our first few orders came in new year and then for the next order we had to wait for 4-5 months.” said Mohit to TOS.

Mohit believes that an Entrepreneur’s  journey is like a double edged sword.If you succeed people will say that they knew you were born to succeed.If you fail, people will say that they warned you from the beginning that this idea will be a big failure.You have to have a razor sharp eye on your goal and keep moving.Just follow your heart and keep on moving.

Mohit recalls his early days and says that initially, neither his friends nor his relatives supported his idea and they said that leaving a high paid white collar IT job  to start this  venture will take him nowhere.

According to Mohit, things turned for better when they partnered with one of India’s E-Commerce giant Snapdeal.

“Once we started the journey with Snapdeal,there was no looking back.At present, we have more than 52+ E-commerce sites/Mobile Apps where our products are listed.Our Brand MoShik’s is the first Homemade Chocolate Brand in India having both Trademark Registration and ISO 9001:2008 Certification at present” he said.

Moshik’s is currently expanding organically and the duo has not approached investors for funding yet.

Some experts believe that the best home made chocolates can be procured in Ooty, Tamil Nadu, while others believe that Kerala is gradually becoming a hot destination for homemade chocolates and cakes.

At present, there are more than a dozen factories in Kerala that manufacture several variants and flavors of this delectable dark brown confection. Also, ‘home made chocolates’ is one of the top Small Business Ideas that early to middle stage entrepreneurs are exploiting in Karnataka and Kerala. But the success of Mohit and Shikha’s company ‘Moshik’s’ tells us that the trend is changing and entrepreneurs from other parts of the country are also trying to get their share of India’s chocolate market which is worth about Rs 7000 Cr and expected to double in the next 7 to 8 years.