The next time you are at Chennai International Airport, do drop by the Frshly outlet. It's the proud global winner of the prestigious Airport Food and Beverage (FAB) awards 2018, for New Food and Beverage Concept of the Year.
Having launched in 2013, Frshly aims to remedy the long-standing problem of access to hygienic and fresh food during train travel in India. Soon, the Chennai-based startup became the world's first automated retail marketplace, which serves fresh and hot food from the best restaurant brands, within 90 seconds!
Customers can choose from a selection of stocked menu items from popular restaurants at Frshly's state-of-the-art automated dispensing machine and pay by cash, card or Paytm for a quick takeaway-friendly meal that's perfect for famished travellers, time-starved professionals, and just about anybody on the move.
The system's built-in algorithm guarantees that food older than six hours automatically disappears from the menu, ensuring that only fresh, hot and hygienic food reaches the customer.
"The latest honour at the FAB Awards in Helsinki, Finland, is a testimony of our commitment to provide world-class products that have 'innovation' at its core. The biggest reason for our growth has been the convenience factor. With Frshly, one can get delicious food from their favourite restaurants at the click of a button, right where they are - at the airport, railway station, office, or even the mall - in less than 90 seconds!" said Satish Chamyvelumani, Founder and CEO, Frshly.
"This is possible because we work in an innovative ecosystem, integrated with robotics and built-in algorithms, to offer consumers access to a collaborative platform of food providers. We strive to seamlessly combine our passion for food with our drive to innovate," he added.
Currently, Frshly has 16 state-of-the-art automated outlets, at railway stations, airports, IT parks, corporate hubs and hospitals, across Chennai, Bengaluru, Secunderabad and Aurangabad. The startup has tie-ups with Food and Beverage (F&B) operators like Travel Food Services (TFS) and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) as well as popular restaurant brands in these four cities.
Customers also have the option of placing orders online, with the free Frshly app, available on the Apple and Google Play stores, by specifying the pickup location and time.
The company is looking to collaborate with food delivery startups as their micro delivery partner, thereby increasing the reach of its cutting-edge food solution.
By 2020, Frshly plans to have over 1000 outlets in India, Singapore and West Asia.
With innovation labs in India and Hong Kong as well as seven patent filings in dispensing and packaging technologies, the company is ready to revolutionise the global food retail industry.
Earlier this year, Frshly won the IMAGES Most Admired Food Startup of the Year Award, for innovation in Retail Marketing at the Annual Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards in Mumbai.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)