Shaka Harry gears up to focus on providing the complete meat-eating experience with its plant based offerings to the customer. The Bengaluru-based company has a product portfolio of snacks that have the exact taste, texture, aroma and composition as that of real meat.
"If we get the taste right without proper texture or mouthfeel, it wouldn't work. We have spent a lot of time and effort in creating products that recreate the exact experience every meat-eater expects. Although we have a lot of competition, we are confident that customers will appreciate our dedication towards creating the perfect plant-based meat products," explains Anoop Haridasan, co-founder, Shaka Harry.
Classic Chicken Nuggets, Hot & Spicy Chicken Nuggets, Mutton Samosa and Chicken Shami Kebabs by the company are on the shelves already.
"In the coming weeks, we will launch Chicken and Mutton Keema, Mutton Seekh Kebab, Chicken Burger Patty and Mutton Biryani. All our products have a shelf life of nine months," he added.
Plant-based meat is a step towards healthy eating and limiting environmental damage. Mushrooms, peas, jackfruit, several types of beans and grains have textures and protein content comparable to meat. "However, the taste profile of any plant and vegetable is completely different from that of meat. It takes an ensemble of many ingredients and
spices to get the flavours right," he stated.
Healthy eating choices, compassion for all life and care for the planet ranks higher than anything else. People understand that it's time to adopt sustainable food production practices to feed a huge population like ours. Hence, "raising livestock for meat is not sustainable anymore," said Haridasan.
"In recent years, we have seen a considerable increase in brands that have brought plant-based meat to the market." It is not just nuggets, burgers
and sausages. Many plant-based meat brands have created kebabs, keema, biryanis and others. This is a major transformation created by the Indian
plant-based meat industry which is making available vegetarian meat in the form of popular Indian cuisines. But it is not just about replicating the taste, texture and other aspects of actual meat. Plant-based meat is a step towards healthy eating and limiting environmental damage by reducing meat consumption. It is still in its nascent stage, but awareness of the benefits of plant-based meat is growing every day.
India is the second largest meat processing market, and so the first challenge is to create awareness amongst the masses as to why there's a need for plant-based meat in the Indian market. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many have realised how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Making changes in food habits is a great place to start, according to Haridasan.