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Indian foodtech Agromatic Nutrifoods is looking to broaden its portfolio of products. One of the country’s leading sellers of spices, it has revealed a new plant-based meat brand, dubbed LetzVez. Initial launch will see six high-protein products entering the market, each of which is frozen and ready to cook.
The entire LetzVez range is vegan-friendly and caters to regional tastes. Products have been branded as Kebabz, Keemah, Nuggetz, Pattiez, Popz, and Sausez. The company claims to use cutting-edge extrusion tech to create prepared protein sources. Development is said to have taken two years in total, with extensive research and recipe tuning undertaken. It is not known how many more product lines the brand is looking to offer though R&D appears to be ongoing.
Aligned values
Agromatic Nutrifoods defines itself in terms of its operational philosophy of creating healthy, authentic food. The new LetzVez brand feeds into this. It aligns with the launch team’s values as well. “Coming from a vegetarian family, I never tasted meat in my life,” Vishal Baid, managing director of Agromatic Nutrifoods said in a statement. “Most of my co-founders are also vegetarians, and therefore, when we first heard about plant-based meat, we felt it doesn’t fit into our ideology. However, it struck us that this product segment could actually help non-vegetarians and flexitarians to quit meat.”
Enlightenment for the founders led to LetzVez beginning its two-year R&D process. “The idea felt revolutionary because through one product, we had the power to not only help people make ethical and healthier food choices, but also protect the environment – all without compromising on taste,” Baid said.
LetzVez is designed to offer the existing vegetarian community of India an extra choice when looking for protein-rich meal additions.
India driving change
India has been identified as a key market driver for plant-based foods. In December last year, Kerry revealed that it had conducted research that proved the country has the power to leverage significant purchasing power. The study revealed that one-third of the population identifies as vegetarian, with the remaining two regularly partaking in vegan meals. There is an openness to meat-free eating in India that allows plant-based meat brands to exponentially increase in number.
Kerry’s findings lend credence to India becoming an official Veganuary campaign hub ahead of 2022’s event. Last year, 60,000 people signed up to the month-long abstinence from animal products, shining a spotlight in the fact that India’s population is progressive in terms of considering alternatives to animal protein.
Alongside smaller brands, such as LetzVez, big conglomerates are seeking to take a piece of the alt-protein action in India. ITC, one of the biggest companies in the country has announced its intention to launch meat-free burger patties and chicken nuggets. Both will be marketed direct-to-consumer, with foodservice partnerships sought alongside.
The celebrity influence
As consumer shifts gain momentum, celebrity ambassadors are sought to reiterate the positive messages contained therein. Plant-based living in India is no exception.
A recent investment into Blue Tribe Foods has turned into a high-profile ambassadorship for married power couple AnushkaSharma and Virat Kohli. The two are key figures within Indian culture, representing both Bollywood and professional cricket. They have been vocal about cruelty-free living for some time as well, making their new partnership credible.
Lead product photography courtesy of LetzVez.
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