The larder connection

D’Souza is referring to the advent of the classy shops selling all varieties of exotic food products available in Pune now. It’s a trend that has been going around for some time with food connoisseurs spending lavishly on cheese,breads,chocholates,juices,jams,cookies,candies and even beverages. No wonder then according to a research agency the market for canned exotic and gourmet vegatables is growing at nearly 25 percent annually in the country.

Shares Jay Patel,owner,The Patio,which is one such exotic food outlet in Aundh,” This just shows how people are now moving towards eating different variety of foods. They are passionate about the food they eat so they make sure that they have the most healthiest and the best brand available.”

So a lavish spread of exquisite french cheese with tortillas along with a berry juice and a bagel bread may just be a simple afternoon snack right here in a Pune house. Not only are these products known for their quality and price but variety is also a key factor. “Take the case of our bread,apart from the 2-3 varities available the Indian popualtion never demanded much,but today I have around 30-40 varieties of breads along with even more number of spreads to add to the taste,” shares Patel.

One of the reasons for this increasing expensive taste for food items is because a lot of people have now been either traveling abroad or have lived on their own for a while. Api Mirpuri,director,operations of Tutto Bene,a food outlet in Koregaon Park, explains,” Most of my customers are either foreigners,expatriates or Indians who have either lived abroad or have traveled widely. They are really happy to find all the food products that they require here. But unforutnately for us we haven’t been able to get more Indian crowd into buying these products.”

But it isn’t really the price that has been the reason why. ” I don’t think Indians don’t want to spend. It’s just that they are very complacent with their buying habits. I mean a kirana shop owner selling ice cream might just turn off his fridge at night,but what about the ice cream? I don’t know how many times it willl defrost and then freeze again. A lot of people don’t mind it.”

Fine Foods,another such outlet though finds a good number of Indian buyers. Shares Rahul Kulkarni,owner,” We have customers who are largely India based. Of course,they have a different palette taste and really like eating gourmet foods.”

Interestingly,a good amount of these foods are made in India,while a decade ago,India used to import its entire exotic vegetables. Now the country tries to meet the demand from local production. Shares Patel ,” A lot of local players are making these products like cheese and yoghurts,and they also promise a good quality. Even items from the cold cut sections like turkey can be procured from India. In fact there is a turkey farm right near Pune in Saswad.”