Priyanka Shetty, founder and CEO,told FoodNavigator-Asia: “Around the world, people have started to realise the importance of organic food as more information comes out about the harmful effects of non-organic foods, which are loaded with toxins, pesticides, especially in baby and kids foods.”
Middle East expansion
The company recently entered UAE (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi) and is hoping to further expand in the emirate.
Shetty said there were plans to enter other Gulf countries and countries in the Indian Ocean including Reunion, Seychelles and the Maldives.
“We found that people in the UAE want to access wholesome, nutritious, organic food for their children, especially with the growing awareness of the dangers of pesticides, toxins, additives, preservatives, and artificial colours and flavours. Parents don't want to take these chances anymore.”
In addition, Shetty said the huge expat community in the Gulf region had led to the company receiving many enquires on their products.
“When we first launched our website, we received a large number of inquiries from people in the region (UAE), asking if these products are locally available for them and if not, would international shipping be possible for a large order.
”We have recently started, and the response has been very encouraging. We have had repeat orders, and we are planning to ramp up our operations in the UAE and spread to other Gulf countries.”
Doctors, pharmacies, parents
In India, Mimmo Organics products are available in over 500 premium stores and pharmacies such as Apollo and MedPlus. It is also available on online marketplaces such as Amazon, Natures Basket, firstcry, and Flipkart.
Shetty said she was also targeting doctors and pediatricians, and working with hospitals in the Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad districts to recommend her products to parents.
“In India, like the rest of the world, the focus is shifting to organic foods, especially for babies and kids. As the market grows with increasing number of births and women in the workforce, there is increasingly more preference for baby organic food without pesticides, toxins, no preservatives, or additives. This has become a strong driver of industry growth in recent years.”
Shetty told us she had planned for a toddler quinoa-based snack release in March, but it had been delayed due to the COVID-19 situation.
She also mentioned that NPD work in a new wellness range would be explored after COVID-19. “We are looking at designing safe and reliable solutions for babies in the wellness range to help them through their small ailments.”
