Perizaad Zorabian to venture QSR biz
Perizaad Zorabian to venture QSR biz

What made you leave behind your glamorous career and enter your fathers’ food business?

I wanted to be an Entrepreneur even before I could pronounce the word. As a child I’ve always wanted to make Zorabian Chicken the largest in India. I went to the US to do my MBA so that I could work on making my dream come true. Acting was a co incidence. I loved performing and being on stage ever since I was eight years old. However, I never thought of it as a career choice. After giving birth to my second child, I decided to build on my Father’s legacy of being Mumbai’s most premium quality chicken producer with passion and commitment. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve decided to entirely leave my acting career behind. In fact I just did a play - Dinner with Friends which is a Pulitzer Award Winning Play - directed by Feroz Khan. It all depends on the script and the amount of hours I need to put in because besides being an entrepreneur, I’m also a mother of two gorgeous kids who also need my attention.

You were the one who made Zorabian Chicken available at top retail outlets. What were the challenges faced?

 

With Zorabian being such a respected brand in the wholesale space in Mumbai, to start a retail brand and watch the brand go from Mumbai to Pan India has been a dream for both my father and me. Even though my father is respected in the poultry industry, the journey has been challenging and intense. I handled the distribution and all the infrastructural and marketing changes that came with going retail, like expanding delivery services.

Meanwhile it has been very challenging to grow a brand without compromising on the quality of the products as we maintain very high standards when it comes to quality but, what’s amazing is that we’ve managed to grow a brand pan India and also excelled at it. Standardisation of protocols was extremely challenging, but it made the process of expansion easier.

How is the company growing? What new can we see from your end in coming years?

 

The company is growing rapidly in the retail space. Our Vision and ability is helping us grow and be number one in quality and convenience as well. We want to be the most trusted brand when it comes to Health and Food Safety. We definitely have plans to expand our Ready to cook range. Since, we have a pan India presence, our next step will be to take our products International.

I also have plans to set up a chain of Zorabian QSRs that not only sell our products, but also create various recipes with our products to maximise on our culinary experience.

Setting up a processed food business is challenging in India. How are you managing the supply chain process?

We have our own distribution in Mumbai so everything is in our hands. We had to develop a partner network Pan India and work with them.

Your brand is known for its quality. What are some of the ways you always adhere to while coming up with best products?

At Zorabian - We pride ourselves on having highest quality and safety Standards. Our products enjoy a reputation of being safe and healthy owing to the fact that we do not use preservatives and antibiotics.Our objective is to provide quality chicken that is safe for customers. We have our own farm, which means we have complete control of our products, right from breeding to packaging. We also practice contract farming which keeps a check on the production process ensuring everything is as per our standards. We believe in an All Natural Diet because we do NOT use heavy Antibiotics and other preventives in our feed.

Talking about your retail presence. How does it look like (distribution channel, cities, stores present)?

We have a Pan India Footprint with a strong presence in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Gujarat, Bhopal and Chandigarh. Our retail products are available at all leading modern retail trade Institutions like Natures Basket, Food Hall, Gourmet West, Hypercity, Star Bazaar, Big Bazaar, Aditya More and Spars. We also take great pride in associating with prestigious and quality conscious and committed Institutions like Degustibus, Allied Catering, The obroma, InterContenintal, and HyperCity amongst a host of others.

These days there are many brands under the category you are operating. How do you overcome the growing competition?

Zorabians retail brand has been created on three strong pillars - Quality, Convenience and Reliability. We have our own farms which allow us to keep a check on the entire production process. We do not mix weight gainers in our feed, which also ensures zero contamination and it means that our chicken in less fatty. We are educating our customers on what sets us apart and what it is that we do differently and that has really helped us create a solid loyal following of customers.

How about entering e-Commerce space?

We are available on various leading platforms like Natures Basket, Big Basket, Frozone, Grofers to name a few. It offers consumers convenience of having products delivered at their doorstep and it has been working very well for us.

How have you priced your products taking in mind the target audience?

We provide high quality products at affordable prices. Why should good quality be unaffordable?

 
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