SUMMARY
The F&B brand will push pan-India expansion by 2025 and set up 22 stores in Tier I cities
The Origin Story
FreshMa started as an offline seafood outlet, but founder Rajesh Kumar R. soon realised the challenges of that unorganised sector. For starters, fresh and nutritious seafood was not readily available due to a poor supply chain. Additionally, fishermen, intermediaries and small retailers often lacked temperature-controlled storage so that the catch would stay fresh longer. He also noticed how customers quickly embraced the D2C model during the pandemic for the sake of convenience and quality. So, the brand pivoted to a direct-to-consumer model in 2022. FreshMa primarily sells through its mobile app, but products are also available on its website and in its retail store. To date, it has sold to more than 52K consumers and bagged a net profit of INR 1.06 Cr in 2023.
The Differentiator
The F&B brand offers a wide variety of delicacies like freshwater and sea fish, lobsters and prawns, crabs, dry fish, combos and more. In fact, buying seafood online has never been easier as one can also get cleaned slices and fillets. FreshMa sources chemical-free fish and seafood from a trusted network of fishermen and farmers. It has also set up processing units, a distribution centre and an advanced quality control centre in Chennai and recently started a two-hour delivery service.
What’s Next
FreshMa will expand its market presence in 2024 by launching 10 omnichannel retail stores in Tier I and II cities in Tamil Nadu. These physical stores will be critical touchpoints for traditional touch-and-feel purchasing and fulfilling online orders. Their hybrid services will help grow the user base and build strong connections with existing and potential customers. It will also opt for pan-India expansion in 2025 and set up 22 stores in metros and Tier I cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurugram.
