Brands
Zoff Foods stirs up ready-to-cook game with Reliance Retail tie-up
MUMBAI: Raipur-based spice disruptor Zoff Foods is whipping up a storm in Indian kitchens with the launch of its new Quick Homestyle Food range, marking its entry into the fast-growing ready-to-cook (RTC) segment. The launch comes with a strategic offline retail partnership with Reliance Retail, making the range available pan-India.
The lineup includes 5-minute Gravies (Rs 150) and 1-minute Marinades (Rs 75), served in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian avatars — from Paneer Tikka to Chicken Chettinad and Magic Mix Gravy to Mutton Curry. The kicker? No preservatives, no prep, and no flavour compromise.
Zoff’s latest play combines India’s craving for homestyle flavour with the rising demand for convenience. With its eye on becoming a full-stack kitchen solutions brand, the company is positioning itself as a serious player in the RTC space — where taste meets tech, minus the chopping board.
Talking about the partnership and expansion, ZOFF Foods co-founder Akash Agrawalla stated, “Indian kitchens are celebrated for their rich traditions and the love poured into every meal. At ZOFF Foods, we honour these culinary roots while embracing the evolving needs of today’s home cooks. With our 5-minute gravies and 1-minute marinades, we are introducing a convenient solution for today’s fast-paced lifestyles, without compromising on flavour or quality. Having built our reputation on delivering clean, high-quality whole spices, and this new launch is a natural extension of our promise, with a clear vision: “Ab poora India cook karega.’ We’re bringing authenticity and ease together in every pack. Through our strategic partnerships with Reliance Retail, we are making these innovations more accessible, reaching 400+ stores by July 2025 and helping consumers experience convenience like never before.”
Ashish Agrawal shared, “Akash and I have always shared a vision to bring innovation to Indian kitchens while staying true to the roots of purity and authenticity. This marks a significant step, not just for us, but for how Indian households can experience flavor, freshness, and convenience in new ways. Our evolving range, from whole spices to ready-to-cook gravies and marinades, reflects our commitment to clean-label, unadulterated food that meets modern needs while honoring our culinary heritage.”
The range is now available via zofffoods.com, Reliance Retail outlets, and is headed soon to e-commerce and quick commerce shelves.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
