Nishanth Chandran visited Europe few years back where he came across a local meat market which left a long lasting impression with the immaculate market standards. The meat was clean, hygienic and even had multiple choices of grading, for the customer. In India, where meat is hugely consumed, the general standards were poor, unhygienic with no compliance with FSSAI standards. The idea of TenderCuts was born at that moment with a vision to be a socially conscious meat delivery company that believes in providing the best quality meat to the customers at rational prices. TenderCuts launched their pilot operations in January 2016 in Chennai and Dr. Chef Damu was appointed as the brand ambassador.
One of the biggest challenges during the initial phase was educating the customers about the disadvantages of meat available with the butchers. Once the customers were made aware of the hazards of consuming unhygienic meat, the brand systematically strengthened its position among the customers.
TenderCuts has a state-of-the-art facility where the meat is received, processed, packed and delivered which is entirely based on cold chain to ensure maximum freshness in 0 to 4 degree Celsius without exposing it to micro-organisms. All the packaging of the meat is ensured in food grade containers. Leak proof methods and final quality checks are some of the stringent quality measures in place, before the meat is delivered in insulated cold containers to end customers.
The meat and seafood provided by the brand conforms to FSSAI (Food Safety & Standards Authority of India) and WHO (World Health Organization). TenderCuts prides itself on the immaculate hygiene and the multiple checks that go in to place to ensure that the meat that reaches the customers is fresh and hygienic. Some of the steps include:
Procurement: The best livestock breeds are picked directly from farms and fish from fisherman.
Processing: Livestock is processed following in the Halal Method, in a highly sanitized and hygienic state-of-the-art environment. The meat is cleaned using RO water with a constant maintenance of the cold chain, which is crucial to ensure the freshness of the meat.
Quality Checking: Weight and health of the livestock are checked and monitored to meet stringent quality standards. The meat is stored at a particular temperature to make sure that the taste and quality are preserved.
Custom Cuts: Meat is processed into predefined cuts by well-trained butchers with approved food-grade knives and equipments. This also makes it easy to cook, saving time in daily life.
TenderCuts is currently the only player offering an Omni-channel buying experience; they are available in physical stores, website, mobile app (to be launched soon), and direct calls on the landlines. TenderCuts employs over 80 people currently. They have gathered 30,000 plus customers in a short period of time, with a growth rate of 100%, every 3-4 months. TenderCuts aims to reach a target of 500,000 customers in Chennai by the end of this year.
TenderCuts has a direct partnership with local farming and fishing communities and strong backward linkages which ensure that the meat/sea food travels a very short distance to reach the customer, guaranteeing absolute freshness. This business model turns the local farming and fishing communities into micro-entrepreneurs without the involvement of middlemen. The brand has integrated their partners into an ecosystem of ethical prices and timely payments.
TenderCuts current revenue model is based on the B2C segment. At present, they have six outlets in Chennai and plan to expand to about 30 outlets in Chennai, eventually moving in to Hyderabad and Bengaluru by early 2018. TenderCuts also received a large number of enquiries from restaurants and soon plans to open the market to B2B as well.
