Hail the new-age dabbawallah

An avid foodie, Aggarwal sensed his south Indian mates longing for home-cooked meals. It was then that the 26 year old management student developed his version of the Mumbai’s dabbawallah system — a retail tiffin system, complete with a kitchen dishing out a standardised product; catering to a target population like his friends at Noida.

Together with batchmates Abhishesh Sharma and Pragya Gaur, Aggarwal presented his business model FOODY at a B-school competition last year. Before they knew it, FOODY had made it to the finals. But they couldn’t garner funds for it, and so, together the team pooled in Rs 10,000 for a month-long trial, a first of sorts.

Tiffins were sourced in bulk for Rs 20 per meal, and sold for Rs 30 — with the trio doubling up as delivery agents — for around 50 students per meal. “We were giving better service and incentives like candies on birthdays,” recalls Aggarwal, also a prolific blogger.

Sleepless nights and falling grades followed. FOODY managed to only “break even” for that month, but Aggarwal claims they already have “potential” incubation offers. “Now I am looking out for venture capitalists,” he says.