How FroGo is creating a unique distribution channel for D2C brands

After China and the US, India has the largest online shopper base. Smartphone penetration is off the charts, customers are on the lookout for instant gratification and want a superior user experience. The rise in the working population means people put convenience above everything.

The frozen food market in our country is expected to be worth USD15 Billion by 2024, with a steady CAGR of 7percent year upon year. As of 2020, frozen food in India contributes to a measly 0.06percent of grocery retail. There are a few reasons behind this, poor visibility on the retail shelf, lack of proper distribution channels and lack of consumer awareness. While there are plenty of E commerce and quick commerce stores that deliver groceries, there is a huge gap in the market when it comes to frozen food delivery. This is the gap that is being addressed by FroGo, India largest online frozen food store.

FroGo, with over 50 brands and counting, stocks a wide range of products. From the popular categories like ice creams and frozen vegetables, to more differentiated items like idlis, rolls and thalis, FroGo has got it all. The platform has the largest online collection of ice creams, from popular brands like Amul and Kwality Walls, to new age D2C brands like Cold Love and NOTO. FroGo also features Shark Tank stars, Momo Mami and Get A Whey. Their promise to deliver products at minus18 degrees and maintain product integrity throughout the cold chain ensures excellent customer experience.

While D2C food brands have benefitted through E commerce platforms, in terms of visibility and reach, frozen food delivery continues to be a challenge for these platforms. Lack of temperature controlled last mile delivery and an underdeveloped supply chain make it a difficult category to service. This is where FroGo, a platform focusing only on frozen food, has an advantage.

FroGo uses smart technology to create an end to end cold chain for frozen food. From market leaders like ITC Master Chef, Kwality Walls, Amul, Haldiram, etc. to regional, or new age D2C brands like Imagine Meats, Sankalp, Get A Whey and Noto among others, FroGo is the first online store to ensure quality, temperature and integrity of frozen food products. FroGo provides a wide range, quality, convenience and competitive pricing for all frozen food products.

FroGo is the perfect partner for new age D2C frozen food brands. As an exclusive platform, FroGo gives them the distribution, reach and visibility that they need. These brands struggle to get visibility at kirana stores and modern trade, because of limited shelf space and high stocking fees. FroGo frozen delivery guarantee also ensures that the product reaches the customer in the right condition, maintaining quality as well as brand value.

FroGo places high value on homegrown D2C brands because they are innovative and experimental, they create modern solutions for present customer preferences or needs, and they know the pulse of the current consumer landscape. Some of the other interesting offerings on FroGo include plant based meats like Imagine Meats and Shaka Harry, heat and eat idlis from Sankalp, toaster waffles from Waffle Mills and 2minute rolls from Haldiram among others. Brands like Bedekar, Sankalp offer great regional flavours. Ice cream is a fast growing category with a lot of new D2C players on the block, churning out variety and catering to a wide range of palates. FroGo has partnered up with over 8 D2C ice cream brands including Get A Whey, NOTO, Cold Love, Artiste, Emoi, Grameen, Brooklyn Creamery and Minus 30.

The prospects of the frozen food industry and a dedicated E commerce platform for the same are the need of the hour. The cold chain infrastructure in India is nascent, and last mile connectivity in frozen food is constrained. FroGo acts as a much needed catalyst in this change and helps build this category to realise its full potential. Ashni Sheth, the co founder of NOTO Ice Creams, says, It is encouraging to see a startup attempting to solve for a large gap. FroGo has made it easier for smaller companies to reach consumers without compromising on product quality. The frozen food industry is growing at an exponential rate and every initiative will help build a stronger foundation.

Jash Tarang Shah, founder of Get A Whey, added, Frozen is a tough category and most platforms struggle to deliver frozen food at the right temperature. As soon as I heard about FroGo and saw their delivery system in action, I was amazed by it and wanted to list Get A Whey on the platform immediately. Frozen food is a challenging sector but FroGo is ahead of the game and I feel they will be the clear winners. For our customers as well as our brand, FroGo has solved the issue of timely, frozen delivery. We are excited to expand our footprint as FroGo scales up across the country. FroGo is currently headquartered in Gurgaon and delivers to customers all across the city in less than an hour, with plans to expand to the rest of Delhi NCR in August and Bangalore in September.

Customers can log in to www.goFroGo.in and shop for their favourite frozen food products, sit back and relax till their order is delivered frozen to their doorstep. The company is targeting a revenue of INR 100 Cr by FY23 and expansion across all major metro cities in FY24.