8 ms·

How is this any different from MTR's line of products?[1] And given that MTR's products cost just $2.50 per pack where I currently live, $24 isn't exactly chea

by neya 8y ago

How is this any different from MTR's line of products?[1] And given that MTR's products cost just $2.50 per pack where I currently live, $24 isn't exactly cheap. I haven't tasted your product, but I have tasted the MTR ones and they seem pretty authentic. And MTR being a very old, traditional brand, it's as authentic as it gets. Would love to hear about your differentiation strategy. [1] https://www.mtrfoods.com/products/ready-to-eat https://www.mtrfoods.com/products/ready-to-eat

infinite8s 8y ago
Haven't tried any food from buttermilk, but if their shelf life is any indication their food is much fresher than MTRs. MTR's packets are good for at least a year (and taste like it - they are passable in a pinch but definitely have that preservative taste to them). I think buttermilk is competing with freshly made or restaurant quality food. Edit: was wrong about MTR using preservatives, but I've always found their food to have an off taste.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- neya 8y ago
  MTR doesn't use preservatives, the whole food is just sealed air-tight with extra oil covering the food to prevent it from rotting. It's a combination of package engineering and food engineering.
- mitraraman 8y ago
  Yes, you're right! We are a fresher and healthier option than frozen meals, with a more authentic and varied selection.
- cma 8y ago
  They say no preservatives: https://www.mtrfoods.com/mtr_admin/data_content/products_gallery/ingredient/YUM_RTE_ChanaMasala300gAW.jpg https://www.mtrfoods.com/mtr_admin/data_content/products_gal...
amitutk 8y ago
Their competition is not just MTR, but also Deep, Haldiram, etc that sells frozen entrees for ~ $3 at any Indian grocery.
mitraraman 8y ago
Glad you asked! We have a few key differences: - MTR provides just the spices, you have to bring everything else. This includes vegetables/meat, seasoning, additional spices, oil/salt, etc. Our products include all of this so that the only ingredient you add is water which makes it much more convenient. - Our packets are 100% fresh and don't have any preservatives, whereas existing packaged Indian foods are packed with them. This makes our products tastier, fresher and much healthier, although it comes with a shorter shelf-life. - Our recipes are curated from people in the community (for example, the rasam is my mom's!) This lends a very homemade taste to each dish. - We deliver to you! All existing pre-packaged authentic Indian foods are only available in Indian stores, so we're making good Indian food available to a much larger audience. - At the end of the day, the taste just isn't comparable. Microwaveable chana masala from Haldiram's, let's say, comes out looking/smelling/tasting not at all like a homemade dish. Ours is made completely from scratch and you as a customer can feel that difference. MTR/Haldiram's are 'last-resort' type meals, and we aim to be a meal that you actually crave + is good for you :)
- neya 8y ago
  > MTR provides just the spices, you have to bring everything else. This includes vegetables/meat, seasoning, additional spices, oil/salt, etc. Our products include all of this so that the only ingredient you add is water which makes it much more convenient. Sorry, this is not accurate. If I buy an MTR Sambhar rice, or Paneer masala, everything is included. I just need to heat it and eat it. > Our packets are 100% fresh and don't have any preservatives, whereas existing packaged Indian foods are packed with them. This makes our products tastier, fresher and much healthier, although it comes with a shorter shelf-life. I can't vouch for the freshness of MTR's products, but I know they don't use preservatives (as it's printed on their cartons). They use a combination of food engineering and package engineering to preserve the food without using preservatives. That's why when you buy their ready to eat products, you will find a lot of oil in them (which you're supposed to drain away) as it helps to preserve the food for months, if not years. This is no different than storing dead specimens such as rats in biological laboratories, I assume. > Our recipes are curated from people in the community (for example, the rasam is my mom's!) This lends a very homemade taste to each dish. Ok, this sounds good. > We deliver to you! All existing pre-packaged authentic Indian foods are only available in Indian stores, so we're making good Indian food available to a much larger audience. So, basically a uber type of service? So that almost makes you guys like any other restaurant, no? I mean, what's the difference between calling an Indian restaurant to have fresh food delivered vs calling you guys? > At the end of the day, the taste just isn't comparable. Microwaveable chana masala from Haldiram's, let's say, comes out looking/smelling/tasting not at all like a homemade dish. Ours is made completely from scratch and you as a customer can feel that difference. This is subjective. Like I said, if you call up a decent Indian restaurant (HSB / Anjappar / Raj / etc.), you can get a similar experience. > MTR/Haldiram's are 'last-resort' type meals, and we aim to be a meal that you actually crave + is good for you :) Sorry, but I am still not convinced why your product is worth $24 and based on what you answer, seems like there isn't much difference between ordering from a decent Indian restaurant and you guys? I appreciate taking the time to explain your points so far.
parthdesai 8y ago
Maybe i'm just picky but MTR or even (Gits) is horrible. Deep is the only one that is somewhat decent.
praneshp 8y ago
Not sure how OP's product is different, but MTR's food is not good at all. Even assuming that a $2.50 pack is enough for you (I find that I need two at most times for my regular hunger), it's not good to eat at all. I usually reserve it for national park trips only (the convenience of popping the pack into boiling water or into the microwave for 2 mins is unbeatable). As far as authenticity goes, most of their stuff isn't. I would actually put them in the "very very bad attempt" category. But it could just represent the food of local area where they started (and that's not really acceptable, given that they make a wide range of stuff).
- hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
  Totally agree. I consider the MTR Palak Paneer in the category of "Indian Chef Boyardee". I don't know how successful she'll be but OP clearly appears to be highlighting taste and freshness.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  "national park trips only " I do that too! MTR and the Trader Joe's Indian dishes are my camping food. Definitely no comparison to fresh food.
pandler 8y ago
MTR is definitely decent, but it’s a far cry from authentic, quality Indian food. I’ve had many MTR lunches at work, but I don’t see myself eating it for dinner where convenience is not my primary concern. It seems like Buttermilk is definitely competing for quality, not price.
maxxxxx 8y ago
MTR definitely has a different taste than what you get when you use fresh spices. No idea how the OP's products taste.
Ar-Curunir 8y ago
The difference is that the MTR stuff actually tastes horrible and nothing like actual, regular, everyday Indian food.
capkutay 8y ago
They also sell Amy's Bowls at every whole foods in the country: https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-mattar-paneer https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-mattar-paneer https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-palak-paneer https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-palak-paneer Amy's bowls typically come in around $5 per dish as well.
cbhl 8y ago
It wasn't clear from the home page that $24 is for "one meal that serves 3-4 people". If it doesn't greatly increase the price of packaging for your product, you may want to experiment with showing pictures of (and sending) food in single-serving packages (so instead of sending five-six packets, you'd send 15-24 of them). Another option is to go with a "Home Chef" style pitch -- basically saying "here's a dinner date night for two in a box".
- mitraraman 8y ago
  That's a good point! Our products are created as a single serving per packet, so when you purchase our pre-made packs we specify how many meals you can make out of that pack to help users out.
gandutraveler 8y ago
MTR is shit. I haven't tried buttermilk but if they are as good as they claim then I am definitely going to be one of their target customers.

by neya 8y ago

infinite8s 8y ago

Haven't tried any food from buttermilk, but if their shelf life is any indication their food is much fresher than MTRs. MTR's packets are good for at least a year (and taste like it - they are passable in a pinch but definitely have that preservative taste to them). I think buttermilk is competing with freshly made or restaurant quality food. Edit: was wrong about MTR using preservatives, but I've always found their food to have an off taste.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
neya 8y ago
MTR doesn't use preservatives, the whole food is just sealed air-tight with extra oil covering the food to prevent it from rotting. It's a combination of package engineering and food engineering.
mitraraman 8y ago
Yes, you're right! We are a fresher and healthier option than frozen meals, with a more authentic and varied selection.
cma 8y ago
They say no preservatives: https://www.mtrfoods.com/mtr_admin/data_content/products_gallery/ingredient/YUM_RTE_ChanaMasala300gAW.jpg https://www.mtrfoods.com/mtr_admin/data_content/products_gal...

amitutk 8y ago

Their competition is not just MTR, but also Deep, Haldiram, etc that sells frozen entrees for ~ $3 at any Indian grocery.

mitraraman 8y ago

Glad you asked! We have a few key differences: - MTR provides just the spices, you have to bring everything else. This includes vegetables/meat, seasoning, additional spices, oil/salt, etc. Our products include all of this so that the only ingredient you add is water which makes it much more convenient. - Our packets are 100% fresh and don't have any preservatives, whereas existing packaged Indian foods are packed with them. This makes our products tastier, fresher and much healthier, although it comes with a shorter shelf-life. - Our recipes are curated from people in the community (for example, the rasam is my mom's!) This lends a very homemade taste to each dish. - We deliver to you! All existing pre-packaged authentic Indian foods are only available in Indian stores, so we're making good Indian food available to a much larger audience. - At the end of the day, the taste just isn't comparable. Microwaveable chana masala from Haldiram's, let's say, comes out looking/smelling/tasting not at all like a homemade dish. Ours is made completely from scratch and you as a customer can feel that difference. MTR/Haldiram's are 'last-resort' type meals, and we aim to be a meal that you actually crave + is good for you :)

neya 8y ago
> MTR provides just the spices, you have to bring everything else. This includes vegetables/meat, seasoning, additional spices, oil/salt, etc. Our products include all of this so that the only ingredient you add is water which makes it much more convenient. Sorry, this is not accurate. If I buy an MTR Sambhar rice, or Paneer masala, everything is included. I just need to heat it and eat it. > Our packets are 100% fresh and don't have any preservatives, whereas existing packaged Indian foods are packed with them. This makes our products tastier, fresher and much healthier, although it comes with a shorter shelf-life. I can't vouch for the freshness of MTR's products, but I know they don't use preservatives (as it's printed on their cartons). They use a combination of food engineering and package engineering to preserve the food without using preservatives. That's why when you buy their ready to eat products, you will find a lot of oil in them (which you're supposed to drain away) as it helps to preserve the food for months, if not years. This is no different than storing dead specimens such as rats in biological laboratories, I assume. > Our recipes are curated from people in the community (for example, the rasam is my mom's!) This lends a very homemade taste to each dish. Ok, this sounds good. > We deliver to you! All existing pre-packaged authentic Indian foods are only available in Indian stores, so we're making good Indian food available to a much larger audience. So, basically a uber type of service? So that almost makes you guys like any other restaurant, no? I mean, what's the difference between calling an Indian restaurant to have fresh food delivered vs calling you guys? > At the end of the day, the taste just isn't comparable. Microwaveable chana masala from Haldiram's, let's say, comes out looking/smelling/tasting not at all like a homemade dish. Ours is made completely from scratch and you as a customer can feel that difference. This is subjective. Like I said, if you call up a decent Indian restaurant (HSB / Anjappar / Raj / etc.), you can get a similar experience. > MTR/Haldiram's are 'last-resort' type meals, and we aim to be a meal that you actually crave + is good for you :) Sorry, but I am still not convinced why your product is worth $24 and based on what you answer, seems like there isn't much difference between ordering from a decent Indian restaurant and you guys? I appreciate taking the time to explain your points so far.

parthdesai 8y ago

Maybe i'm just picky but MTR or even (Gits) is horrible. Deep is the only one that is somewhat decent.

praneshp 8y ago

Not sure how OP's product is different, but MTR's food is not good at all. Even assuming that a $2.50 pack is enough for you (I find that I need two at most times for my regular hunger), it's not good to eat at all. I usually reserve it for national park trips only (the convenience of popping the pack into boiling water or into the microwave for 2 mins is unbeatable). As far as authenticity goes, most of their stuff isn't. I would actually put them in the "very very bad attempt" category. But it could just represent the food of local area where they started (and that's not really acceptable, given that they make a wide range of stuff).

hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
Totally agree. I consider the MTR Palak Paneer in the category of "Indian Chef Boyardee". I don't know how successful she'll be but OP clearly appears to be highlighting taste and freshness.
maxxxxx 8y ago
"national park trips only " I do that too! MTR and the Trader Joe's Indian dishes are my camping food. Definitely no comparison to fresh food.

pandler 8y ago

MTR is definitely decent, but it’s a far cry from authentic, quality Indian food. I’ve had many MTR lunches at work, but I don’t see myself eating it for dinner where convenience is not my primary concern. It seems like Buttermilk is definitely competing for quality, not price.

maxxxxx 8y ago

MTR definitely has a different taste than what you get when you use fresh spices. No idea how the OP's products taste.

Ar-Curunir 8y ago

The difference is that the MTR stuff actually tastes horrible and nothing like actual, regular, everyday Indian food.

capkutay 8y ago

They also sell Amy's Bowls at every whole foods in the country: https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-mattar-paneer https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-mattar-paneer https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-palak-paneer https://www.amys.com/our-foods/indian-palak-paneer Amy's bowls typically come in around $5 per dish as well.

cbhl 8y ago

It wasn't clear from the home page that $24 is for "one meal that serves 3-4 people". If it doesn't greatly increase the price of packaging for your product, you may want to experiment with showing pictures of (and sending) food in single-serving packages (so instead of sending five-six packets, you'd send 15-24 of them). Another option is to go with a "Home Chef" style pitch -- basically saying "here's a dinner date night for two in a box".

mitraraman 8y ago
That's a good point! Our products are created as a single serving per packet, so when you purchase our pre-made packs we specify how many meals you can make out of that pack to help users out.

gandutraveler 8y ago

MTR is shit. I haven't tried buttermilk but if they are as good as they claim then I am definitely going to be one of their target customers.