7 ms·

This seems like you are working off of TastyBite's playbook: http://tastybite.com/products/ http://tastybite.com/products/ > The options were expensive, time-

This seems like you are working off of TastyBite's playbook: http://tastybite.com/products/ http://tastybite.com/products/ > The options were expensive, time-consuming, or tasted horrible. Tasty bite tastes decent, takes 60-90 seconds to heat up, and costs about $3/package with no need for refrigeration. --- This seems like a YC to clone TastyBite without any differentiation beyond the nebulous "quality food". So.... Are you telling me your quality is so much better a household staple of my life is going to be replaced for twice the price? ---- https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Bite-Chickpeas-Tomatoes-Microwaveable/dp/B002JF61XO?th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Bite-Chickpeas-Tomatoes-Microwa... $15 for 6 packages / 60 oz. https://thebuttermilkco.com/collections/singles/products/chana-masala https://thebuttermilkco.com/collections/singles/products/cha... $13.50 for 3 packages / 30 oz(?)

walrus01 8y ago
It looks to me like the biggest difference is that these are not sealed, they're perishable. Tasty bite can be kept at room temperature for 9+ months. Costco in the Seattle area also now sells some tasty bite bulk packs.
- EvilEndures 8y ago
  > It looks to me like the biggest difference is that these are not sealed, they're perishable. Tasty bite can be kept at room temperature for 9+ months. Yeah, which isn't really a positive unless it saves on sodium/etc. If it does, its really a niche "healthy" version of TastyBite and they need to market it as such.
  - xenihn 8y ago
    It doesn't seem to have any less sodium.
foolfoolz 8y ago
tasty bites are super cheap at costco, 12 pack for like $16
- dawnerd 8y ago
  I think they're even cheaper this month. Picked up a box the other day.
mitraraman 8y ago
TastyBite is definitely a similar product/company. The key differentiators are: - Our products are fresh and don't have any preservatives, meaning they must be refrigerated or frozen whereas TastyBite is shelf-stable for 9+ months. Our food is inherently fresher and tastes more homemade because of this. - Our recipes are crowdsourced instead of developed in our kitchen. This ensures that the food is actually authentic with a homemade taste and we are able to expand into a much larger variety of products much quicker. For instance, we have a few recipes in our pipeline that you would be hard-pressed to find in TastyBite or even regular Indian restaurants because they are authentic to smaller regions of India. - I can't say that you'll definitely like our product's taste better than TastyBite, but I do believe so :)
- EvilEndures 8y ago
  So you are going to market as an upscale version of TastyBite with no preservatives that sells niche Indian food? I wish you the best of luck with that. Personally, I find a package of Vindaloo from TastyBite, some riced veggies, and a shredded chicken breast lasts me about 2 meals and is comparable to the price you are charging. I really only use TastyBite as a backpacking/on-the-go meal or as a quick curry out of laziness. I'm probably not your target market but shelf stability has alot going for it.
  - mitraraman 8y ago
    Your use case for TastyBit makes total sense. We're hoping to be a go-to option for a normal meal at home when you don't want to spend the time/money/energy on making a meal from scratch. We are starting with Indian food but will hopefully be expanding to different cuisines, too!
    - sjg007 8y ago
      Maybe you could offer low(er) sodium versions. I find 20% daily sodium intake is too much for a dish.
      - 8y ago
autarch 8y ago
Except Tasty Bite tastes terrible. There's another competitor making the same thing (sealed cooked food, no water needed) Maya Kaimal that is _much_ better. It actually tastes good.
- EvilEndures 8y ago
  Personally, I enjoy Tasty Bite curries. It may not be the perfect authentic Indian dish you get at a good restaurant but I find at its price point there isn't any real competitor for my $$.
  - mitraraman 8y ago
    It's definitely a subjective thing! It's hard to find authentic Indian food that tastes good, is easy to make, and affordable. That's where we come in :)
  - Ar-Curunir 8y ago
    Most Indian restaurants in the US aren't authentic, and cater to Western tastes. So

walrus01 8y ago

It looks to me like the biggest difference is that these are not sealed, they're perishable. Tasty bite can be kept at room temperature for 9+ months. Costco in the Seattle area also now sells some tasty bite bulk packs.

EvilEndures 8y ago
> It looks to me like the biggest difference is that these are not sealed, they're perishable. Tasty bite can be kept at room temperature for 9+ months. Yeah, which isn't really a positive unless it saves on sodium/etc. If it does, its really a niche "healthy" version of TastyBite and they need to market it as such.
- xenihn 8y ago
  It doesn't seem to have any less sodium.

foolfoolz 8y ago

tasty bites are super cheap at costco, 12 pack for like $16

dawnerd 8y ago
I think they're even cheaper this month. Picked up a box the other day.

mitraraman 8y ago

TastyBite is definitely a similar product/company. The key differentiators are: - Our products are fresh and don't have any preservatives, meaning they must be refrigerated or frozen whereas TastyBite is shelf-stable for 9+ months. Our food is inherently fresher and tastes more homemade because of this. - Our recipes are crowdsourced instead of developed in our kitchen. This ensures that the food is actually authentic with a homemade taste and we are able to expand into a much larger variety of products much quicker. For instance, we have a few recipes in our pipeline that you would be hard-pressed to find in TastyBite or even regular Indian restaurants because they are authentic to smaller regions of India. - I can't say that you'll definitely like our product's taste better than TastyBite, but I do believe so :)

EvilEndures 8y ago
So you are going to market as an upscale version of TastyBite with no preservatives that sells niche Indian food? I wish you the best of luck with that. Personally, I find a package of Vindaloo from TastyBite, some riced veggies, and a shredded chicken breast lasts me about 2 meals and is comparable to the price you are charging. I really only use TastyBite as a backpacking/on-the-go meal or as a quick curry out of laziness. I'm probably not your target market but shelf stability has alot going for it.
- mitraraman 8y ago
  Your use case for TastyBit makes total sense. We're hoping to be a go-to option for a normal meal at home when you don't want to spend the time/money/energy on making a meal from scratch. We are starting with Indian food but will hopefully be expanding to different cuisines, too!
  - sjg007 8y ago
    Maybe you could offer low(er) sodium versions. I find 20% daily sodium intake is too much for a dish.
    - 8y ago

autarch 8y ago

Except Tasty Bite tastes terrible. There's another competitor making the same thing (sealed cooked food, no water needed) Maya Kaimal that is _much_ better. It actually tastes good.

EvilEndures 8y ago
Personally, I enjoy Tasty Bite curries. It may not be the perfect authentic Indian dish you get at a good restaurant but I find at its price point there isn't any real competitor for my $$.
- mitraraman 8y ago
  It's definitely a subjective thing! It's hard to find authentic Indian food that tastes good, is easy to make, and affordable. That's where we come in :)
- Ar-Curunir 8y ago
  Most Indian restaurants in the US aren't authentic, and cater to Western tastes. So