If you follow food vloggers on Instagram, you cannot help noticing the Wonderchef brand in their cooking videos — be it the cookware, the gas lighter, the Nutri-Blend mixer, or the coffee maker. The brand’s influencer marketing seems on point. Tell that to Wonderchef CEO Ravi Saxena, and he laughs in a pleased way. He says that food lends itself to influencer marketing, but not so for appliances. And yet, Wonderchef has over 525,000 followers on Instagram, rivalling any cosmetic or beauty D2C brand — categories that do really well on social media.
But then, as Saxena points out, Wonderchef’s positioning is youthful — its products will appeal to the young at heart, who are fond of experimenting.
It also helps that Saxena — who launched Sodexo in India, setting up its office cafeteria business, as well as the Gloria Jean’s coffee retail business and is invested in the Food Food channel — has a deep understanding of the consumer when it comes to cooking. He also understands hospitality, having roped in celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to launch The Yellow Chili restaurants during his innings with the Landmark group.
He has used all these insights to spot the gaps in the Indian kitchen and launch disruptive products.
Take the Wonderchef Nutri-Blend mixer, a sleek, compact product with tight fitted lids that was launched after talking to consumers. Saxena says he got three insights — kitchen spaces were getting crowded with more and more appliances, so a smaller mixer gadget would appeal; consumers didn’t want to stand with their hands on the mixer lid to keep it from flying off, as usually happens with the conventional mixer; and they wanted to see what was going on inside the mixer, which is why the product is transparent.
The Nutri-Blend is a hero product for Wonderchef, says Saxena. It is an over ₹100-crore brand on its own, and contributes almost 20 per cent to the company’s turnover. Not surprisingly, it has seen many innovations. “Last year we launched a smart version of the Nutri-Blend by incorporating three settings — for chutney, dry grinding, and smoothies. You just press the button and, when the job is done, the appliance will switch off by itself,” he says.
The on-the-go version of Nutri-Blend, targeted at gym- and office-goers, comes with a USB charger — fill it with fruit and make fresh smoothie wherever you are. The portable blender has been a big hit, says Saxena.
Cuppa inspiration
The coffee machines, which Saxena says are doing well, came about through his observations during the pandemic. “I was driving around Bandra and saw that many outlets, from fashion to lifestyle, had converted into coffee chains. It struck me that coffee drinking was becoming a big habit. At that time, only a few coffee machine brands were available for home use in India.”
Wonderchef retails coffee machines and coffee beans
Wonderchef developed 12 kinds of coffee machines — from the simple French press (priced ₹700) to a fully automatic machine costing ₹89,000, which gives a choice of cappuccino, latte, Americano, macchiato. You just have to put in the coffee beans. In between is a ₹10,000 capsule maker for espresso shots. “It’s our highest seller because people love the idea that they can put in the powder, press the button and get a shot. We teach customers though YouTube videos and also do sessions for them,” says Saxena
With the coffee machines doing well, the next step was to sell beans too, for which Wonderchef has tied up with two plantations in Coorg. “What we have done very uniquely is that we have married each powder to a machine,” says Saxena, who knows the ins and outs of coffee thanks to his Gloria Jean’s days.
Saxena says Wonderchef was the first kitchen appliances firm to hop aboard quick commerce. “We now have about 50 products on quick commerce — blenders, pressure cookers, knives, gas lighter, brew machines, a whole lot of categories. We will do ₹50 crore this year just on quick commerce,” he says.
Overall, from ₹700 crore currently, Wonderchef targets the ₹1,000-crore mark in 2026. “What you call the GMV [gross merchandise value] and not net sales,” he clarifies.
Strategic innovation
What’s the next innovative product? “We still have a lot of work to do on our Chef Magic (robotic appliance priced ₹49,999 that chops, mixes, cooks on its own). We have barely scratched the surface,” he responds.
Cookware range from Wonderchef
Last month, Chef Magic was introduced in the US market. “We are selling about three to four units a day… It’s a $1,000 product there… so not bad, to begin with. We are going to add about 300 international recipes, so that the product becomes relevant not only to Indian-Americans but Americans also.”
This year, Wonderchef turned 10, and there is a sense of stability. “We are expanding well, the daily hustle is not required, and we can focus on strategic steps,” says Saxena.
And, finally, how has the Sanjeev Kapoor association helped the Wonderchef brand? “People use celebrities quite often and they don’t always derive the right kind of value. So I was very clear we are going to sell equipment and Sanjeev would not just be an endorser but his recipes would be married to our equipment. With the Nutri-Blend we give out a thick book full of his recipes.”
“I would say that we are the hardware and Sanjeev’s recipes are the software,” concludes Saxena.
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Published on December 15, 2024
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/how-wonderchef-became-a-handy-assistant-to-home-cooks/article68988252.ece
