For decades, the Indian spices market has presented a paradox. Valued at a robust $17.3 Bn in 2024, homegrown masalas are steeped in ancient culinary traditions known for their rich flavours and health benefits. However, consumer trust has gradually slipped away, as concerns about adulteration, excessive processing and murky sourcing now cast a shadow. Today, most people buy their masalas based on brand familiarity or price point, rather than genuinely trusting the contents of the pack. Raipur-based ZOFF (Zone of Fresh Foods), launched commercially in 2018 by brothers Akash Agrawalla and Ashish Agrawal, recognised this complacency among modern consumers and decided to challenge it, as spice purity had become an assumption rather than a verified fact. While labels claimed to offer quality, very few brands allowed consumers to see, smell, or judge what they were buying. ZOFF took a contrarian approach to legacy FMCG brands, leading with whole spices rather than powders, where adulteration and loss of natural oils are hardest to detect. The rationale: if consumers could visually verify the product, trust would follow. Coping With Killer Heat & Freshness Trap Coming from a family of steelmakers, they soon spotted an opportunity as they expanded their portfolio beyond whole… Read MoreInc42 Media
