Plant your way to a better future, with Plantaway

December 5th, 2022

‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’ is the sentiment behind ‘Plantaway’ - an all- new plant-based food brand set up by long time hotelier & restaurateur Romil Ratra and Graviss Good Foods, with a mission to be your one-stop shop for everything plant-based.

The products on offer span various categories, from plant-based meats, plant-based dairy alternatives to your favourite mayos and dressings, making it easy to address all your dietary requirements in one go. Through its thoughtfully curated range of food products, the brand offers everyone a convenient way to adopt a plant-based lifestyle without compromising on taste, health or flavour. At its very core, Plantaway is built on taste and the simple ethos to be kinder to the planet, animals, and of course, to all of us.

Co-Founder Romil Ratra, has an immense passion for a plant-based lifestyle and brings over 27 years of experience with luxury hospitality brands to the table. His past professional & personal experiences have given him invaluable insights into consumer taste preferences, as well as the issues that make adoption slower in the plant based food space today. Keeping both these in mind, he has spearheaded the R&D, Vision & Strategy for Plantaway personally over the last 18 months.  Throughout his career, Romil has consistently been committed to shaping ideas that revolutionise the market, and Plantaway is no different.

Plantaway offers a broad spectrum of plant-based products across three categories: Meat Alternatives, Dairy Alternatives, and Plant-based Dips and Dressings. Think Chick’n Keema, Mutt’n Seekh Kebabs, a Grilled Chik’n Burger Patty, Oat Mylk, Cheddar Cheese, Spicy Chipotle Mayo and many more that taste just like the real thing and have the same sensory textures as well. For example, the Plantaway Cheddar, Mozzarella & Plant Based Butter, melt, spread and taste just like their dairy counterparts most of you grew up eating and still eat every day! The Almond & Oat Mylks are the best in class when it comes to adding it to your food or beverages - be it a simple masala chai, a cappuccino or even cooking a kheer, they work just as well as dairy milk! Taking things up a notch, each of the meat alternative products on offer is made of only the most premium pea protein and offer similar amounts of (if not more in some cases) protein than the animal-based counterparts. Also available are a variety of plant-based Dips & Dressings including a Plain Mayonnaise, a Honey-Mustard Mayonnaise, and a Spicy Chipotle Mayonnaise, ideal for salad night, in a sandwich or as a dip at snack time.

Throughout the R&D process, the brand has focused on all 5 sensorial experiences – taste, sight, smell, touch & sound, to make the transition to plant based food seamless to consumers and cater to conscious consumers, including, but not limited to, those who make a plant-based diet part of their lifestyle, are lactose-intolerant or are protein deficient.

In their desire to do better for the environment, they have also introduced the ‘Plantaway Promise’ – where 1% of revenues are allocated towards planting trees and counteracting the effects of mass deforestation. Last, but not least, all the products are sustainably packaged, making them better for the planet as well.

Speaking about the plant-based sector in India and Plantaway’s competitive advantage, Nicole Rocque, Senior Innovation Specialist, GFI India says "As ecosystem builders for the plant-based industry in India, we’ve been eagerly waiting for a startup like Plantaway - with their end-to-end smart protein offerings that meet the trifecta of versatility, nutrition, and taste - to enter the arena. The Indian consumer is curious about plant-based foods, so much so that cross-country consumer research has found that 63% of Indians are ‘very or extremely likely to purchase plant-based meat’, more so than consumers in the US. At GFI India, we’ve seen the Indian market and appetite for plant based products rapidly transform over the last few years and Plantaway’s range of alternatives offers HoReCa and home chefs a unique platform for culinary creativity - to retrofit existing dishes, to create new menu items altogether, and ultimately, work with a versatile set of new ingredients that are sustainable, nutritious, and most importantly, delicious.”

At its core, Plantaway is designed to suit the needs of every conscious consumer, including vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and more. The diverse range offers something for everyone through its mindful food replacements that are doppelgangers of the originals. The best bit —everything can be found under one roof, saving you the time and effort of scrambling between multiple platforms to fulfil your dietary needs.

Speaking on the brand, Romil Ratra says, “Plantaway, with its variety of future-forward offerings, aims to inspire you to make those minor but meaningful lifestyle tweaks, without vastly changing the life that you love. Our vision was to make the simple act of eating better an inclusive and wholesome experience for all. We created products that everyone whether vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian can enjoy with no compromise on taste.  The entire range is 100% cholesterol free, and does not contain any trans-fats, artificial flavours or colours and have great macronutrient nutritional values, which means that you can pick up a Plantaway pack anytime and trust that you’re in good hands."

Shivaan Ghai, Director at Graviss Good Foods, adds to this “At Graviss we have always been at the forefront of Innovation and we see a lot of exciting things happening in the better-for-you food & beverage industry over the next decade. With this in mind, we decided to launch Graviss Good Foods– a new initiative of The Graviss Group - whose mission is to revolutionize food for everyone. Having created some of the most enjoyable food experiences in the country (and globally) for over 80 years, we believe that eating with joy is essential to eating better. That's why we're obsessed with creating enjoyable food experiences for everyone, no matter what their health journeys or preferences maybe. In alignment with that vision, we are extremely proud to launch the second brand under the Graviss Good Foods Umbrella – Plantaway – to cater to the plant based demands of consumers. Let’s make the world a happier, healthier place together, through our food choices!”

Plantaway will launch in Mumbai and then expand to other cities such as Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai over the coming weeks. Their products will be launched in Mumbai through the D2C model on their website www.plantawayfoods.com as well as be available online at leading e-commerce platforms like Big Basket, Amazon, Veg Dukaan, Vvegano and key offline stores such as Bombay Gourmet, Rakhangi Store and more.