Chilika Fresh™

Falcon Marine has a domestic subsidiary retailer, called FALCON CHILIKA FRESH. In an agreement with the Government of Odisha, FALCON MARINE set up seafood retail outlets branded as FALCON CHILIKA FRESH.

We are the first organized retailer of seafood in Bhubaneswar, with products similar to the largely unorganized section of the market, our indirect competitors.

The unorganized retailers incur negligible cost, whereas our operational costs are much higher, resulting in stiff competition.

The Falcon Chilika Fresh Advantage

However, the unorganized players operate in unhygienic conditions, but thanks to the cooking habits of Indians, consumers survive, because food is thoroughly cooked. The American, Chinese, or Japanese style of cooking, on low heat, will cause health problems after consumption of the same quality.

Seafood is a perishable product, with a maximum shelf life of three days. If not consumed within that period, it may lead to food poisoning and other complications.

So, FALCON CHILIKA FRESH ensures excellent hygiene along the entire cold chain, till our product reaches the consumer's house. Our seafood is cut, cleaned and stored in ice, made of RO water. The water is never used again and again.

Our products are packed in food grade quality polythene and delivered to the consumers at our own branded outlets.

We offer our customers the convenience of having everything under one roof, with a choice of non-vegetarian and seafood products, be it crab, fish, pre-processed, processed, frozen, ready to cook, or ready to eat. And we do not use any chemicals.

Our focus on quality products has seen our business almost doubling in the last 3-4 years.

Chilika Fresh has 12 retail outlets in prime locations around Bhubaneswar. Over time, we have grown by catering to hotels, restaurants and caterers, which now forms one segment of the business. An additional 14 more outlets will be launched soon, and in the next two years this is expected to go up to 150 outlets.

We also cater to the wholesale fish traders. We bring the harvest from the farm and supply it to the markets.

Growth and Market Reach

So there are three different segments; the retail segment, the Horeca segment, and the wholesale segment. We see tremendous growth in the Horeca and wholesale segments, going forward.

In terms of market reach, while we are already supplying to some metros other than in Odisha, we plan to be catering to all 12 metros and a few big ones as well.

Initially, when Falcon Chilika Fresh started, we thought of only operating the retail stores, but the retail consumers were largely buying from the unorganized markets.

So we shifted gear, and diversified to the Horeca and wholesale segments, leading to a spurt in sales and business sustenance.

Our domestic Indian consumers are generally price sensitive, with a preference for poultry. Seafood, particularly prawn, is perceived as premium animal protein.

Also, the government has promoted poultry to an extent where it is now the highest consumed animal protein in the country.

It would be wonderful if the government similarly promoted seafood, prawns particularly, because it is the safest and most proteinous animal protein available compared to chicken.

In Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Thailand, seafood is served live to the consumers. We still do not have that technology in place, although we have a more extensive coastline along three sides of the country.

There is untapped potential for responsible fishing and building a supply chain which can bring consumers live seafood and a different culinary experience.

There has to be a new way of looking at seafood. One product we have is already cooked and salted, for immediate consumption. It is mostly exported to the US, where it is consumed straight after opening the packet, and simply added to the salad.

In India, nobody will eat like that. We love to cook every time before we eat. But things are changing and there is already a shift in the public preference towards more of packed food.

FALCON CHILIKA FRESH is all set to become a major enterprise in the not too distant future.