Nandu’s Home Chef to leverage the power of social media to create a thriving community that bonds over easy-to-cook recipes and the love for fresh meat and fish The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have given rise to a trend that is here to stay – home cooking. Families across urban India are rediscovering the merits of home-cooked food. As India’s largest hyperlocal and omni-channel meat brand, Nandu’s has introduced a brand property, Nandu’s Home Chef, to cater to this fast-growing community of discerning home chefs. It has launched a dedicated social media property in this context to engage existing and potential customers with varied, yet simple-to-cook recipes. The brand content, which is centred on meat and fish-based cooking recipes, is produced as bite-sized videos on https://www.instagram.com/nandusfoods/, in keeping with the quick-scroll nature of the social media platform. As part of its focus on community engagement, the brand is also tapping into online influencers to ensure it attracts members with high category inclination and active interest. The Nandu’s Home Chef launch campaign also saw the brand collaborating with well-known chefs and food bloggers to host virtual live sessions for an interactive community experience. Talking about the company’s strategic decision to invest in building a brand property, Mr. Narendra Pasuparthy, Founder & CEO, Nandu’s said, “Our focus has always been to provide our customers with fresh, hygienic, convenient, and truly delicious food. While such food always brings the entire family together at the dinner table, our research highlighted that the host at such tables – the home chef – has witnessed a metamorphosis. They are not just eager to put great food on the table, but also enjoy doing so; it is no longer a role filled with responsibilities alone, but one that allows opportunities for creativity and self-expression. In fact, the home chefs are the ones who reimagine Nandu’s offerings at every family meal. Hence, we decided to invest in Nandu’s Home Chef to engage and inspire this growing community.” Operating on an omni-channel model, Nandu’s includes retail and home delivery services across Bengaluru via the company’s e-commerce website, app, call centre orders as well as e-commerce marketplaces. Elaborating on the strategy to promote Nandu’s Home Chef, Mr. Pavangopal A, Chief Marketing Officer, Nandu’s, said, “Our traditional relationship with food is fast-changing. Today, we associate it with more than just nutrition. It’s a sensual experience. Right from enjoying the process of cooking to mastering serving techniques and setting the right mood at the table to figuring out how to photograph special meals, it is all about the experience at every stage. At Nandu’s, we want to not just aid our customers in elevating their culinary experiences, we are creating and curating recipes which are easy and simple to cook by even an amateur cook. With its highly visual and sensory appeal, Instagram is a natural fit for us for such customer engagement as well as building the Nandu’s Home Chef property.” Since its inception in 2016, Nandu’s has been focused on aiding the home chef by adding a variety of meat and fish to its offerings. “We have also introduced a wide range of products under our ‘Ready to Cook’ and ‘Heat and Eat’ categories to further aid the busy home chef in their quest for authentic, home-cooked meals," said Vinay Gopinath, COO, Nandu's.