or a company that traces its origin to a small family-run restaurant in Bangalore, MTR Foods (derived from Mavalli Tiffin Room) has come a long way. The Rs 130-crore company, which has a significant presence in the ready-to-eat foods and instant mixes category in India, is looking at a near 23 per cent growth this year.

What the company is banking on perhaps is its chain of exclusive retail stores, branded Namma MTR, and MTR kiosks across Bangalore and Chennai, which were set up in 2002. None of the big players in the segment, be it an Aashirvaad (ITC) or a Tasty Bites, has a dedicated retail infrastructure such as this. MTR currently has five of these in Bangalore, one in Chennai and one each in two of its key export markets, Singapore and Dubai. ... more