Place Of Origin

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Writer Julian Baggini concludes one his essays on food related memories saying “We are not so much what we eat, but what we remember we have eaten”. It is probably due to this unique and evocative effect that food has on us, we often take short mental trips based on what is on our plate. It might be that one sweet that you tasted on your trip to North India, or the munchies that you bought for yourself based on the popular recommendation.  You have formed a unique memory of the place by virtue of its food. If e- commerce is answering to all your food wishes then why should food cravings be neglected? Well, they won’t be anymore. Meet Place Of Origin.

Founded by Ashish Nichani, Sudarsan Metla, and Pradeep Ponnadi, Place of Origin true to its name brings the authentic to your doorstep. I caught up with Ashish at “The Diwali Lights at Hatworks Boulevard” event where Place of Origin had a display of some of its products. While most food stalls are about taste, the Place Of Origin table was surrounded by people who were interested in tasting and knowing more about the food.

A look at their website and you will realize that Place Of Origin quite frankly acts your very own food genie. Instead of ordering just any sweet, you will be placing an order for “Chitti Khaja”, from Vishakhapatnam by Gruhapriya Sweets. You won’t be just ordering biscuits, but the very popular “Shrewsbury Biscuits” from Pune by City Bakery. I apologize for inflicting my personal shopping list on you, but the point, I hope is made.

“Whenever you travel to a place you bring back something that the place is famous for. For eg, if you travel to Coorg you bring back Coorg honey, as it is the special product there. People should be able to get what they want and not just buy what is available to them as an FMCG product. We all want speciality foods and we are willing to pay for it. The only problem is access to these speciality products. Also, 8% of every city is are urban migrants. They all crave their hometown tastes. Through Place Of Origin, we give people the ability to access these products, wherever they are.” See I told you! Food genie does exist.

Place of Origin launched their site in June 2015. In a span of few months, they have grown from 18 producers and 180 products to 50 producers and 500 unique products. They deliver from 25 locations in India to discerning foodies in 20 states of the country. But before all of this Place Of Origin spent a lot of time doing the ground work for their venture. Was it easy approaching the vendors, I ask. “We went to traditional vendors and new age food producers. Traditional vendors took some time to understand the model and understand why they need to be on our website. New age producers are constantly looking for distribution channels and for them this is an online distribution model.  Either way, once they see business coming in and see the impact of this model, they are very happy. For eg, we recently tied up with “Ellora’s” in Dehradun, for their products like stick jaws, Macaroons, and Biscuits. We had someone from Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu place an order from them. It reached the customer in 3 days. This was proof for the customer that he now has access to such products sitting at home, and for the vendor who probably never even realized that he had a customer all the way down south in Kotagiri. Vendors are now realizing this impact and many vendors that we spoke to earlier on in the process are now coming back to us, requesting to be on our site.”

Place Of Origin does a thorough vendor check before they are added on. Along with taste, they also check the production process and compliance with FSSAI guidelines.  In fact, they also help the vendors in getting compliant. “If we find products that are great, but the vendors don’t have compliance, then we help them get through the procedure, thereby ensuring compliance”

Place Of Origin also did a lot of work on how the products are presented to the customers. They want the customers to understand why the products are so specific geographically. “We think it’s important for customers to understand why the biscuits come from Pune or why the Muesli comes Auroville.  For eg, The Kangra range of teas comes from the Kangra valley which is naturally organic. People need to know these stories.”

So what is the response that they are seeing? “We have gotten a good response right from the start. Place Of Origin is the place where many people find products that they are specifically looking for. The sheer delight of being able to get that particular product no matter where they are is something that they express a lot of appreciation for. Also, there is an additional level of understanding that they will not get these products elsewhere.” Vendors have an equal reason to celebrate, as they witness numerous repeat orders by their faithful customers.

Advice for future entrepreneurs? “ I think it’s important to have the passion for what you want to do and believe in it. It’s a journey and you will learn things along the way.  There will be many people who will say it will not work. If you believe in your idea then you should keep them at an arms distance, and just go ahead with your plans.”

Place Of Origin is going to continue to give you speciality products and a lot more brands to look out for. You will find the popular brands and the products that you know, but the site will also become your place of discovery with a lot of small brands who have a great product range. As Ashish sums it up best “You can expect a journey of great food discovery”.

Visit Place Of Origin today to get what “you” want. Don’t forget to stop by their Facebook Page to stay updated on their products.

Place Of Origin Quick Facts