MTR STORY 

The year was 1920 when three brothers, Parameshwara Maiya, Ganappayya Maiya and
Yagnanarayana Maiya, left a small, sleepy hamlet near Udupi in South Kanara (a region in
the state of Karnataka, India) in search of greener pastures and found their way to Bengaluru.
Being proficient in cooking, they found employment as cooks in the homes of some
prominent people of those times.

In 1924, Parameshwara Maiya, with encouragement and assistance from his employer,
decided to start a small restaurant on Lalbagh Fort Road in Bengaluru, along with
Ganappayya Maiya, called the Brahmin Coffee Club serving coffee and idlis. Five years later,
after the death of Parameshwara Maiya, Yagnanarayana Maiya joined his brother in running
the restaurant. For the next three decades. Yagnanarayana Maiya, or Yagnappa as he was
called affectionately, with his enterprising ways, managed the restaurant effortlessly and
brought the restaurant accolades and fame.
"Integrity is the backbone of MTR. It's the core reason for its survival over the decades.
Whether it's food or conduct in business, emphasis is on ethics and fair play."
In 1951, he decided to undertake a tour of Europe to study how restaurants in those parts
functioned. He returned an enlightened man, impressed with the standards of cleanliness,
hygiene, discipline and practises adhered to by the restaurants there. On his return, he brought
in quite a few changes in the restaurant. He raised the bar by introducing new hygiene, health,
and sanitation standards. He introduced the sterilization of utensils, crockery and cutlery. He
distributed small booklets on health and proper eating habits. He also opened up the kitchen
to the scrutiny of customers. He also renamed the restaurant 'Mavalli Tiffin Rooms', in short
for MTR, after the locality where it was situated.   

In 1960, the restaurant shifted to its present location on Lalbagh Road, Bengaluru and grew in
stature and name. MTR became a landmark. In 1968, Yagnanarayana Maiya passed away,
handing over the mantle to his nephew Harishchandra Maiya and the legacy continues with
the third generation in the saddle.

The market presence of the RTE industry

Ready-to-eat (RTE) is an innovation in the food industry. It involves food products that are
prepared and packaged to provide the consumer with high-quality food in the shortest
possible time with a similarly low amount of effort. In India, main courses like preparations
of paneer, chana masala, rajma masala, pav bhaji, dosa etc., have successfully been featured
on the menus of RTE brands like MTR, Gits, and ITC. RTE products have been registering
increasing demand in large cities. These products have a strong presence in the professional
working segment of the population in which people don't have time to make food for
themselves. The ease and convenience these products offer consumers in this segment ensure
their staying power.

 Another segment in which RTE foods are seeing good sales is in the part of younger
consumers, mainly students aged between 20-25 attending college. Taking Ready-to-eat
(RTE) is an innovation in the food industry. It involves food products that are prepared and
packaged to provide the consumer with high-quality food in the shortest possible time with a
similarly low amount of effort. In India, main courses like preparations of paneer, chana
masala, rajma masala, pav bhaji, dosa etc., have successfully been featured on the menus of
RTE brands like MTR, Gits, and ITC. RTE products have been registering increasing demand
in large cities. These products have a strong presence in the professional working segment of
the population in which people don't have time to make food for themselves. The ease and
convenience these products offer consumers in this segment ensure their staying power. 

Another segment in which RTE foods are seeing good sales is in the segment of younger
consumers, mainly students aged between 20-25 attending college. Taking Gits, for example,
the average price of their products is 100 rupees, giving the consumer 300 grams of the food
item. This applies not just to paneer or rajma but also to dal makhana and even pav bhaji.
This reasonably low price helps it appeal to this segment as students can get a meal's worth of
food at a relatively lower cost than going to a restaurant and spending more on the same
amount of food. This price appeals to students since they're usually on a budget and get few
opportunities to indulge in the food they choose.

 A prolific brand in the RTE industry is McCain. This brand offers up snack items like French
fries, Potato wedges and even things like Pizza-flavored samosas. This brand ensures
preference by younger children, especially those aged between 8-15 years. Children may
prefer simple snacks, especially after returning from school, and the diversity of choices a
brand like McCain offers ensures that there are products that appeal to everyone.

Why are people indulging in the Ready to Eat Market Segment?

Ready-to-eat food is regarded as the most convenient alternative to ordinary meals, as it may
be consumed at any time (such as during breakfast, lunch, or dinner). Ready-to-eat foods are
precooked, pre-cleaned, and generally packed foods that require no preparation or cooking
before consumption. They are pretty popular due to the ease they provide. They simply need
to be heated before being consumed, reducing total effort. Professionals and students'
demanding lifestyles leave them with little time or energy to prepare healthful meals. In such
situations, ready-to-eat meals appear to be their only hope.
Shopping for groceries takes time, as does the act of preparing and cooking the meal and
cleaning up afterwards.
While dining out may appear to be a handy alternative, compared to cooking a readymade
meal, eating out may be time-consuming and costly. Packaged convenience foods have less
deterioration and waste. For example, no-waste veggies and readymade meals may be a great
way to feed picky eaters, persons with special dietary needs, or just people with varied tastes.
The meal is presented more quickly, and it is easier to clean up.

Future of MTR in the ready-to-eat food industry

MTR's ready-to-eat mixtures were introduced around the end of the 1990s and the beginning
of the 2000s. The brand created this category in collaboration with the Defense Research and
Development Organization (DRDO). MTR Foods received life sciences equipment from the
organization's Defense Meals Research Facility in Karnataka for commercial manufacturing
of ready-to-eat food.
According to Technavio, the ready-to-eat food industry in India will expand by USD 751.43
million between 2021 and 2026. Throughout this period, the industry's growth velocity will
increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.63 per cent. Also, according to a
report in 2021, the average Indian household's portion of the pocketbook for meals is
predicted to rise to 35.4 per cent by 2025, up from 33.2 per cent in the year 2005. The typical
Indian will not continue to eat the traditional rice, wheat, and various other grains that they
have been ingesting for decades due to the nation's burgeoning population and ever-growing
purchasing patterns and behaviours.

Considering that the ready-to-eat industry is set to expand even further over the coming
years, MTR should gear up to invest more in its ready-to-eat food production units if they
want to keep up with upcoming trends. The more popular MTR Products like instant mixes,
readymade dal makhani, readymade pav bhaji, readymade rajma masala need to be expanded
on properly, proper market research into Indian consumers' potential wants and the
willingness to be ready to invest in their R&D department to produce goods that develop on
their most-demanded products. 

References
Benefits of ready to cook & eat foods/meals | Time & money saving | Calid food. (2020, June
27). CalidFood. https://www.calidfood.com/product-benefits/#1560149165619-
30455b36-7156
Future of food! Here's what Indian consumers want. (2022, January 10). Fortune India:
Business News, Strategy, Finance and Corporate
Insight. https://www.fortuneindia.com/macro/headline-future-of-food-heres-what-
indian-consumers-want/106694
Ready-to-cook food market gets a healthy alternative from 'Indulgence'. (2021, March 24).
Smart Food. https://www.smartfood.org/project/ready-to-cook-food-market-gets-a-
healthy-alternative-from-indulgence/
Research, & Markets. (2020, January 9). India ready-to-Eat food (RTE) market study, 2013-
2023: Analysis by segment, distribution channel and state, featuring profiles of
 leading players. GlobeNewswire News
Room. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/01/09/1968244/0/en/
india-ready-to-eat-food-rte-market-study-2013-2023-analysis-by-segment-
distribution-channel-and-state-featuring-profiles-of-leading-players.html
Technavio. (2021, December 7). Ready to eat food market in India to grow by USD 751.43
Mn | New product launches to drive growth | Technavio. PR Newswire: press release
distribution, targeting, monitoring and
marketing. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ready-to-eat-food-market-in-
india-to-grow-by-usd-751-43-mn--new-product-launches-to-drive-growth--
technavio-301438263.html
Tiffin room to packaged food, journey of MTR as a heritage brand. (2017, October 5).
www.bestmediaifo.com. https://bestmediainfo.com/2017/10/tiffin-room-to-package-
food-journey-of-mtr-as-a-heritage-brand/