Mother’s Recipe
Mother's Recipe is a Pune-based, privately held ethnic Indian packaged-food brand (Desai Foods Pvt. Ltd.) selling pickles, ready-to-cook mixes, chutneys, papads, pastes, and sauces via D2C e-commerce, nationwide retail, institutional supply (Indian Army, IRCTC), HoReCa B2B (Taj, Hyatt, Leela, Westin, Radisson), and exports to 50+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersPune, India
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Mother’s Recipe does
Mother's Recipe is an ethnic Indian packaged food brand owned and operated by Desai Foods Private Limited, a privately held, founder-led Indian company headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra and founded in 2001. The company manufactures and sells packaged Indian food products — pickles (50+ varieties), ready-to-cook spice mixes (25+), instant mixes, chutneys (10+), papads (15+), cooking pastes, blended spices, sharbats, and sauces — under the Mother's Recipe master brand and several sub-brands including Hearty Roots Pickle (premium/health-positioned), Rozaana (value tier for tier 2/3 cities), Recipe (exotic sauces), Dabee, Spread On, and the acquired Elmac brand. Production runs across five manufacturing facilities in Pune, Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, certified under BRCGS, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, Halal, Kosher, US FDA, and SEDEX, with 18,000 metric tons of annual pickled vegetable capacity.
The business operates a multi-channel distribution model: a D2C e-commerce storefront serving India with pan-India delivery; a nationwide general trade and modern trade network through distributors; a dedicated institutional team supplying CSD/APO canteens and the Indian Army; a HoReCa/Food Services B2B arm providing 100+ exclusive SKUs to five-star hotel chains (Taj, Hyatt, Leela, Westin, Radisson), QSRs including Cafe Coffee Day, caterers, and IRCTC; and export distribution to 50+ countries under Two-Star Export House status. Pricing is uniformly MRP-based across retail SKUs, with combo/multi-pack discounting, free-shipping thresholds (above ₹699), and a first-purchase promo code (WELCOMENEW, 10% off).
Marketing is content-led: a recipe blog, social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn), paid Google Search/display retargeting, and a 2025-26 Korean-inspired digital video series ('MOM-FU') extending Recipe sauces into cross-cuisine usage. The brand has accumulated consumer trust recognition (India's Most Trusted Brand 2015 and 2024-25) and Superbrand (2012, 2015) and Food & Grocery Awards (Singapore 2015). Leadership changes in 2024 — notably the VP–Marketing hire from Tata Consumer Products — suggest ongoing professionalization of the marketing function.
Mother’s Recipe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mother’s Recipe
- Legal name
- Desai Foods Private Limited
- Website
- https://mothersrecipe.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Mother's Recipe is a Pune-based, privately held ethnic Indian packaged-food brand (Desai Foods Pvt. Ltd.) selling pickles, ready-to-cook mixes, chutneys, papads, pastes, and sauces via D2C e-commerce, nationwide retail, institutional supply (Indian Army, IRCTC), HoReCa B2B (Taj, Hyatt, Leela, Westin, Radisson), and exports to 50+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mother’s Recipe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indian Packaged Foods (Pickles, Condiments & Ethnic Spices)
- NAICS
- Specialty Canning (311422), Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941), Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing (AFAKADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ethnic & international prepared meals manufacturing (AFAKAHAG), Ethnic Bakery, Confectionery & Snacks Wholesale (AFAIAIAE), Specialty Condiments, Sauces & Pickles Wholesale (AFAIAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Mother’s Recipe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pune
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices6 records
Markets served
Mother’s Recipe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Product Sales (Pickles, Chutneys, Papads, Sauces, Ready-to-Cook, Instant Mixes, Sharbats): Mother's Recipe generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of packaged ethnic Indian food products including pickles, ready-to-cook spice mixes, instant mixes, chutneys, papads, cooking pastes, sharbats, sauces, and blended spices. Products are sold through general trade retail, modern trade, e-commerce (D2C), and food service channels at MRP-based retail pricing.
- Food Services / HoReCa (B2B Bulk Supply): The company supplies customized products and bulk pack sizes to Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), 5-star hotels, caterers, institutions, and the Indian Army (CSD & APO canteens, Defence), generating B2B revenue through dedicated food service sales teams and direct commercial relationships.
- International Export: Mother's Recipe exports products to over 50 countries, including gherkins and pickled vegetables from their Karnataka facility. They are India's leading exporters of sliced mango pickles (Amba) and curry powder, serving international retail markets and food service operators globally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Chicken Biryani Mix 100gm - Single unit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tamarind Date Chutney 200gm - Single unit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mixed Pickle 200gm |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Potato Papad 70gm |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pickle product range 200-400gm |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Papad range (various sizes) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cooking Pastes range |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sharbat / Beverage range (750ml bottles) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Mother’s Recipe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mother's Recipe manufactures and sells packaged ethnic Indian food products including 50+ varieties of pickles, 25+ ready-to-cook spice mixes, instant mixes, 15+ varieties of papads, 10+ chutneys, cooking pastes, sharbats, blended spices, and sauces under the Mother's Recipe, Recipe, Rozaana, Hearty Roots Pickle, Elmac, Dabee, and Spread On brands. The products are sold via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, general trade and modern trade retail, institutional/government supply (CSD, APO, Defence, Indian Army, IRCTC), and B2B HoReCa channels serving hotels, QSRs, caterers, and institutions domestically and across 50+ countries internationally.
Product overview
Mother's Recipe is an ethnic Indian food brand owned by Desai Foods Pvt. Ltd. featuring a diverse product portfolio across pickles, condiments, spices, and ready-to-cook products. The core offerings center on Mother's Recipe branded pickles (50 varieties), Ready-to-Cook Spice Mixes (25 varieties), Instant Mixes, Chutneys (10 varieties), Papads (15 varieties), Cooking Pastes, Blended Spices, Recipe Sauces, Desi Szechwan, and Sharbats. The company operates sub-brands including Hearty Roots Pickle (premium/health-focused), Rozaana (affordable pickles), and Recipe (exotic sauces), while also maintaining acquired brands Elmac, Dabee, and Spread On. Food service operations (HoReCa) provide B2B bulk offerings with over 100 exclusive SKUs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Recipe: Global sauces brand catering to exotic flavors with no added MSG or artificial flavors/colours.
- Rozaana
- Elmac
- Spread On
- Hearty Roots Pickle
- Dabee
Products and services
- Mother's Recipe Pickles Flagship product line featuring 50 varieties of traditional Indian pickles with authentic regional recipes including Andhra, Punjabi, Gujarati, and South Indian styles. Sold via D2C e-commerce, general trade, modern trade, HoReCa, and export channels.
- Ready-to-Cook Spice Mixes 25 varieties of pre-mixed spice preparations enabling one-step cooking for dishes like Chicken Biryani, Butter Chicken, Mutton Curry, Paneer Butter Masala, and Kadhai Paneer for home cooks and HoReCa customers.
- Instant Mixes
Quantifiable outcome
- Available in 50+ countries globally
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Mother’s Recipe
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Mother’s Recipe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Mother’s Recipe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered key and core.
- The Leela Palaces, Hotels & ResortskeyMother's Recipe supplies bulk food products to The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts for use in their hotel kitchens and food service operations. This is a B2B supply relationship where Mother's Recipe provides customized branded food products to the hotel chain.
- Hyatt HotelskeyMother's Recipe supplies bulk food products to Hyatt Hotels for their food service operations. The partnership involves customized bulk pack sizes under the Mother's Recipe Food Services brand.
- Taj Hotels Resorts and PalaceskeyMother's Recipe supplies bulk food products to Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces (part of the Tata Group) for their hotel kitchen operations. An important HoReCa customer relationship.
- IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation)coreMother's Recipe supplies food products to IRCTC for railway catering operations. This is a government institutional supply relationship serving millions of railway passengers.
- Indian Army (CSD & APO Canteens)coreMother's Recipe has a dedicated institutional business team supplying special products to Canteen Stores Department (CSD) and Army Provisioning Office (APO) canteens for the Defence & Indian Army.
- The Westin Hotels & ResortskeyMother's Recipe supplies branded food products to Westin Hotels & Resorts as part of their HoReCa food service channel, providing bulk customized products for hotel kitchen operations.
- Radisson HotelskeyMother's Recipe supplies bulk food products to Radisson Hotels as part of their hotel food service operations.
- Cafe Coffee DaykeyMother's Recipe supplies food products to Cafe Coffee Day outlets for their food menu offerings as part of the HoReCa B2B channel.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mother’s Recipe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Everest Spices: Everest is a leading Indian spice-blends brand, directly comparable to Mother's Recipe's Blended Spices category across retail, institutional and export channels.
- MTR Foods: MTR Foods is a leading Indian packaged-food brand (ready-to-cook mixes, pickles, spices, papads) owned by Orkla. It competes head-on with Mother's Recipe across the same ethnic-Indian, ready-to-cook and condiment categories in both retail and export.
- Bedekar Pickles: Bedekar is a heritage Indian pickle and condiment brand with a comparable regional/family-owned profile, competing in the same mass-market pickle aisle as Mother's Recipe.
- MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti): MDH is an iconic Indian spice/condiment brand with global Indian-diaspora reach - comparable to Mother's Recipe's blended spices and masala portfolio plus its international distribution strength.
- Capital Foods (Ching's Secret, Smith & Jones): Capital Foods is an Indian packaged-food company behind Ching's Secret sauces and instant noodles - closely comparable to Mother's Recipe's Recipe sub-brand in sauces and Indo-Chinese positioning.
- Nilon's (Nilons Enterprises): Nilon's is an Indian ethnic-food brand with a portfolio of pickles, chutneys, masalas and ready-to-cook products, very similar category breadth and go-to-market to Mother's Recipe.
- Priya Foods (Priya): Priya Foods is an Indian pickles and ethnic foods brand (now under ITC) with broadly overlapping pickles, masala and ready-to-cook SKUs targeting similar retail and export channels.
- Tops (Tops India): Tops is one of India's largest pickle brands with broad distribution in pickles, sauces and condiments - directly comparable to Mother's Recipe's flagship pickle and chutney portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Dabur India (Foods): Dabur is a large Indian FMCG major with a broad ethnic-foods portfolio ( pickles via acquired brands, chutneys, sauces) competing with Mother's Recipe from a much larger parent with deeper retail reach.
- Haldiram's (Instant Foods / Ethnic Condiments): Haldiram's is a diversified Indian packaged-food and snacks major with overlapping categories in papads, chutneys and ethnic foods; its institutional/HoReCa presence competes with Mother's Recipe Food Services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mother’s Recipe social profiles
Digital presenceMother’s Recipe compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance13 records
Mother’s Recipe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mother’s Recipe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mother’s Recipe subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Mother’s Recipe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mother’s Recipe M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mother’s Recipe
What does Mother’s Recipe do?
Mother's Recipe manufactures and sells packaged ethnic Indian food products including 50+ varieties of pickles, 25+ ready-to-cook spice mixes, instant mixes, 15+ varieties of papads, 10+ chutneys, cooking pastes, sharbats, blended spices, and sauces under the Mother's Recipe, Recipe, Rozaana, Hearty Roots Pickle, Elmac, Dabee, and Spread On brands. The products are sold via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, general trade and modern trade retail, institutional/government supply (CSD, APO, Defence, Indian Army, IRCTC), and B2B HoReCa channels serving hotels, QSRs, caterers, and institutions domestically and across 50+ countries internationally.
Is Mother’s Recipe a public or private company?
Mother’s Recipe is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Mother’s Recipe founded?
Mother’s Recipe was founded in 2001. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Mother’s Recipe based?
Mother’s Recipe is headquartered in Pune, India, in the Asia region.
How does Mother’s Recipe make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales (Pickles, Chutneys, Papads, Sauces, Ready-to-Cook, Instant Mixes, Sharbats) is the primary driver. The others are food Services / HoReCa (B2B Bulk Supply) and international Export.
Who are Mother’s Recipe's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Everest Spices, MTR Foods, Bedekar Pickles, MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti), Capital Foods (Ching's Secret, Smith & Jones), Nilon's (Nilons Enterprises), Priya Foods (Priya) and Tops (Tops India). Broad incumbents are Dabur India (Foods) and Haldiram's (Instant Foods / Ethnic Condiments).
Does Mother’s Recipe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mother’s Recipe.
What industry is Mother’s Recipe in?
Mother’s Recipe's product category is Indian Packaged Foods (Pickles, Condiments & Ethnic Spices). Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKADAM, Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAKAHAG, Ethnic & international prepared meals manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311422 and its SIC code is 2030.