Venture Catalysts invests in mother-son duo food start-up The Bohri Kitchen

Indicating that innovation and entrepreneurship is not restricted to the tech arena, Venture Catalysts recently made a seed investment in specialised cuisine start-up, The Bohri Kitchen. Other investors involved included food and beverages doyenne Riyaaz Amlani, and other HNIs such as Romil Ratra, Chef Rahul Akerkar.

The funding was led by VCats angels Anuj Puri (Venture Catalysts, Qatar), Abhishek Agarwal (Managing Partner – Rockstud Capital), NikunjPachisia, Anirudh Damani (Artha India Ventures) and Vishal Brahmbhatt.

Established by an enterprising mother-son duo, The Bohri Kitchen (TBK) combines specialised cuisines with unique dining experiences. The brand is the first-of-its-kind to take delectable dishes unique to the Dawoodi Bohra community and make them available to gastronomes and food connoisseurs. Its founder is 28-year-old ex-Googler Munaf Kapadia, who has been recognised by Condenast and named in the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ list for the sterling success that TBK has garnered since its launch in 2014.

Munaf Kapadia, Founder & CEO, The Bohri Kitchen said, “, “When I first thought of the idea that would materialise into The Bohri Kitchen, I was confident of the viability of such a concept in the market. The response that we’ve had so far has just strengthened that belief. Securing these funds from leading names in the start-up and F&B ecosystems like Venture Catalysts, Riyaaz Amlani, Rahul Akerkar and Romil Ratra, is a major shot in the arm for us.” He further added, the capital raised will be used to move in to a bigger central kitchen and upgrade their infrastructure. They will also be looking to hire skilled workers to help in standardising recipes.

Riyaaz Amlani, a leading name in India’s food and beverage sector said, “India is witnessing a transformation in the way people interact with what they eat, and the urban populace is at the forefront of this changing paradigm. To keep up with the growing demand for better cuisines, chefs and restaurateurs are no longer simply tweaking Western cuisines to suit the Indian palate, but are actively rediscovering regional cuisines and dining presentations to deliver a complete gastronomic experience.”

Almani currently owns 44 restaurants in 11 cities across India and his reasons for investing in The Bohri Kitchen is, “TBK’s dedication towards ensuring authenticity in both experience and taste of the Bohri culinary offerings is the main reason why its delicious food items were made a part of the Social menu, and why I have chosen to invest capital in this disruptive F&B brand.”

Anuj Puri added, “The brand has grown from strength to strength, setting up a delivery kitchen and slowly expanding into the restaurant vertical as well. We are confident that TBK will continue to set new benchmarks in the experiential dining space and garner exponential success.”