⁠⁠The Promise And Problem Of Meat Delivery

Dear Reader,

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Earlier this week, I met Dev, the owner of Nirupada Fish Shop, at the famous fish market in CR Park, Delhi.

His stall had a variety of fish laid out: sea fish, river fish and lake fish sourced from across India, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bengal and Odisha.

“We even sell salmon, both Indian and Norwegian. Some posh people here in South Delhi only eat salmon,” Dev told me.

Each day, Dev texts his regular customers to tell them about the fresh stock he receives. He doesn’t own a cold storage facility, so he buys limited quantities and tries to sell what he gets the same day.

For many consumers, a one-on-one relationship with sellers and the ability to see and touch the product before purchasing is part of the appeal of purchasing meat and seafood from markets like this one.

At the same time, a growing number of consumers want convenience, which meat-delivery platforms like Licious, FreshToHome and ZappFresh promise.

These companies took off during the pandemic, when investors poured millions into the business.

But here’s the thing: running a successful meat-delivery business is challenging.

“The biggest challenge is the backend. It’s monopolistic. Whether it’s traders or wholesalers, they do a lot of undercutting of pricing,” said Deepanshu Manchanda, who started ZappFresh in 2015.

Deepanshu told me that ZappFresh is now expanding beyond meat into frozen vegetarian products like momos and samosas.

Licious is expanding its physical presence. The company reported over 60 outlets as of April 2026, with revenue from its offline business rising from Rs 26 crore in FY25 to Rs 177 crore in FY26. Its online business continued to grow, reaching over Rs 1,000 crore in FY26.

At first glance, the move towards physical outlets might seem like a retreat from the original promise of online meat delivery.

But there’s another way to look at it.

The companies may not be abandoning online sales. Instead, they may be building the physical infrastructure needed to make those sales work.

“There are combination models emerging with more investment going into cold storage and abattoir facilities. For online players, physical stores functioning as regional or locality-based hubs would help deliver large supplies in the shortest possible time. Even the wet market is investing in cold storage facilities,” said Ricky Thaper, joint secretary of the Poultry Federation of India.

In other words, the future of meat retail may not be a choice between the neighbourhood butcher and the delivery app. Consumers may use both, depending on what they want to buy.

Take Tushar Bedi, who lives in Delhi. He buys meat through neighbourhood butchers as well as online platforms and quick-commerce apps.

For him, the choice depends on the cut, the quantity and the kind of meal he’s planning.

To learn more, tune in to the latest episode of The Signal Brief.

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Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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