, India Food Forum | Conference 2024
India Food Forum theme “Building a Palate for Partnerships” encapsulates the essence of collaboration in the ever-evolving food industry. Just as a refined palate appreciates the harmonious blend of diverse flavors, successful partnerships in the food sector thrive on the seamless integration of varied strengths, ideas, and resources. In today’s dynamic market, the food industry faces numerous challenges and opportunities. From supply chain disruptions and sustainability concerns to consumer demand for innovation and quality, navigating these complexities requires a collaborative approach. Building a palate for partnerships means fostering relationships that enhance creativity, efficiency, and resilience.

At the India Food Forum, industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders will come together to explore these partnership opportunities, sharing insights and forging alliances that will shape the future of the food sector. By building a palate for partnerships, we can create a more vibrant, sustainable, and innovative food industry that delights consumers and drives growth.

Key Elements of the Theme Include:

Innovation-Through-Collaboration

Innovation Through Collaboration

By partnering with technology providers, culinary experts, and research institutions, food businesses can drive innovation, offering new and exciting products that cater to evolving consumer preferences.
Brand-Retailer-Synergy

Brand-Retailer
Synergy

Collaboration between food brands and grocery retailers is a cornerstone of industry success. By working together, brands can ensure their products are effectively marketed and displayed, enhancing consumer access and boosting sales. Retailers benefit from exclusive products and promotional support, creating a win-win situation that drives growth for both parties.
Sustainable-Practices

Sustainable
Practices

Collaborating with sustainability experts, local farmers, and environmental organizations can help businesses adopt eco-friendly practices, reducing their carbon footprint and promoting a greener future.
Enhanced-Supply-Chains

Enhanced
Supply Chains

Strategic partnerships with logistics providers and supply chain experts ensure the timely delivery of fresh and quality products, minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency.
Market-Expansion

Market
Expansion

Joint ventures and alliances with international brands can open new markets, allowing businesses to expand their reach and tap into global consumer bases.
Consumer-Engagement

Consumer
Engagement

Collaborating with marketing firms and customer insights specialists can enhance understanding of consumer behavior, enabling businesses to tailor their offerings and create meaningful connections with their audience

Speakers 2024

Mayank Gupta

Position: Co-founder, Food Square & LandCraft Agro
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Mayank Gupta

Co-founder, Food Square & LandCraft Agro

RB Jitesh Krishna

Position: Owner, Mahindra 360 Superstore
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

RB Jitesh Krishna

Owner, Mahindra 360 Superstore

Ankur Chawla

Position: FnB Entrepreneur, Sommelier & Beverage expert
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Ankur Chawla

FnB Entrepreneur, Sommelier & Beverage expert

Chef Altamsh Patel

Position: Joint Secretary , WICA
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chef Altamsh Patel

Joint Secretary , WICA

Vishal Shah

Position: Founder & MD, Storia
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Vishal Shah

Founder & MD, Storia

Dheeraj Gupta

Position: Founder & MD, Jumboking
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Dheeraj Gupta is an Indian businessman who has pioneered the establishment of Indian QSRs as a category by themselves in the restaurant industry. He’s the force behind India’s largest vegetarian burger chain- JUMBOKING. The growth trajectory of JUMBOKING stands testimony to Gupta’s belief in the large-scale acceptance of franchising as a framework for doing business and focus as an approach.

Gupta’s business philosophy is based on building strong, symbiotic partnerships with individual entrepreneurs who want to benefit from the ‘10X advantages’ of a well-developed franchising system. His belief that such a model potentially creates a very inclusive and resilient growth engine, when coupled with a cohesive, focused and disciplined team of professionals, have made him a young business icon.

Gupta is a clockwork crusader; a member of the 5 am club, he believes that Indian texts such as the Ashta vaktra Geeta, Narad Bhakti Sutras etc; possess copious business wisdom. Gupta is a marathoner, yoga practitioner and avid reader of business biographies.

Dheeraj Gupta

Founder & MD, Jumboking

Harvey Rodrigues

Position: Director of Purchase, Hotel Meluha The Fern
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Harvey Rodrigues

Director of Purchase, Hotel Meluha The Fern

Shraddha Motipara

Position: Head - Marketing, K Hospitality
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Shraddha Motipara

Head - Marketing, K Hospitality

Rajiv Jaisinghani

Position: MD, Darshan Foods
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Rajiv Jaisinghani

MD, Darshan Foods

Chef Ritesh Tulsian

Position: Founder & CEO, Echelon Hospitality
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chef Ritesh Tulsian is a highly accomplished professional and entrepreneur in the Food and Beverage industry, with an illustrious career spanning over two decades. A graduate of Rizvi Academy of Hospitality Management and Catering Operations, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Chef Ritesh honed his skills under the mentorship of renowned Chef Hemant Oberoi at the Taj Group of Hotels. He also holds a Twin Diploma in Hospitality Management and Catering Operations with First Class from Rizvi Academy.

Chef Ritesh’s impressive global experience includes prestigious roles at W Hotels Maldives and Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. Since 2013, he has been a leading F&B consultant, offering expertise on a Pan-India and global level. Renowned for his leadership, innovative thinking, and passion for food, Chef Ritesh specializes in culinary operations, resource management, and hospitality business strategies. His expertise has been instrumental in shaping successful culinary ventures.

One such notable venture is Bambai, a multicultural restaurant in Mumbai, co-founded with Chef Anees Khan. This culinary homage to Mumbai’s diverse culture reflects Chef Ritesh’s deep love for food, which he considers a meditative passion that brings him immense joy and fulfillment. With a strong educational foundation, including academic achievements in Hospitality Management and Science, Chef Ritesh continues to make his mark in the F&B industry, inspiring others with his dedication and expertise.

Chef Ritesh Tulsian

Founder & CEO, Echelon Hospitality

Sneh Sharma

Position: Co-founder & CMO, Dogsee Chew
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Sneh Sharma

Co-founder & CMO, Dogsee Chew

Ankur Sharma

Position: Co-founder, Rebel foods
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Ankur Sharma is a co-founder of Rebel Foods. He is currently in charge of the organisation's culture and personnel department and was the one to play a key role in bringing Wendy's to the company Ankur, a graduate of Punjab National University and IIM Indore, has worked with well-known brand partners including Naturals Ice Cream, Mad Over Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Anand Sweets, etc., he also played a vital role in developing customer-first solutions for Rebel Foods. Ankur has worked on significant initiatives for Infosys and Tata Motors before joining Rebel Foods as Head of the Supply Chain. He is based in Mumbai, India.

Ankur Sharma

Co-founder, Rebel foods

Sandeep Bhakshi

Position: MD, Indo Nissin
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Sandeep Bhakshi

MD, Indo Nissin

Saber Ghanchi

Position: Director, Sansar Pariwar Super Market, Jalna
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Saber Ghanchi

Director, Sansar Pariwar Super Market, Jalna

K. Devendra Kumar

Position: CEO, Fresh2Day
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

K. Devendra Kumar

CEO, Fresh2Day

Chef Rakhee Vaswani

Position: Founder, Palate Culinary Academy
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chef Rakhee Vaswani

Founder, Palate Culinary Academy

Dhanji Patel

Position: Chairman and MD, Patel Retail
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Dhanji Patel

Chairman and MD, Patel Retail

Sudeep Goenka

Position: Director, Goldiee Group
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Sudeep Goenka is the Director of the Goldiee Group, a leader in the spice industry with a rich legacy. He began his education in Kanpur, India, before earning a degree in industrial and systems engineering from the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA. After gaining valuable experience as a CSD business analyst at Coca-Cola’s headquarters, Sudeep returned to India in 2006 to join his family business. Under his visionary leadership, Goldiee has experienced significant growth, expanding both domestically and internationally. Sudeep spearheaded key initiatives such as the installation of a cutting-edge noodle plant and the company’s entry into the ready-to-eat segment. He has also driven internal automation, introducing ERP, DMS, SFA, and cloud computing. A skilled marketer, Sudeep expanded Goldiee across diverse sales channels, including modern trade, institutional sales, and HoReCa. In addition to his professional success, Sudeep is a philanthropist, sports enthusiast, and active member of several professional organizations.

Sudeep Goenka

Director, Goldiee Group

Jainul Abideen

Position: Director, Kanchi Supermarket, Kanchipuram, TN
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Jainul Abideen

Director, Kanchi Supermarket, Kanchipuram, TN

Chef Vijayendra Pawaskar

Position: Founder, Chef De Coded
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chef Vijayendra Pawaskar

Founder, Chef De Coded

Chetan Damji Sangoi

Position: CEO, Sarvodaya Supermarket
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chetan Damji Sangoi

CEO, Sarvodaya Supermarket

Harpreet Tibb

Position: Promoter, Tibbs Frankie
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Harpreet Tibb

Promoter, Tibbs Frankie

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Position: Celebrity
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Celebrity

Dr. Sanjai George

Position: COO, Nesto Group
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Dr. Sanjai George

COO, Nesto Group

Gaurav Chaudhary

Position: MD, India, Tong Garden
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Gaurav Chaudhary

MD, India, Tong Garden

Vishal Jindal

Position: Co-founder & Director, Biryani By Kilo- SkyGate Hospitality
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Vishal Jindal

Co-founder & Director, Biryani By Kilo- SkyGate Hospitality

Dr. Mohann S Upaddhye

Position: Co-founder & CEO, Capsicum Global
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Dr. Mohann S Upaddhye

Co-founder & CEO, Capsicum Global

Mayank Gautam

Position: Co-Owner, Curries Group of Restaurants
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Mayank Gautam

Co-Owner, Curries Group of Restaurants

Amir Majali

Position: Founder & CEO, TruFalafel - Karak Enterprises
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Amir Majali

Founder & CEO, TruFalafel - Karak Enterprises

Vibhanshu Mishra

Position: Founder & CEO, Chalu Chinese
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Vibhanshu Vaibhav Mishra, a name synonymous with innovation and culinary excellence, is known to start a new era in the food and beverage services industry, with a passion for gastronomy and a proven track record of leadership. His leadership style aligns seamlessly with the company’s mission and values. A commitment to quality and customer satisfaction characterizes it. Mishra’s well-established reputation for driving operational excellence and fostering a culture of innovation positions him as the ideal entrepreneur with a clear vision for his He started his career as a hotel operations trainee with nothing but ambition and a deep hunger to learn.

The journey started around 16 years ago, with extensive global experience with well-known companies like Four Seasons, ITC Hotels, Alshaya Group, Apparel Group, & Tim Hortons. During this journey, he worked in various countries such as UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, USA, and Canada, with his return to India. His diverse experience has honed his expertise in multiple areas, such as operations, brand expansions, brand launches, etc. During the pandemic in 2020, everything seemed uncertain. But Mr. Mishra strongly believed that if we stayed true to our values, such as providing authentic flavors, unique offerings, Quality Products without artificial colors or flavors, and using all-natural ingredients only.

Chalu Chinese has successfully launched 268+ outlets across India, paving the way for its sister brands, including The Indian Momo Company, Wh-eat Burger, and Twenty-one Food Courts, to expand as well. With a few more brands set to launch soon, the culinary network continues to grow and thrive. The organization is now prepared for global expansion, with operations in Canada and Dubai beginning in 2025. Mr. Mishra aims to launch world cuisines with an Indian spin and build a 100- crore USD food and beverage company in India, and he undoubtedly has a well-planned, well- written road map under his sleeve.

Vibhanshu Mishra

Founder & CEO, Chalu Chinese

Chef Harsh Kedia

Position: Founder and CEO, Conscious Mitthaiwalla & A Diabetic Chef
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Chef Harsh Kedia

Founder and CEO, Conscious Mitthaiwalla & A Diabetic Chef

Zairus Master

Position: CBO, Mamaearth
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Zairus Master is the Chief Business Officer for Honasa Consumer Ltd, a digital first consumer company that owns brands like Mamaearth, the Derma co, Aqualogica, Dr Seth, Bblunt etc. At Honasa his focus is to enable profitable business growth. With a career spanning over 2 decades he is a seasoned business, strategy and marketing professional with intensive experience in the consumer, internet and technology space. Over the years he has worked across multiple consumer categories and companies like Shine.com, Airtel, Nokia and Hindustan Unilever Ltd.

Zairus Master

CBO, Mamaearth

Aditya Kaji

Position: Co-founder, TAALI Foods
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Aditya Kaji

Co-founder, TAALI Foods

Sachin Modi

Position: Owner, Prop. Modi Mart, Raigad
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Sachin Modi

Owner, Prop. Modi Mart, Raigad

Bakker Ali

Position: Owner, Sun 7 Mart
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Bakker Ali

Owner, Sun 7 Mart

Gaurav Narang

Position: Founder, Coffee Culture
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Gaurav Narang

Founder, Coffee Culture

Suprio Bose

Position: Founder, Nomad Foodie
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Suprio Bose

Founder, Nomad Foodie

Arvind Kumar Sharma

Position: CEO, Desai Brothers
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Horse-riding enthusiast , TEDx speaker who joined as Management Trainee & became CEO in 8 years, one of youngest executive in fmcg food industry.
appreciate the learning & experience earned in the journey of organization growth.

Person with a demonstrated history in consumer products, FMCG- food & beverages industry like biscuits, biscuit wafers, chocolates, confectionery, all fruit-based products , snacks, namkeens, wafer chips.
A technocrat while being an alumnus of NIT Warangal, ISB Hyderabad & Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago.

Professional with hands-on experience, Passionate to drive business growth through system driven. process, automation & people orientation.

Working to ensure assigned products & services consistently resonate with current and potential customers.

As young multidisciplinary always enthusiastic to learn & achieve more. Grateful to have good exposure in life, born in small village of Haryana to various geographies and cultures.

Arvind Kumar Sharma

CEO, Desai Brothers

Vivek Kant

Position: Head Retail Expansion, New Shop
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Vivek Kant

Head Retail Expansion, New Shop

Ajay Gupta

Position: Founder, Capital Foods
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Ajay Gupta

Founder, Capital Foods

Namit Gupta

Position: MD, Honey Money Top
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Namit Gupta

MD, Honey Money Top

Vijay Kumar Kankariya

Position: Chairman , Shubham K Mart
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Vijay Kumar Kankariya

Chairman , Shubham K Mart

Chef Tushar Malkhani

Position: Executive Chef, The Yellow House (IHCL SeleQtions)
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Leadership in Culinary Excellence: Spearheading the culinary realm with innovative leadership, currently excelling as an Executive Chef in the hospitality industry, boasting over 15 years of culinary mastery.
Record-Breaking Culinary Artistry: A Guinness World Record holder and a visionary in the culinary world, curating award-winning menus while showcasing unparalleled culinary excellence that transcends borders.
Industry Transformation through Dynamic Leadership: A dynamic leader within the food service sector, revolutionizing the operations of restaurants, resulting in enhanced profitability and the creation of extraordinary dining experiences, while fostering global culinary connections.
Culinary Innovation Beyond Boundaries: Boundaries of culinary creativity are consistently pushed, successfully blending 15 international cuisines, thus leaving an indelible mark on the industry.
Globetrotting Culinary Explorer: Infused with an insatiable passion for culinary exploration, traversing through 15 nations, and translating diverse culinary perspectives into delightful gastronomic adventures.

Chef Tushar Malkhani

Executive Chef, The Yellow House (IHCL SeleQtions)

Chef Sherry Mehta

Position: Founder & CEO, agirlfromthehills
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Sherry Mehta is a veteran in the field of regional cuisines and is considered the foremost authority in HImachali and United Punjab cuisines in India. This former Miss Shimla was also the first runner up in the popular Fox Tv Show – “Grilled” and has been written of in several publications about her unique take on food from the United Punjab regions and from Himachal Pradesh.

Her menus are well researched and evoke a bit of the nostalgic past with elements from modern progressive India and are found to hit the core of many food enthusiasts. Sherry is now a full-fledged entrepreneur with her ventures – Kanak by Sherry and Chaat Chowk by Sherry which she operates from her BKC kitchen and is establishing herself quickly as a caterer of repute.

Kanak by Sherry has been involved in curating and catering for Yash Raj Films, Phantom films and many others for movie releases and special occasions and is actively consulting for restaurants across India.

She is considered as India’s top most authority of Himachali cuisine and also considered as one of the top three reference points for cuisine of United Punjab (Punjab on both sides of the border).

Former Miss Shimla (2005) Sherry has single handedly paved the way for many home chefs to come out of their homes and make a mark for themselves at an international level and be respected amongst the culinary fraternity.

She has featured in shows like Grilled (fox tv), Raja Rani aur Rasoi, 50 best dishes of India and in the movie Sharmaji Namkeen teaching Rishi Kapoor ji Punjabi Chinese

Chef Sherry Mehta

Founder & CEO, agirlfromthehills

Prajay Maganlal

Position: Founder C&C, Magsons Goa
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Prajay Maganlal

Founder C&C, Magsons Goa

Vikas D Nahar

Position: Founder & CEO, Happilo
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Vikas D Nahar

Founder & CEO, Happilo

Mahendra Shinde

Position: Sr. Manager Supply Chain, K Hospitality Corp.
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Mahendra Shinde

Sr. Manager Supply Chain, K Hospitality Corp.

Nitin Motwani

Position: President & Group CFO Culinary Brands - Subway South Asia & Lavazza and Fresh & Honest India
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Nitin Motwani

President & Group CFO Culinary Brands - Subway South Asia & Lavazza and Fresh & Honest India

Amrut Mehta

Position: Director, The Little Italy Group
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Amrut Mehta

Director, The Little Italy Group

Gaurav Batra

Position: Brand Head, True Palate Cafe
Categories: SPEAKERS 2024

Gaurav Batra

Brand Head, True Palate Cafe

Snapshots from India Food Forum 2023