Arthur Maurer, CEO and founder of German sausage company Arthur’s Food Company (AFC) and German sausage and cold cuts retail brand Meisterwurst, has made India a hub for the export of plant-based meats under the Veganya brand. Aiming to be based in Bengaluru, Maurer, who took on the challenge of founding AFC, a food processing company for German sausages and cold cuts, using German machinery and processing methods and standards more than a decade ago, is a vegan food with India, ready to test his fate as a base. He feels there is no better place than India to capture the vegan market, given the huge vegetarian population and the centuries-old legacy of vegetarianism. Launched Veganya, a dedicated brand to develop vegan food products.
Maurer said they are planning to introduce mock meat products tailored to Indian tastes. They will make Begania a brand known throughout Germany.
He said the company already has 34 different products under the Veganya brand and has partnered with global brands in the food processing business such as Dr Oetker, Ami and Kerry for research and development to expand its portfolio and global footprint. They, however, want Veganya to become a big vegan brand in India.
He also said that AFC, a B2B company, has a loyal customer base with HoReCa, which has included sausage and cold cut brands such as Taj, Oberoi’s, The Leela and LuLu Group over the years. Maurer said the competition in the market cannot guarantee the quality and reliability it promises to its products.
They have over 100 unique pork and poultry products. They make it in India the same way they make it in Germany. They don’t cut corners or take shortcuts. Their spice mixes are imported from Austria.
The company, which started B2B, started B2C business under the MeisterWurst brand five years ago and now has five stores mainly in Bengaluru. D2C is very difficult in India, but Maurer says Value has managed to overcome it by closely managing his entire chain.
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