The smell of freshly baked foods are very compelling and what better than having one on the go. Shrey Aggarwal was inspired by the delicious aroma of waffles he experienced in the lanes of a foreign land and allured him to bring the concept in India.
Shrey came across many quick service waffle brands in Manila that ran everywhere. From railway stations to even mall’s high street locations. Even though he did not want to have one, the aroma and beguiling brands made him go and get one. This made him want to recreate the concept in India.
Shrey at that time was heading the business development and marketing team in the Philippines at a SAP partner. He learned the trade ideas from one of the waffle owners in Manila. He wanted to replicate this business model to cater all age groups, vegetarians, and non-vegetarians alike. His version is a line of on the go waffle sandwiches which was named waffle-wiches.
Shrey and his wife, Alisha found Mumbai-based The Belgian Waffle Co. (BWC). It was started in 2015 with one booth at an INOX cinema. Presently, BWC has 25 outlets which include franchises serving a range of appetizing waffles in Mumbai and Gujarat. They have started private party catering and it is picking up.
The couple has segregated the responsibilities and take their tasks very seriously. Alisha manages the HR, business development and marketing and Shrey is responsible for operations and finance.
The current turnover of the firm is Rs 30 crore and is expecting to add Rs 150 crore by the coming year. The prices of waffle range from Rs 80 to Rs 140 and depends on the choice of batter and fillings.
Presently, waffles have become tremendously popular. There are many waffle specific firms like The Belgian Waffle Co. such as Wafflicious, The Wafflist, Wowffle World and much more. However, Shrey believes that there is an open market for all and the key is to get all the P’s right which are product, price, and place. He believes in constant innovation combined with consistency.