Behrouz biryani

In India, since ages, we are divided by caste, religion, ethnicity and recently trapped under lockdown. But our love for biryani unites us as a country. Fragrant long-grain pearl colour basmati rice and layered with meat and spices, make us drool by this thought. And to leverage this natural gastronomy of the Bongs, Behrouz Biryani is the latest entrant in the era of cloud kitchen in the “City of Joy”.

The brand story goes like 2000 years old traditional biryani recipe was lost when King Cyrus laid siege to the Persian kingdom of Behrouz which was later discovered by Sir James Casily. Folks behind the brand got old of this age-old secret recipe and claims to recreate those flavours. I am not questioning facts and fiction, but of course, this has enhanced my marketing skills.

Rebel Foods was founded in 2011 by Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee as a physical restaurant chain with online ordering facility. It launched its first cloud kitchen in 2015, and became a cloud kitchen-only business in 2016.

Rebel Foods, which owns prominent brands such as Faasos and Behrouz Biryani, has become the third unicorn in as many days and the 31st in India this year after raising $175 million at a valuation of $1.4 billion.

The series-F fund-raise was led by Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a sovereign wealth fund, with participation from existing investors Coatue and Evolvence.

Kallol Banerjee, on the other hand, is a Chartered Accountant and also holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Prior to Rebel Foods, he worked in various finance and strategy roles in companies such as Tata Administrative Services and McKinsey & Company.

Together, they founded Rebel Foods in 2011, which started as Faaso's, a quick-service restaurant chain. However, they soon pivoted their business to focus on cloud kitchens and food delivery. Today, Rebel Foods is one of the largest cloud kitchen companies in the world, with over 350 cloud kitchens across 40 cities in India and several other countries. Their brands include Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, and more.

The story of Behrouz starts almost 2000 years back in the ancient Kingdom of Behrouz. This Kingdom, located in erstwhile Persia was known for its recipe of layered rice which we now know as Biryani. This carefully guarded secret recipe was passed down through several generations.

Behrouz Biryani's competitors include Rebel Foods, Box8, Curefoods, Biryani By Kilo. Behrouz Biryani ranks 21st among 445 active competitors.