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Cloud Kitchen Initiative: Empowering Women Through Food Enterprises

Background

Across India’s rapidly urbanising cities, women from low-income communities face a persistent and compounding challenge: despite their skills and ambition; structural barriers like inadequate access to capital, limited formal employment, and weak market linkages, keep them locked out of economic participation. Female labour force participation remains low, and those who do work are often confined to irregular, low-paying, and precarious roles.

At the same time, urban food consumption patterns are shifting. Growing disposable incomes and the growing demand for affordable, hygienic, home-style meals have created a significant, underserved market opportunity. Community cloud kitchens, decentralised, low-overhead food production units, sit at the precise intersection of this demand and the latent entrepreneurial capacity of women in urban communities.

Project Concern International (PCI India), supported by HSBC, identified this convergence as an opening for a scalable livelihood model. The result is two complementary initiatives and brands— Didi’s Meal Box (DMB) across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurugram, and Heshel in Kolkata, both designed to transform women from marginalised urban communities into confident, self-sustaining food entrepreneurs.

Scope of Intervention

The initiative currently operates across four major Indian cities:

  • Bengaluru — 8 active kitchen units under Didi’s Meal Box
  • Hyderabad — 9 active kitchen units under Didi’s Meal Box
  • Gurugram — 3 active kitchen units under Didi’s Meal Box
  • Kolkata — 5 active kitchen units under Heshel

Together, the two programmes engage 144 active women entrepreneurs under Didi’s Meal Box and 75 women participants under Heshel, with a combined network of over 25 operational kitchen units. The initiatives support women at every stage of the enterprise lifecycle — from recruitment and skill development to operational management, market access, digital enablement, and long-term sustainability.

The interventions target women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and National/State Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM/SULM) networks, with a particular focus on those with no prior formal income or enterprise experience.

What We Did

Market research: To scope market potential of the enterprise, identify most effective location for kitchen launches and figure out the marketing mix needed to ensure sustained business.

Mobilization & community engagement: Women entrepreneurs were identified and mobilised through structured engagement with NULM, SULM, and local municipal bodies including BBMP (Bengaluru), GHMC (Hyderabad), Kolkata Municipal Corporation, etc.

Skill development: Enterprise members were trained on business planning and development, bookkeeping, food preparation, safety & hygiene, packaging, and marketing.

Infrastructure support: Efficient production centres and delivery outlets were set up, equipped with all necessary equipment and utilities.

Licenses and certifications: All kitchens are registered as legal bodies, required licenses and certifications such as FSSAI, FOSTAC, etc. supported as required.

Market promotion, branding & digital interventions: Visual identity creation, branding & marcomm activities including logo, collaterals, website, and support input for digital marketing and social media positioning.

Access to market: Onboarding of kitchens onto Swiggy and Zomato. Facilitation of B2B tie-ups under such as connecting kitchens with WeWork facilities, local offices, schools, and institutional clients. Participation in fairs and exhibitions, leaflet distribution etc. to drive footfall.

Enterprise support services (ESS): On ground technical assistance, on-job training and handholding and supervision of enterprise/business services. Platter Matters India Pvt. Ltd. the Apex body (for DMB and Heshel) was incorporated to provide continuous business support to the kitchens

Convergence: Stakeholder engagement with government, Financial Institutions, investors and industry, access to finance and other facilities were explored.

  1. Partners and Collaborators
Partner Role
HSBC India Primary funder supporting both the DMB and Heshel initiatives
National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) / State Urban Livelihood Missions (SULM) Government partners for beneficiary mobilization (No official MoU)
BBMP, GHMC, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation Local municipal bodies facilitating community engagement (No official MoU)
  1. Outcomes
  • 219+ Women entrepreneurs in 25 kitchens are independently identifying new sales channels, managing vendor relationships, maintaining financial records, and reducing reliance on project support.
  • Didi’s Meal Box generated a collective revenue of ₹2.81 crore in FY 2025-26, doubling the ₹1.49 crore generated during Phase 1, and representing more than 16x growth since its inception – FY 2023-24.
  • Heshel generated ₹26.88 lakhs in FY 2025-26, a nearly 7x increase from ₹3.87 lakhs the previous year.
  • Women under DMB earned a combined ₹73.85 lakhs in wages, with an average monthly income of approximately ₹4,274 — up from a baseline of ₹726 at programme entry.
  • Women under Heshel earn an average of ₹4,670 per month, with cumulative wages of ₹4.16 lakhs in FY 2025-26.

Recognition

  • Didi’s Meal Box was recognised among the top 3 urban poverty alleviation models at the 16th Livelihoods India Summit 2025, held in New Delhi.