LICIOUS ENTERS INDIA’S RS 30,000 CRORE MOMOS MARKET WITH PREMIUM OFFERING

Licious has announced its entry into India’s Rs 30,000 crore momos category, aiming to bring hygiene, quality and transparency to a largely unorganised market. With four variants priced from Rs 199, the brand extends its meat and seafood expertise into ready-to-cook snacks, targeting urban consumers seeking convenience and trust.

Licious, the Bengaluru-based fresh meat and seafood brand, has announced its foray into India’s booming momos category, estimated at around Rs 30,000 crore. The move marks a significant diversification for the company, which has built its reputation on structured sourcing, cold-chain logistics and standardised processing in a sector long dominated by unorganised players. By entering the ready-to-cook snack segment, Licious is positioning itself to capture a share of one of the country’s fastest-growing food formats.

Momos have become a staple snack-meal option in urban centres, prized for their affordability, flavour and versatility. Yet despite their popularity, the category remains fragmented, with limited standardisation around hygiene, ingredient quality and supply chain transparency. Concerns have often been raised about meat-based fillings, where sourcing and processing practices are opaque. Licious aims to address these gaps by applying its existing operating model to a mass-market snack, promising consumers both taste and trust.

Tavleen Bhatia, Business Head of the value-added category at Licious, said the company saw an opportunity to elevate standards in a beloved food format. “Momos are one of the most loved food formats in the country, but the category has not always been matched by equally strong quality standards, especially in meat. At Licious, we wanted to build a product for momo lovers that delivers bold taste, premium quality, and complete trust in every bite,” she noted.

The company’s initial range includes four variants: Loaded Chicken, Korean Chicken, Cheesy Chicken and Chunky Prawn. Each has been designed to highlight higher meat content and ingredient clarity, with no MSG, soya fillers or palm oil. “Made with premium cuts of juicy chicken and wrapped in a thin outer layer, Licious Momos are designed to let the filling’s quality shine through,” Bhatia added, emphasising the brand’s commitment to cleaner, better and more dependable choices.

The products are priced from Rs 199 and are available through the Licious app and website across major cities including Bengaluru, NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Chandigarh. Offline availability has also been introduced at select Licious stores in Bengaluru and Mumbai, signalling a multi-channel approach to distribution.

The entry into momos reflects broader shifts in India’s urban consumption habits, where demand for convenient, quick-to-prepare food options has surged. Ready-to-cook snacks are increasingly seen as a bridge between traditional street food and modern packaged formats, offering both familiarity and assurance. For Licious, the challenge lies in scaling a premium, standardised product in a category where unorganised vendors continue to dominate. Yet the company’s track record in meat and seafood suggests it is well placed to bring structure to a fragmented ecosystem.

By extending its brand promise into momos, Licious is betting that consumers will pay for quality, transparency and taste in a category they already love. If successful, the move could reshape perceptions of one of India’s most popular snack formats, setting new benchmarks for hygiene and trust in everyday indulgence.