How Licious Revolutionized Meat sales in India, from Leaky Bags to ₹685 Cr
In 2015, India’s meat market was a $40 billion industry, but it was unorganized, unhygienic, and inconvenient for consumers. Counters were wet and unhygienic, packaging was poor, there was no standardization, and there was no trusted national brand. Despite the fact that nearly 70% of Indians consume meat, the segment had no modern infrastructure, no cold chain, and no premium customer experience.
Against this backdrop, Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta launched Licious in Bengaluru, driven by the belief that meat lovers in India deserved better. What began with a small 3,000 sq. ft. processing unit and just 100 daily orders has grown into a ₹685 crore brand, setting global benchmarks in freshness, quality, and customer loyalty.
Building the Foundation: Full Control from Farm to Fork
From the beginning, Licious decided to own every part of the supply chain. The company sourced directly from farmers, trained butchers, established ISO-certified processing units, built cold-chain logistics, and designed leak-proof, premium packaging. This end-to-end control ensured meat was delivered fresh within 24–36 hours of processing, never frozen, and always meeting strict quality standards.
Each new city was treated as a fresh build, with localized supply chains and product mixes. While chicken dominated sales in Delhi, mutton was more popular in the South, and fish was central to menus in Bengal. Licious embraced these regional differences while maintaining a consistent brand promise nationwide.
Creating a Premium Meat Brand
Traditionally, meat in India was sold discreetly and without branding. Licious transformed this perception, positioning meat as a premium, aspirational product. Its campaigns were bold and playful, supported by recipe content, influencer collaborations, and festive specials. The brand became known for making meat shopping as modern and sophisticated as other food categories.
Scaling Smartly and Building Customer Loyalty
Instead of expanding aggressively into every city at once, Licious focused on deep operational mastery in each market. Bengaluru served as its ‘living lab’ followed by Hyderabad, NCR, and other metros. The company invested heavily in its own platform, with 85% of sales now coming directly through the Licious app. Its loyalty program, Infiniti, contributes 58% of all purchases.
By FY24, Licious recorded ₹685 crore in revenue with a significant improvement in profitability, reducing losses by 44% compared to the previous year. This was achieved by cutting back on high-burn sales channels and prioritizing its own ecosystem, while still growing quick-commerce partnerships with Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto.
Going Offline and Expanding Reach
In 2025, Licious entered the offline retail market with five stores in Bengaluru and plans for 500 more across India. These outlets aim to reach new customers, reduce last-mile delivery costs, and serve as micro-fulfillment hubs. The company is also exploring acquisitions of regional meat brands to accelerate growth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
The Science Behind the Supply Chain
Licious’s operations are designed with precision and biosecurity in mind — from farm to doorstep. The company works with vet-certified livestock suppliers, maintains ISO-certified processing units, and operates a cold-chain logistics network that ensures delivery within strict freshness windows. In metros, orders are fulfilled within 120 minutes.
Looking Ahead
As Licious marks its 10-year journey, the company has grown from fulfilling a handful of orders to becoming India’s first D2C meat unicorn. Its roadmap includes achieving EBITDA-positive status by FY25, expanding to over 500 retail stores, launching more plant-based protein products, entering Tier 2 markets, and exploring international expansion.
Licious’s success story is not just about building a profitable business. It is about redefining a category, modernizing an unorganized industry, and proving that even the most traditional markets can be transformed through vision, operational excellence, and brand innovation.
