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A unique combination of market research & food expertise

An award-winning market researcher, who began his career in 1997, Kalyan has worked in global agencies such as IMRB International and TNS India (now Kantar), The Nielsen Co, and FCB Ulka.

Finely Chopped was Kalyan’s first foray into food writing. He has been blogging consistently since 2007 and is one of India’s pioneering food bloggers. Kalyan’s book, The Travelling Belly which was published by Hachette India, is a food travelogue based on his travels and meals across the country. Kalyan is a prolific writer whose words are found in leading publications such as the Times of India, Indian Express, Femina, Conde Nast Traveller India, Upper Crust Food & Wine Magazine and NDTV Food. What started as a hobby blog, the Finely Chopped brand now extends across diverse media. Foodocracy For Her on Radio Finely Chopped is his podcast featuring women in the Indian food industry. The Finely Chopped food walks explore the food culture of Mumbai and other Indian cities. His fascination with the intersection of food and culture led to his video-based documentation of the food culture of Mumbai on Finely Chopped TV on Instagram and YouTube. Chai Mumbai, Pulao Mumbai, Dal Mumbai, Mohalla Mumbai and Thali Mumbai, are the series that have been broadcast so far, with more to come up.

Services Offered

Finely Chopped Consulting combines Kalyan’s expertise as a market researcher and a food content creator to answer questions from clients in the food space.

He helps his clients:

  • Understand market trends
  • Understand customer needs
  • Understand markets at hyper-local and macro levels
  • Understand regionality in food
  • Understand how to define and assess competition
  • Understand how to navigate social media
  • Understand how to define brand promise
  • Understand the fit between brand promise and product delivery
  • Understand how to convert primary research findings into actionable decision-making

Clients Worked With

Godrej Beverages, Marico Foods, PMI, Times of India, Unilever, Coke, Pepsi, Abbott Healthcare, Mahindra Automotive, ITC Foods, Brand Genetics, Project Casting & more.

Awards Won

Market Research: Esomar Aspac best paper Melbourne 2010, Esomar World Congress Montreux finalist 2008.

Food writing: IHC London IIHM, Hospitality Influencer of the Year, 2024, Upper Crust top 20 food writers of India 2020, Indian Culinary Forum’s Best Food Critic Award 2024, 7-time winner of FBAI best food blog award.

Award Jury Member

Conde Nast India Top 50 Restaurant Awards, NDTV Food Restaurant Awards. He conceptualised the Home Cheffies Awards, which measured home chef brand strength.