mitraraman

That's a great point about the branding. Why we're called Buttermilk: Buttermilk is eaten at the end of almost every South Indian meal to "cool down" the stomach. As a South Indian myself, this is one of my go-to comfort foods. The aim with the company is to provide authentic, comfort foods which is how we came about to using it for the name! Plus, it's a known and easy-to-say word.

We didn't actually launch with the aim of only providing vegan meals, it just so happened that our first dishes are all vegan! This has definitely caused some confusion so we'll continue to iterate on our branding/messaging.

Yes, you're right! We are a fresher and healthier option than frozen meals, with a more authentic and varied selection.

Glad you asked! We have a few key differences:

- MTR provides just the spices, you have to bring everything else. This includes vegetables/meat, seasoning, additional spices, oil/salt, etc. Our products include all of this so that the only ingredient you add is water which makes it much more convenient.

- Our packets are 100% fresh and don't have any preservatives, whereas existing packaged Indian foods are packed with them. This makes our products tastier, fresher and much healthier, although it comes with a shorter shelf-life.

- Our recipes are curated from people in the community (for example, the rasam is my mom's!) This lends a very homemade taste to each dish.

- We deliver to you! All existing pre-packaged authentic Indian foods are only available in Indian stores, so we're making good Indian food available to a much larger audience.

- At the end of the day, the taste just isn't comparable. Microwaveable chana masala from Haldiram's, let's say, comes out looking/smelling/tasting not at all like a homemade dish. Ours is made completely from scratch and you as a customer can feel that difference.

MTR/Haldiram's are 'last-resort' type meals, and we aim to be a meal that you actually crave + is good for you :)

That's a great callout! These aren't just spice packets -- they include everything you need for the dish like you mentioned. You can see the full ingredients list for each dish under 'Benefits' of the page. For example, sambar includes carrots, bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, spice and the full seasoning. The only ingredient missing is water!

Sambar: https://thebuttermilkco.com/collections/singles/products/sam...

There are! You can find them on the single product pages on the last picture. (Ex upma: https://thebuttermilkco.com/collections/singles/products/upm...)

Thank you! Yes, everything is vegan but I totally understand your need for more meat dishes. Under 'How To Eat' on each product page we've added what meat we suggest mixing with the dish. More detailed recipes to come! Thanks for the feedback.

Example: https://thebuttermilkco.com/collections/singles/products/sam...