'Our cold chain network will be critical as demand rises'

Cold chain logistics company ColdStar offers end-to-end cold chain solutions for over 120 brands and powers direct from the backend for top-tier quick commerce and e-commerce platforms.

- Sameer Varma, executive director, ColdStar Logistics

This year, the firm expects a greater-than-normal spike in festive demand.

Sameer Varma, executive director, ColdStar Logistics, tells S Shanthi that the company's networks will be critical in ensuring products reach consumers fresh, safe, and on time this festive season. Excerpts:

What kind of festive demand are you seeing this year?

We anticipate the overall season demand to increase by approximately 25-30% compared to last year. The greatest increase we experience comes from chocolates and traditional Indian sweets, since these remain central to the festive purchases. But our largest growth area has been large gift packs, and they are still the fastest-selling category across platforms. What is interesting to note is how many new D2C brands are entering the market and competing for space and brand recall across the platforms, further diversifying the festive product mix.