Licious Sizzl is the direct-to-consumer meat brand’s attempt to be more than a place to buy raw chicken. Licious has given its ready-to-eat range its own identity as Sizzl, a sub-brand covering more than 80 products such as momos, kebabs, tikkas and protein meals, and aimed at a much younger shopper than the parent brand.
The company unveiled Sizzl at a creator-led event in Mumbai attended by more than 300 celebrities and content creators, including Varun Dhawan, Uorfi Javed, Ibrahim Ali Khan and Rebel Kid. Varun Khanna, Licious’s SVP of Marketing, explained the thinking in an interview with afaqs!, and this article draws on those comments before adding our own analysis.
“How we reported this: This article is based on an interview with Varun Khanna published by afaqs!, plus the pricing and channel details in that report. Business claims, such as market sizes and repeat rates, are the executive’s own and have not been independently verified. Our own interpretation appears in the sections marked “Our analysis.””
Licious Sizzl: 8 Key Facts
- What it is: A sub-brand for Licious’s ready-to-eat snacks and meals.
- Range: More than 80 products, including momos, kebabs, tikkas, snacks and protein meals.
- Target age: Primary audience of about 28, reaching down to 25. Licious’s core customer is about 40.
- Personality: Khanna calls it a “slightly naughty, cheeky younger sibling.”
- Marketing: Almost the entire media mix is social content, experiences and sampling.
- Price example: ₹379 for 16 chicken momos.
- Channels: Licious’s own app, quick-commerce platforms and select retail stores.
- No plans yet: Dedicated Sizzl cafes or restaurants.
Why Licious Created Sizzl
Licious has sold ready-to-eat items for several years. What’s new is the decision to give them a separate identity and marketing pitch. “We realised that this entire range, this whole category, deserved its own identity,” Khanna told afaqs!.
The move lets Licious show up in more eating occasions than home cooking: snacking, parties, quick meals and fitness routines. Khanna sees it as a way to build presence in the broader meat and seafood market, which he put at $50 billion, while also entering the ready-to-eat snacks and fresh meals category. He said momos alone are a ₹30,000 crore market that is largely unorganised.
Licious vs Sizzl: Two Brands, Two Audiences
| Licious | Sizzl | |
|---|---|---|
| Main products | Fresh meat, seafood, fish and eggs | Momos, kebabs, tikkas, snacks and protein meals |
| Typical customer age | About 40 | About 28, aiming down to 25 |
| Tone | Quality and trust | Playful, irreverent |
| Usage | Cooking at home | Snacking, parties, quick meals, fitness |
| Range size | More than 300 products and about 450 SKUs across the platform | More than 80 products |
How Sizzl Reaches Younger Consumers
Khanna said Licious’s spending on social media and content had grown to 15 to 20% of its marketing budget over the previous 18 months, and that creators help address worries about sourcing, hygiene, quality and cooking. For Sizzl, almost the entire media mix is social content, experiences and sampling. Examples include:
- Partnerships with creators such as Rebel Kid and Gaurav Kapoor
- Run clubs, aimed at fitness and protein-minded customers
- Product placement in movie outings with PVR, and other party and snacking occasions
What Sizzl Sells: Fresh, Chilled and Protein-Led
Khanna said everything in the range except the momos is fresh and chilled, not frozen, which gives it a shorter shelf life. Licious says its chicken momos contain no fillers and its kebabs and tikkas are made without additives, and that it maintains its own cold chain.
Protein is a key selling point. The daily protein range includes a 200-gram chicken breast portion with about 30 grams of protein. Khanna said the range has a high repeat purchase rate, but no sales figures were shared.
How Sizzl’s Price Compares
| Brand | Pack | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sizzl | 16 pieces | ₹379 |
| Wow! Momo | 10 to 12 pieces | ₹195 to ₹250 |
| Prasuma | 10 to 24 pieces | ₹185 to ₹270 |
| Godrej Yummiez | 10 to 12 pieces | ₹130 to ₹160 |
The competitors listed are frozen chicken momos, according to the report. Sizzl is the premium option of the group.
Where Sizzl Is Sold
Licious sells through its own app, quick-commerce platforms and select retail stores. Khanna said most of the business comes through the company’s own platform, which carries both Licious and Sizzl, and that the app accounts for much more than half of revenue. He put the share of its product selection available on quick commerce at around 10 to 20%. He also said there is “no rush to do anything new,” because current channels are enough for the market size and growth opportunity.
Khanna named Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru as key markets and said performance has been consistent across these cities. He said some parts of Delhi and Bengaluru have scaled to ₹150 crore in annual business, and that the company isn’t planning a rapid move into tier-two cities. On regional taste, he said that while Bengalis and Tamilians have their own fish, kebabs, tikkas and momos don’t vary much by region.
Our Analysis: What Licious Sizzl Really Signals
This section is our own analysis and opinion, based on the interview. Calculations are simple arithmetic and are not published by Licious. It is not investment or buying advice.
1. A price premium is a bold choice for a young audience
At ₹379 for 16 pieces, Sizzl momos cost about ₹24 per piece (our calculation). The frozen competitors work out to roughly ₹11 to ₹16 per piece for Godrej Yummiez and about ₹16 to ₹25 for Wow! Momo, depending on which price goes with which pack size (our calculation, since the source doesn’t pair them). Sizzl is therefore around one and a half to two times the cheapest option and at or above the top of the middle one. Targeting 25 to 28-year-olds with a premium price is a gamble, because younger buyers tend to be price-sensitive. Licious’s counter, in our reading, is that this audience pays for convenience, freshness and a brand it likes, and the high repeat rate Khanna mentions, if true, would support that. We can’t check the claim.
2. The price comparison isn’t quite like for like
The comparison in the source is with frozen momos, while Khanna says the rest of Sizzl’s range is fresh and chilled. Even for momos, “no fillers” and a cold-chain promise are part of what the extra rupees buy. For readers, the useful comparison is price per gram, which the report doesn’t give because it lists packs of pieces, not weights.
3. Fresh and chilled explains the slow expansion
A short shelf life and a cold chain make rapid expansion costly. Khanna’s comment that there’s “no rush” and that tier-two cities aren’t a priority fit that reality. We think the cold chain is the real constraint behind the cautious rollout, though he doesn’t say so in those words.
4. Quick commerce is a window, not the main road
Khanna said 10 to 20% of the product selection is available on quick-commerce apps, and that the company’s own app generates much more than half of revenue. Note that his 10 to 20% refers to the product assortment, not to sales share. Still, it tells us Licious wants to keep customers on its own platform, where it controls the experience and the data, instead of paying commissions to third-party apps.
5. Sizzl is roughly a quarter of the range
With more than 80 products out of more than 300 on the platform, Sizzl is about 27% of the product range (our calculation, mixing “products” and “SKUs” loosely because the source uses both). That’s a significant slice for what began as a side category, and it explains why it deserves its own identity.
6. A sub-brand protects the parent but needs its own fans
Licious has spent years building a reputation for fresh, safe meat. A playful, irreverent snack brand could clash with that if it uses the same name. Making Sizzl a “younger sibling” lets the parent keep its serious tone while still lending trust. The risk is that the sub-brand has to build its own audience from scratch, using a name younger shoppers may not link to Licious.
7. Creator and run-club marketing replaces mass advertising on purpose
Khanna says social content, experiences and sampling are almost the whole mix. Sampling matters for food: a customer has to try it to believe a premium price. Run clubs and movie nights put the product in front of the exact moments the brand wants to own. Results aren’t disclosed, and experiential marketing is hard to measure, so we’d want to see how Licious tracks sales from these events.
8. The ₹150 crore figure needs context
Khanna said parts of Delhi and Bengaluru “scaled to ₹150 crore in annual business.” The report doesn’t make clear whether that refers to Sizzl alone, to Licious overall or to a different measure. Because Sizzl is a small part of the range, we suspect it may refer to the whole business, but that is only a guess. It’s the number to double-check before repeating.
9. “Amul of meat” is the ambition behind it all
Khanna has spoken of becoming the “Amul of meat,” a brand synonymous with the category. Convenience foods that bring people back weekly are one way to build that kind of habit, which is why Sizzl matters strategically even if it is a smaller revenue line.
10. What we would watch
We’d watch for actual sales or repeat-rate figures, whether Licious keeps the premium price as competition rises, how the brand handles protein claims on its labels and whether it extends into more cities once the cold chain allows.
What Shoppers Should Check Before Buying
- Weight per pack, so you can compare price per 100 grams across brands
- The protein claim: 30 grams from a 200-gram portion works out to about 15% protein by weight, so check whether the weight is raw or cooked and read the nutrition label
- Shelf life and storage, since most of the range is chilled
- The ingredient list, where “no fillers” and “no additives” are claims you can check
- Allergens and any added sodium, fat or sugar
What We Still Don’t Know
- Sizzl’s revenue and share of Licious’s business
- The repeat-purchase rate (only described as high)
- Whether the ₹150 crore figure refers to Sizzl or the whole company
- Pack weights behind the price comparison
- Marketing spend on Sizzl specifically
- Launch date of the rebrand
- Plans for additional categories beyond meat-based snacks
What to Watch Next
- Sales or repeat data from Licious
- Price moves by Wow! Momo, Prasuma, Godrej Yummiez and others
- Wider quick-commerce listings
- New Sizzl products or collaborations
- Competitor ready-to-eat launches from other D2C meat brands
Frequently Asked Questions About Licious Sizzl
What is Licious Sizzl?
Sizzl is a sub-brand of Licious that groups its ready-to-eat snacks and meals, including momos, kebabs, tikkas and protein meals, into one identity.
Who is Sizzl for?
Younger consumers. The primary target is about 28, with the aim of reaching people as young as 25.
How many products does Sizzl have?
More than 80.
How much do Sizzl momos cost?
₹379 for 16 pieces, according to the report.
Are Sizzl products frozen?
Per Varun Khanna, everything except the momos is fresh and chilled, not frozen, which gives them a shorter shelf life.
Where can I buy Sizzl?
On Licious’s own app, on quick-commerce platforms and in select retail stores.
Will Sizzl open cafes or restaurants?
Khanna said there are no current plans for dedicated Sizzl outlets.
Does Licious plan to expand to smaller cities?
Not rapidly. The focus is on Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Disclaimer
This article is based on an interview with Licious’s SVP of Marketing published by afaqs! and on the pricing and channel details in that report. Business, market and performance claims are the executive’s and have not been independently verified. Prices may have changed. Derived numbers (price per piece, the share of range) are our own approximate calculations. The “Our analysis” section is opinion and does not constitute investment, nutrition or purchasing advice. This site is not affiliated with Licious.
To read more food-tech and brand coverage, see our posts on D2C brands in India and quick commerce trends. You can also visit the official Licious website and read the original interview on afaqs!.
