From greenqueen.com.hk
In a country where veganism is confined to health stores and imported products, Ghaas Phoos is spearheading the fledgling plant-based movement in Pakistan
Ailya Khan grew up on kebabs and tikkas, and hated vegetables. But her love for animals made her give up meat eventually.
The vegetarian samosas didn’t satisfy the strong cravings for the meat-rich dishes she was familiar with in Pakistan. There were barely any plant-based alternatives, and nothing satisfied her from a cultural, sensory, or emotional perspective.
“I struggled a lot to find affordable vegan food and realised that here in Pakistan, even people who want to go vegan, eat plant-based, or host plant-based events often can’t find ready-to-go vegan options or accessible plant-based catering services,” she says.
“It really hit me that most Pakistanis – and many people around the world – don’t have access to plant-based options that connect with our culture.”
That’s when she decided to take things into her own hands. In 2022, Khan founded Ghaas Phoos Plant-Based Foods, Pakistan’s first vegan meat start-up. “The whole idea behind Ghaas Phoos (which literally means grass) was to reclaim the phrase, to make ‘grass’ common and even celebrated,” she explains.
In the subcontinent, ‘ghaas phoos’ is often used as a derogatory term for vegetarian food – it’s the South Asian equivalent of rabbit food, or the narrative that vegan food is just salads. “We take a fun and proud approach: feeding everyone ‘grass’, showing how creative and joyful plant-based food can be,” says Khan.
Ghaas Phoos has retail and foodservice expansion in sight
Ghaas Phoos, though, is much more than grass. The start-up’s offerings include soy-based kebabs and patties, mushroom biryani, and green pea kebabs, all infused with familiar Pakistani spices.
“We’ve also experimented with over 50 versions of local dishes behind the scenes, things like kulfi (a local ice cream), gulab jamun (milk-based doughballs in rose-cardamom syrup), haleem (a thick, low-cooked stew), dum kebab, makhni kebab, and more,” says Khan.
The start-up operates a meal delivery model and is still in its beta-tasting phase, currently operating two to three days a week, based on pre-booked orders. Currently, it’s a team of three, with Khan joined by her sister and a cook.
“We personally handle deliveries within a 20km radius in Karachi, but we’re hoping to expand soon. Our meals are pre-cooked and served hot, and another revenue stream we’re developing is consulting for restaurants that want to add plant-based items to their menus,” she says.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive. We have had organic reach on digital. We’ve had a lot of organic reviews – customers have been posting on their own accord on different food groups,” she says. “People have been very supportive of us with regard to a new, budding business.”
Phase two of its expansion plan concerns retail, with Ghaas Phoos aiming to start with frozen products within Karachi. “But for that, we’ll need a larger kitchen,” she notes.
Over the next 12 months, the start-up is planning to open a small-scale café/kitchen to facilitate grab-n-go and in-house meals. “We’re not trying to compete with meat,” says Khan. “We’re here to showcase what kind of food innovation is possible with local ingredients and plants.”
‘Pakistanis are open to trying different foods’
Khan dismisses the idea that Pakistan is a meat-rich country, except for the three major cities of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. “Most local dishes are plant-based or vegetarian, due to the country’s agricultural nature,” she explains.
“In the last decade, we’ve seen a surge in the meatification of recipes and heavy dairy infiltration in the market. Even though most menus are now filled with meat and dairy items, people do want to try plant alternatives,” she adds.
To create demand, Khan says you have to help people find the right food: “We did one soft launch in 2022, and we’ve done R&D for two years. With our final launch in 2025, what we’ve seen is that people do show interest and buy the food, and most of our clients are consistent and repeat customers. This shows people are open to trying different cuisines, whether they are vegan or not.
“Pakistan has a very rich and diverse food landscape. Luckily, we are still connected to our traditions through food. Every celebration, every tradition revolves around food. If you give us a well-curated meal with the right spices, honesty, and tradition, it will be loved.”
She reiterates that the business isn’t mimicking meat, but instead banking on unique flavours, textures, and natural colours as its selling point: “We also like calling our products what they are, which has been received positively. We say mushroom biryani, mushroom qeema (mince), pea cutlets, plant-based kebabs, soy patties, egg-inspired plant-based eggs, and so on.”
Ghaas Phoos seeks investors as plant-based awareness grows
Pakistan, for now, has few plant-based protein options. Some companies import international brands of non-dairy milk, while a few independent stores make their own. Accessibility is a major barrier to vegan eating in the country, according to Khan.
“Tofu and soy are not easily available. I only know five vegans, who make their own seitan. Beans are accessible, but turning them into plant-based meats like the ones available in the Middle East requires awareness, both in the investor community and among restaurants,” she explains.
“Mushrooms are accessible to a certain class or those with access to land and wild areas,” she adds. “The pre-conceived notion that meat sells creates a sense of risk around plant-based food innovation. I believe there’s limited food knowledge around plant-based foods. I’ve trained three cooks so far, all of whom have been surprised by how much we can experiment with different plants, their textures, and their flavours.”
But awareness is growing. “We haven’t been met with any hostility so far. In fact, we’ve seen some restaurants add plant-based items to their menus. Pakistani people have been very open to exploring different taste palettes,” she says.
And a few weeks ago, Jacked Nutrition introduced a vegan brown rice protein powder range with 24g of protein and 2g of fibre per 30g scoop, indicating the burgeoning demand for plant-based options.
To deliver on its expansion plans, Ghaas Phoos is looking for support from a range of parties. “Finance is definitely important, but we’re also open to support in alternative protein food knowledge, training, and partnerships with international brands who want to explore the Pakistan market through us,” says Khan. “We are also looking for funders and investors who believe in a plant-based future and will help keep the business sustainable for the long term.
“Ghaas Phoos is here to open people’s minds to what we can do with plants, and challenge the existing limitations of culinary arts. You don’t always need meat to enjoy desi flavours.”
https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/ghaas-phoos-plant-based-foods-pakistan-vegan-meat/
