iD Fresh Food is giving selected employees in India a partly paid break of up to 18 months to test business ideas, with a company-described route back after the entrepreneurial period.
PC Musthafa, iD Fresh Food’s chairman and Global CEO, introduced the policy in a LinkedIn post. Under the company’s plan, senior leaders and mentors will assess proposals for the customer need, the venture’s model and risks, and the employee’s readiness to pursue it.
Sabbaticals can run for up to 18 months, depending on employee level. iD Fresh says participants may receive mentoring, business-enablement support and access to its ecosystem and partner network. The policy describes a route back to the company, but Financial Express reported that specific return terms were not provided in the responses it received.
Employees may explore ventures within iD Fresh’s ecosystem or independently, subject to ethical requirements. The company says its support is for employees and does not include direct funding for their ventures. It also says it has no plan for a dedicated venture fund or a fixed funding limit for individual businesses.
The company cites businesses founded by former employees as precedent. Its examples include Daily Fresh Foods in Assam, I Made in Mangalore, A1 Snacks in Bengaluru and a Bengaluru chapati manufacturing business founded by Jasper Prince. The announcement did not name a business launched under the new policy.
Musthafa connected the program to the early support iD Fresh received when it began in a Bengaluru kitchen with ₹50,000. “Because no one should have to choose between pursuing their dream and having a safety net,” he wrote. He also acknowledged the company’s potential cost: “Saying goodbye to some of our best people will hurt.”
Musthafa told Financial Express that about 10 employees had begun exploring ventures. The interview described them as exploring ideas and did not report departures from iD Fresh or business launches.
