Before Licious became a billion-dollar business, Abhay Hanjura wanted to change how a purchase felt. His story runs from an insurance desk to a cold chain, with a failed first launch and a stubborn belief in the pleasure of a good meal.

A chartered accountant and his food-loving friend set out to make buying meat less of a guessing game. A decade into Licious, Vivek Gupta is still working through what that promise costs.