Indian snacks have a contradictory problem – most snacks are not healthy and healthy snacks don’t taste so good.
“The snacks we see on the market are unhealthy and full of preservatives. The few who are healthy do not taste good,” co-founder Shaurya Kanoria recount Your story.
Combining age-old dietary wisdom with modern nutritional needs, family members Mridula Kanoria, Shaurya Kanoria and Vidushi Kanoria launched Eat Better in 2020. Jaipur-based food brand D2C claims its snacks are 100% natural and made from quality ingredients.
“Our current line includes healthy, sugar-free ladoos (called The Better Ladoos), nutty seed mixes, and savory snacks like millet mix and quinoa seed mix. All of our snacks are vegan, gluten-free and have no added sugar,” he adds.
The startup has over 35 SKUs. The price range starts from Rs 99 and goes up to Rs 525.
Make healthy snacks
The products were developed by founder Mridula, who has over 25 years of experience in nutrition and developing healthy food recipes.
His son, Shaurya, has over 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship and digital marketing, while his daughter-in-law, Vidushi (co-founder and CMO, Eat Better), worked at Godrej and has also co-founded the clothing brand D2C. Soxytoes.
The manufacturing of Eat Better is entirely in-house, in Jaipur, and employs over 100 people. In line with the brand’s mission to empower women, around 60 of the people employed are women. In June this year, the company increased its manufacturing capacity fourfold.
“Our in-house production setup helps us ensure the highest quality standards,” adds Shaurya. “If you look at the back labels of our products, you will see a list of natural, pure and familiar ingredients. All come directly from farms, making farmers our trusted partners.
Eat Better sources its raw materials directly from farms across the country. Such an overview of the manufacturing process is what sets them apart, Shaurya says.
“We control the manufacturing whereas most brands outsource this function to contractors who use a lot of chemicals, preservatives and food coloring. Other than that, all of our recipes are developed in-house by a team of over 35 women. Our snacks are always made in small batches from the highest quality ingredients and are 100% natural.
Eat Better ships all over India. The startup sells largely through its website and through marketplaces like Amazon and Kindlife.in.
Funding
Earlier seeded with an initial amount of Rs 25 lakh, Eat Better raised Rs 6 crore this year in its funding round led by Java Capital and Mumbai Angels.
The round saw participation from Shiprocket Ventures, Capier Capital and Plan B Capital. Entrepreneurs such as Harpreet Grover, Arjun Vaidya, Radhika Ghai, Vishesh Khurana, Bimal Kartheek Rebba, Ishank Joshi, Venus Dhuria, Bhavik Vasa and Divij Bajaj among others also participated in the round.
“We use this money to increase production capacity, launch new products and invest in distribution,” Shaurya explains.
Targeting people over 30, Eat Better says it has found demand among working professionals, moms, fitness enthusiasts and in nuclear families where there is less cooking time.
At the time of funding, Karteek PulapakaPartner, Java Capital said:
“Very few brands have been able to achieve healthy taste, format and ingredients all at once. Eat Better has been able to do this, which is reflected in the 38% month-to-month growth and high customer loyalty.”
The company claims to have been profitable since its inception and has achieved sales of over Rs 1 crore per month. Although it hasn’t disclosed its revenue figures, Eat Better claims to have seen annual growth of more than 400% over the past two years.
The path to follow
India is set to become a $30 billion natural food market by 2026, according to IBEF.
“It is very difficult for a small company to compete with the FMCG majors. What helps is that customers are actively looking for healthy food options and there is now a great awareness of what healthy eating means. It makes it relatively easier for us to gain the trust of our customers by providing them with healthy and tasty snacks,” comments Shaurya.
The startup competes with Yoga Bar, Nutty Gritties, Happilo, and Farmley, among others.
“Consumers are waking up to more conscious and healthy choices, and at Eat Better we want to support them on their journey to health without compromising on taste,” Mridula points out.
The startup plans to move into offline retail and enter other markets. “We will also increase the number of products we offer. Our goal is to be the go-to brand for a family’s healthy snack needs,” adds Shaurya.
(The article has been updated with more images.)