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Nurturing Green Goes From 8 Cities to 47 in Just Two Months — Founder Annu Grover Eyes Series A to Build a Multi Crore Brand

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Nurturing Green Goes From 8 Cities to 47 in Just Two Months — Founder Annu Grover Eyes Series A to Build a Multi Crore Brand

Nurturing Green, founded by Annu Grover, has been witnessing significant growth, particularly after its appearance on Shark Tank India. The company, which focuses on green gifting and gardening solutions, has been expanding its reach through multiple channels, with a strong emphasis on quick commerce platforms like Blinkit and Zepto.

In a recent interview, Grover revealed that the brand is now preparing for a Series A funding round to further scale its operations. The funding will primarily be used to enhance their presence in quick commerce, expand their offline retail footprint, and invest in new growth initiatives.

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Quick Commerce as a Major Growth Driver

Nurturing Green’s rapid scale-up has largely been driven by the growing popularity of quick commerce platforms. Grover shared that the brand has been able to tap into a new customer base by offering gardening products like potting mix, planters, tools, and small plants through platforms like Blinkit and Zepto, where delivery times are often as low as 10 minutes.

Grover believes quick commerce will fundamentally change the gardening industry. “If you’re gardening at home and suddenly run out of potting mix, you’re not going to a nursery; you’ll simply order it on Zepto or Blinkit,” he explained. This shift in consumer behavior has led the brand to significantly expand its product portfolio on quick commerce platforms, catering to the growing demand for gardening essentials.

Balancing Growth and Profitability

While Nurturing Green is scaling rapidly, Grover is also mindful of the challenges associated with quick commerce. Lower average order values (AOV) and higher distribution costs remain hurdles, but Grover is optimistic about the long-term potential. He noted that quick commerce is helping the brand attract new customers who might not have considered gardening products otherwise.

Additionally, the company continues to strengthen its offline retail presence through partnerships with modern trade stores and by enhancing its visibility in general trade (GT). This balanced approach aims to create a sustainable growth trajectory for Nurturing Green.

Future Plans and Series A Funding

Grover confirmed that Nurturing Green is now preparing to raise capital through a Series A funding round. The fresh capital will be directed towards three key areas — expanding their quick commerce business, strengthening their offline presence, and launching large-scale garden centers to cater to B2B segments such as architects and landscaping professionals.

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With a clear focus on making gardening more accessible through quick commerce and expanding its offline footprint, Nurturing Green is poised to become a market leader in the green gifting and gardening solutions space. Grover remains confident that their multi-channel strategy will position the company for sustained long-term growth.

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Swiggy Expands Food Delivery Service to 100 Railway Stations Across 20 States in Partnership with IRCTC

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Swiggy, a major competitor to Zomato in the food delivery space, has significantly expanded its services in collaboration with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The company now delivers food to 100 railway stations across 20 states, allowing train passengers to enjoy a wide range of meal options during their journeys.

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Travelers can choose from over 7 million menu items, representing at least 35 different cuisines, offered by more than 60,000 restaurant brands. The food is delivered directly to their seat, making the travel experience more comfortable and convenient for passengers who want high-quality and diverse meal options.

Swiggy has also introduced a unique guarantee — if a passenger’s meal isn’t delivered before the train departs, they will receive a full refund. This ensures reliability and confidence for travelers placing orders. Passengers can easily pre-order their meals by searching for “Train” on the Swiggy app, entering their PNR number, and selecting the station where they’d like their food delivered.

To enhance the onboard dining experience, Swiggy has also introduced sustainable cutlery with every order. Each meal now comes with a spoon, fork, and tissue packaged in an eco-friendly pouch, ensuring convenience while promoting environmental responsibility.

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Massive Growth Since Launch

Swiggy’s journey into train delivery began in March 2024 when it first partnered with IRCTC to start serving meals on trains. The response has been overwhelming, with the platform already fulfilling over 10 lakh orders within a few months.

Among the most active stations, Vijayawada Junction has seen the highest number of orders, while Kalyan Junction recorded the largest single order — consisting of 41 burgers and 40 fries. Biryani has emerged as the most popular dish, with over 1 lakh orders placed so far.

Interestingly, passengers aren’t just sticking to familiar cuisines. Swiggy has noticed a growing demand for diverse dishes, including Tibetan baked cheesy momos, Lebanese chicken shawarma, Mexican mushroom and cheese quesadillas, and cinnamon churros. This shift indicates a growing curiosity among travelers to explore international cuisines during their train journeys.

A Word from Swiggy’s Leadership

Commenting on the expansion, Deepak Maloo, Vice President of Swiggy Food Marketplace, emphasized how deeply food is tied to the train travel experience in India.

“Train journeys have always been a core part of India’s cultural landscape, and food makes those journeys even more memorable. Expanding Swiggy Food on Trains allows us to offer passengers a richer and more convenient dining experience while traveling,” Maloo said.

He further noted that this rapid growth is a clear reflection of how technology and logistics can seamlessly come together to improve the customer experience, allowing travelers to enjoy restaurant-quality food without compromising their journey.

As Swiggy continues to scale its operations in collaboration with IRCTC, the company aims to further expand its reach to more railway stations and offer an even wider variety of cuisines, making train travel not just about the destination but also about the delicious meals along the way.

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Banana Club Opens Its 10th Retail Store in Mumbai, Strengthening Its Offline Presence

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Banana Club Opens Its 10th Retail Store in Mumbai, Strengthening Its Offline Presence

Banana Club, a fast-growing direct-to-consumer (D2C) men’s fashion brand, has officially opened the doors to its 10th retail outlet, this time in Mumbai’s bustling R City Mall, Ghatkopar West. The announcement was made by Prashant Lalwani, Co-Founder of Banana Club, through a LinkedIn post, where he also expressed gratitude to customers and the team behind the brand’s success.

“Thrilled to share that we’ve just launched our 10th Banana Club store at R City Mall, Mumbai! This journey would have never been possible without the incredible love from our customers and the relentless hard work of our team,” wrote Lalwani, alongside photos of the newly inaugurated outlet.

The Mumbai store marks another key milestone for Banana Club, which began its journey in 2012 when Nilesh Bafna and Prashant Lalwani opened a small offline store in Bengaluru. Over the past 12 years, the brand has transformed into a prominent player in men’s casual fashion, boasting a growing physical footprint across major cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

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Apart from its offline stores, Banana Club has built a strong digital presence, with its products listed on leading e-commerce platforms like Myntra and Ajio, where it enjoys a sizable customer base. The brand’s popularity has been driven by its youth-centric designs, affordable pricing, and trend-forward collections, catering primarily to fashion-conscious men looking for stylish yet budget-friendly apparel.

The launch of the Mumbai store underscores Banana Club’s growing focus on expanding its offline retail presence, tapping into high-footfall locations to offer customers a direct, in-store shopping experience. This strategic move is also a response to the growing demand for physical touchpoints in addition to online convenience.

With 10 stores now operational and plans for further expansion, Banana Club is fast becoming a notable name in the men’s casual fashion space, offering everything from graphic t-shirts and trendy shirts to stylish trousers and everyday wear.

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As the brand continues to grow, Lalwani hinted that more store launches in other metro cities are already in the pipeline. “This is just the beginning — we have big plans to bring Banana Club closer to our customers across the country,” he added.

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How Three Brothers Built Nutrabay Into a ₹500 Crore Sports Nutrition Empire — And Why It’s Dominating India’s Fitness Market

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How Three Brothers Built Nutrabay Into a ₹500 Crore Sports Nutrition Empire — And Why It’s Dominating India’s Fitness Market

The surge in health and fitness consciousness in recent years has completely transformed the way people approach their well-being. With social media flooded with fitness tips, diet trends, and workout routines, the demand for high-quality sports nutrition products has skyrocketed. Riding this wave, three brothers from New Delhi — Shreyans Jain, Divay Jain, and Sharad Jain — saw an untapped opportunity in the market and laid the foundation for Nutrabay, a brand that’s now become a major player in India’s sports nutrition space.

What started as a small operation distributing health supplements has now evolved into a full-scale direct-to-consumer (D2C) powerhouse offering both international and in-house brands. Today, Nutrabay boasts over 1.5 million customers, adding 15,000 to 20,000 new customers every month, and fulfilling over 3 million orders monthly across various platforms.

The Spark That Started It All

The idea for Nutrabay was born around 2011-2012, when the Jain brothers noticed glaring problems in the sports nutrition industry in India. At the time, fake supplements, poor-quality products, and unreliable supply chains were rampant. The lack of authenticity in the market made it incredibly difficult for fitness enthusiasts to find genuine health supplements.

“We realized that most customers had no way of knowing if the products they were consuming were genuine or not,” recalls Shreyans Jain, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Nutrabay. “The distribution system was broken, and there was no proper check to ensure product authenticity.”

To bridge this gap, the trio initially began their journey as distributors for international sports nutrition brands. However, they quickly hit a roadblock. Acting as middlemen didn’t allow them to control the supply chain, pricing, or product authenticity — three critical factors that were essential in winning the customer’s trust.

Determined to solve this problem, the brothers decided to launch their own e-commerce platform — Nutrabay — in 2016, focusing solely on selling authentic and high-quality sports nutrition products directly to consumers. This move allowed them to eliminate intermediaries and have complete control over product quality, pricing, and delivery.

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The company was entirely self-funded, with the brothers investing Rs 1 crore from their personal savings to get the business off the ground.

The Turning Point: Launching Their Own Brand

By 2019, Nutrabay had established itself as one of the most trusted platforms for buying health supplements in India. However, another gap in the market quickly became apparent — affordable, high-quality sports nutrition products. While international brands dominated the market, their products were often priced out of reach for the average Indian fitness enthusiast.

Realizing this, the brothers decided to take a bold step — launching their own private-label brand under the Nutrabay name. This allowed them to control not just the sourcing and manufacturing but also the pricing, making sports nutrition more affordable without compromising on quality.

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“We wanted to make high-quality supplements accessible to everyone — from beginners to professional athletes,” said Shreyans. “Creating our own brand allowed us to reduce costs and pass those savings on to our customers.”

The strategy worked wonders. Nutrabay’s private-label products now account for a significant chunk of their revenue, with categories spanning protein powders, mass gainers, pre-workouts, vitamins, and other health supplements.

Massive Growth and Market Presence

Today, Nutrabay has an impressive catalog of over 4,000 products (SKUs) across various categories. Their products are sold through multiple channels, including their D2C website, leading online marketplaces, and exclusive brand outlets (EBOs).

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Meet Kunal Mutha: The Man Betting Big on Oat Milk in India’s ₹300 Crore Plant-Based Dairy Market

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Meet Kunal Mutha: The Man Betting Big on Oat Milk in India’s ₹300 Crore Plant-Based Dairy Market

In 2019, Kunal Mutha found himself at a crossroads. Having successfully built and exited a packaging business that catered to some of the biggest food and beverage brands in the country—Cadbury, Kellogg’s, and leading beverage companies—Kunal could have comfortably joined his family business after his first entrepreneurial exit. Instead, he chose a different path—one fueled by passion, purpose, and a deep insight into India’s changing consumer landscape.

Kunal’s previous packaging business, which was acquired by global packaging giant Huhtamaki in 2019, gave him an inside look at consumer goods industries. With this knowledge and a desire to build something transformative, he launched his second venture during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic—this time in the plant-based food and beverage space with “Only Earth”.

How Kunal Mutha Is Leading the Plant-Based Revolution in India with Oat Milk

The idea stemmed from a personal shift. Though not lactose-intolerant himself, Kunal switched to a plant-based diet for moral reasons and quickly realized a significant gap in the market. “Once I switched, I found that there were hardly any compelling options for someone trying to live a plant-based lifestyle without feeling compromised,” Kunal shares. This insight laid the foundation for his new company, Only Eart. which aimed to be a bridge for people transitioning to plant-based diets or seeking healthier, more sustainable options.

In 2020, Kunal’s company Only Earth became the first in India to launch oat milk—a segment that was gaining traction globally but remained untapped in the Indian market. The response was phenomenal. Today, Kunal’s brand commands the largest market share for oat milk in India, with a strong presence across quick commerce platforms, modern trade, and general trade, spanning over 1,000 stores in 18 cities.

While plant-based milk in India is still a nascent market—estimated at around ₹300 crore—the category is rapidly evolving. Globally, almond milk dominates plant-based dairy, but Kunal is betting big on oat milk. “Oat is the fastest-growing category worldwide, and we’re confident it will overtake almond in India as well,” he explains. Recognizing the diversity in consumer preferences, his company has also expanded into almond milk, coconut milk, and soon, soy milk.

Disrupting the Dairy Market with Oat Milk

The challenge, however, lies in scaling the business in a highly price-sensitive market. Plant-based milk is often perceived as a premium product, which can limit adoption. Kunal is tackling this by expanding retail presence and creating new product formats that cater to everyday consumption, such as plant-based milkshakes and yogurt. The goal is to normalize plant-based consumption without customers feeling the pinch of premium pricing.

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But the ambition doesn’t stop there. While the primary focus remains on capturing the Indian market, the brand has already begun exporting to international markets, including the Middle East and as far as Barbados. “Exports are a bonus for us. Our primary focus is still India because it’s a clean slate. This ₹300 crore category is projected to hit ₹1,000 crore soon, and we want to lead that growth,” says Kunal.

To scale operations and drive the next phase of growth, Kunal has also onboarded a seasoned CEO from Tata Consumer Products, ensuring that the company’s vision aligns with execution excellence. The company is now preparing for rapid offline expansion while simultaneously solidifying its dominance in quick commerce and e-commerce channels.

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As Kunal envisions it, his company isn’t just about selling oat milk—it’s about transforming how India consumes dairy alternatives. And with strong tailwinds in favor of health, sustainability, and conscious consumption, his second entrepreneurial venture might just end up redefining India’s plant-based market.

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Backed by Unilever Ventures: indē wild Secures $5 Million Funding, Reports Explosive 400% Revenue Growth — Set to Enter US Market via Sephora

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Backed by Unilever Ventures: indē wild Secures $5 Million Funding, Reports Explosive 400% Revenue Growth — Set to Enter US Market via Sephora

indē wild, a beauty brand founded by Diipa Büller-Khosla, has raised $5 million in a funding round led by Unilever Ventures, with continued support from its existing investors, SoGal Ventures and True, the company announced.

The new funding will fuel indē wild’s plans to strengthen its global footprint, particularly by deepening its existing partnership with Sephora in the UK and preparing for a highly anticipated launch with the beauty retailer in the US, the company shared.

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“Our community has always been at the heart of indē wild. The most influential brands today are built by listening, adapting, and co-creating with their audience. As we continue to evolve and grow globally, I’m incredibly excited to scale indē wild and redefine what it means to connect with our consumers in a meaningful way,” said Diipa Büller-Khosla, Founder of indē wild.

The brand has experienced remarkable growth since its launch, reportedly selling over one unit every minute within just 18 months of its exclusive debut on Nykaa in India and through its direct-to-consumer (D2C) platforms in the US and UK. The company also reported a 400% increase in revenue during this period.

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Expressing confidence in the partnership with Unilever Ventures, Oleg Büller-Khosla, CEO of indē wild, emphasized the impact of their involvement. “Unilever Ventures brings unparalleled expertise in the beauty sector. Their deep understanding of consumer needs, combined with their forward-thinking approach to clean beauty and scaling brands, will enable us to accelerate our growth in a rapidly changing market,” he said.

As part of this transition, Archit Vijoy, who served as the exclusive financial advisor for this funding round, has now officially joined indē wild as Finance Director, the company added.

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Swish Raises $14 Million in Series A to Scale Its 10-Minute Food Delivery Model Across Bengaluru

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Swish Raises $14 Million in Series A to Scale Its 10-Minute Food Delivery Model Across Bengaluru

Bengaluru, India: Rapid food delivery startup Swish has raised $14 million in a Series A funding round led by Hara Global and Accel, with participation from prominent investors like Kunal Shah (founder, CRED), Gaurav Munjal (founder, Unacademy), and Sumer Juneja (SoftBank).

This fresh funding boost comes less than six months after Swish secured $2 million in a seed round from Accel in November 2024. With a total capital raise of $16 million in under half a year, the Bengaluru-based company is now aggressively expanding its 10-minute food delivery service, aiming to cover new micro-markets across the city.

“We didn’t just set out to make food delivery faster — we wanted to reimagine it entirely,” said Aniket Shah, co-founder and CEO of Swish. “The insight was clear: if you can deliver restaurant-quality food in under 10 minutes without compromising on taste or freshness, you unlock a completely new level of customer delight. The results from our early markets have blown past our expectations, and we’re now scaling this model rapidly.”

Reinventing Food Delivery — One Micro-Market at a Time

Swish operates on a hyper-local cloud kitchen model designed specifically for 10-minute food delivery. Instead of tying up with restaurants like traditional delivery platforms, Swish owns and operates its own kitchens, allowing them to control everything — from food preparation to packaging and delivery. This closed-loop system significantly reduces preparation and transit times, enabling them to consistently deliver fresh meals in under 10 minutes.

The startup initially began by focusing on snacks and quick bites, but has since expanded its menu to include full meals, beverages, breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Customers can now order anything from butter chicken and biryani to cold coffee and samosas, and have it at their doorstep in minutes.

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This model has not only resulted in faster delivery times but has also helped Swish achieve better unit economics. Since the company controls its supply chain, operational costs are kept low, and order volumes per kitchen are significantly higher than traditional food delivery platforms.

The Business Model That Could Change Food Delivery in India

What sets Swish apart is its aggressive focus on micro-markets. Instead of setting up large centralized kitchens that cater to entire cities, Swish plants smaller cloud kitchens in dense residential or commercial clusters, allowing them to keep delivery radii under 2 kilometers. This is what makes the 10-minute delivery window possible.

According to industry insiders, this model could potentially unlock much higher profitability than traditional delivery platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, or Instamart, where delivery times often stretch beyond 30-40 minutes. By controlling its entire supply chain and drastically reducing delivery times, Swish is now positioning itself as a category-defining player in India’s $65 billion food delivery market.

“It’s not just about speed,” said Shah. “It’s about giving people restaurant-quality food without making them wait. Once you get them hooked to 10-minute deliveries, there’s no going back.”

Investors Are Betting Big on Speed

The aggressive funding momentum is a clear sign that investors believe in Swish’s model. With Accel leading both the seed and Series A rounds, and prominent names like Kunal Shah and Gaurav Munjal backing the company, Swish is quickly becoming one of the most-watched food delivery startups in India.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Swish is already seeing repeat order rates exceeding 60% in its initial micro-markets, with average delivery times dropping to 8.5 minutes — well below the industry average.

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“This is not just another food delivery company,” said a senior partner at Accel. “Swish is pioneering a delivery model that fundamentally changes how urban India eats. The economics of speed and scale are playing out very favorably in their case.”

With this new funding, Swish plans to expand its micro-kitchen network across Bengaluru before entering new cities like Hyderabad, Pune, and Delhi NCR later this year. If the company continues to hit its delivery time benchmarks and maintain solid unit economics, it may very well emerge as India’s first true 10-minute food delivery giant.

“Speed is addictive,” Shah said. “The moment you get a fresh, hot meal in 8 minutes, you stop accepting anything else. That’s the future we’re building.”

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The $12 Billion Opportunity: How Pinch Is Tapping Into India’s Growing Demand for Professional Home Management Services

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The $12 Billion Opportunity: How Pinch Is Tapping Into India’s Growing Demand for Professional Home Management Services

In the midst of the pandemic, when the world was grappling with new challenges, Nitin Srivastava and his wife Kushbu found themselves caught in a common modern-day struggle — managing daily household tasks amid back-to-back Zoom calls. With no domestic help available during lockdown, they often faced the same question every afternoon: What’s for lunch? This recurring pain point sparked the idea for Pinch, a business that has since evolved into a full-scale home concierge service designed to simplify life for urban families.

Initially conceived as a meal-kit delivery service, Pinch aimed to solve a pressing problem — providing easy-to-make, home-cooked meals for working couples. However, when Nitin’s co-founder and investor, Kiran, posed a simple but profound question — Can you do this for the next 20 years of your life? — it forced Nitin to think deeper about the business’s potential. Four weeks later, he had a clear answer: I want to help people live a better life. This moment of realization led to Pinch’s pivot from meal kits to a comprehensive home concierge service.

Building a Home Concierge Service in India

Pinch is built around a simple yet powerful idea — allowing families to outsource the stress of managing their homes. From grocery shopping and housekeeping to home repairs and personal errands, Pinch handles everything that traditionally eats up time and mental space for busy families. The core value proposition is simple: free up your time so you can spend it meaningfully.

The concept of a home concierge service is still nascent in India, largely because culturally, asking for help is often perceived as a sign of incompetence. “We realized that 70-80% of our market was people who wanted help but hesitated to ask for it because it felt like admitting failure,” says Nitin. Pinch aims to change that perception by institutionalizing home management — much like how urban Indians have now normalized food delivery or home cleaning services.

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What sets Pinch apart is its deeply personalized approach. “A home is a very intimate space. You can’t offer a standard service,” Nitin emphasizes. Pinch doesn’t just clean homes or do groceries — they curate experiences tailored to the needs and preferences of each household. From stocking the refrigerator with the family’s preferred brands to managing home repairs without the homeowner’s involvement, Pinch operates like a highly-efficient invisible hand that keeps homes running seamlessly.

Solving the Real Estate Transformation Problem

Interestingly, Nitin’s ability to solve large-scale operational challenges came from his previous role in a startup called Chaos. Tasked with driving real estate transformation, Nitin learned the art of managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects — an experience that has now become instrumental in scaling Pinch. Managing homes at scale requires a similar level of logistical precision, from coordinating with service providers to ensuring consistent quality across multiple locations.

Pinch currently operates in Delhi NCR and Mumbai with a remote model that services customers in other cities. While the market is still small, the demand is undeniable. Families increasingly value time over chores, and Pinch is positioning itself as the ultimate enabler of hassle-free living.

The business model is also designed for scalability. Rather than merely offering standalone services, Pinch is moving toward becoming a full-stack home management solution. The company aims to integrate everything — from grocery restocking to vendor management — into a single, seamless experience, allowing families to enjoy their homes without worrying about its upkeep.

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Nitin acknowledges the challenges ahead. “The day people tell me managing a home is easy, we’ll have no business left,” he jokes. But until then, Pinch is betting on one simple truth — everyone deserves to spend more meaningful time with their families, and less time managing their homes.

And as more urban families come around to the idea of home concierge services, Pinch is quietly building the infrastructure that could make it a household name.

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How Abhinav Sinhal Scaled ClassicGold Toothbrushes into a Multi-Crore Indian Dental Care Powerhouse

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How Abhinav Sinhal Scaled ClassicGold Toothbrushes into a Multi-Crore Indian Dental Care Powerhouse

In the fiercely competitive world of FMCG, where global giants like Colgate and Oral-B reign supreme, an Indian homegrown brand has not only survived but thrived—ClassicGold Toothbrushes. Founded in 1987 by Abhinav Sinhal’s father, the company emerged from humble beginnings, driven by necessity, ingenuity, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Humble Beginnings: From Dairy to Dental Care

The journey of ClassicGold Toothbrushes traces back to the 1970s when Abhinav Sinhal’s father and uncles migrated from Siliguri, West Bengal, in search of business opportunities. Their first venture? A centrifugal milk separator, used to extract cream from milk—a product they initially traded before venturing into manufacturing.

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For years, the business struggled to find its footing. Then, in 1981, an unexpected export order changed their fortunes, setting the stage for rapid expansion. By the mid-1980s, the family was looking beyond dairy and into consumer goods—leading to the birth of ClassicGold Toothbrushes in 1987.

The inspiration? Personal experience. Sinhal’s father, a habitual pan masala and betel leaf consumer, found locally made toothbrushes ineffective. Instead, he preferred imported brushes, particularly from Jordan. This realization sparked an idea: why not manufacture high-quality, Indian-made toothbrushes that could rival international brands?

The Advertisement That Changed Everything

Despite producing premium toothbrushes, ClassicGold struggled in its early years. In 1991, Sinhal’s father turned to Sanjeev Lamba, a marketing genius from Ogilvy, known for creating iconic ads like Fevicol’s “Zor Lagake Haisha.” Lamba asked a simple but powerful question: What makes ClassicGold Toothbrushes unique?

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The answer? Color. At a time when most toothbrushes were plain white, ClassicGold offered vibrant options in red, yellow, blue, and green—a simple but striking differentiation.

This insight led to the now-legendary advertisement featuring the catchy jingle: “Laal, Peela, Neela, Hara.” The ad struck a chord with Indian consumers, making ClassicGold a household name overnight. In some regions, the brand even outsold Colgate—a feat few Indian brands could boast.

Scaling New Heights: Diversification & Challenges

Between 1990 and 2000, ClassicGold Toothbrushes became a dominant player in India’s oral care market. The company expanded its product line to include shaving brushes, hairbrushes, sanitary napkins, socks, and nail clippers, all manufactured in-house.

By the early 2000s, ClassicGold was competing head-to-head with Colgate, Oral-B, and Sensodyne. However, internal family disputes led to a split in 2007, dividing the product lines among the brothers. Abhinav Sinhal took the reins of ClassicGold Toothbrushes, steering the company toward innovation and strategic growth.

A Legacy of Resilience and Innovation

Today, ClassicGold Toothbrushes stands as a testament to Indian entrepreneurship. Despite competition from multinational giants, it has retained its foothold in the market, proving that an Indian brand can stand tall against global players.

As Abhinav Sinhal continues to drive the company forward, one thing remains constant: the belief that an Indian brand, built on quality and innovation, can take on the world.

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Inside Fit & Flex: How Pathik Patel Built India’s Largest Cereal Plant & Cracked a ₹6,000 Crore Market

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Inside Fit & Flex: How Pathik Patel Built India’s Largest Cereal Plant & Cracked a ₹6,000 Crore Market

Fit & Flex is redefining the breakfast and snacking category in India with its innovative product line and state-of-the-art manufacturing. Founded in 2018-19 by Pathik Patel, the brand operates India’s largest cereal-making plant in Ahmedabad, producing high-quality granolas, mueslis, and protein-rich snacks.

Cutting-Edge Technology & Manufacturing Excellence

What sets Fit & Flex apart is its advanced, patented baking technology, sourced from Baker Perkins, a renowned UK-based company with over 150 years of expertise. This proprietary oven, stretching 21 meters, bakes products at 360 degrees, ensuring a low-moisture, high-crunch finish—critical for maintaining taste and freshness. With a capacity of 400 metric tons per month, the fully automated, human-touch-free production facility is BRC A-grade certified, US FDA-approved, and ISO 22000-compliant, meeting the highest global safety and quality standards.

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Overcoming Challenges & Expanding Reach

Launching in late 2019, Fit & Flex faced immediate hurdles due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed its nationwide rollout. Despite the setbacks, the brand strategically expanded its distribution to 22 cities and 14,000 outlets by mid-2022. Today, Fit & Flex products are available in over 6,000 retail stores across metro cities and leading modern trade chains such as D-Mart, Reliance Smart, and e-commerce platforms. Internationally, the brand has a strong presence in Dubai, with over 1,500 retail points and exports to 14 other countries.

A Growing Market & Changing Consumer Preferences

While India’s breakfast culture has traditionally favored hot meals like parathas and dosas, urban lifestyles and health consciousness are driving demand for convenient, nutritious alternatives. The Indian breakfast cereal market, valued at ₹2,200 crore in 2019, has now surpassed ₹6,000 crore, fueled by increasing awareness about healthy eating. A significant trend is the shift from sugary cornflakes to fiber-rich oats, mueslis, and granolas.

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Diversified Product Portfolio

Fit & Flex has built a robust portfolio with over 35 SKUs, categorized into:

  • Breakfast Cereals: Mueslis, granolas, and oats.
  • Snacking Options: Protein puffs, oat-based multigrain mixtures, and mini bites.

Beyond its own brand, Fit & Flex also engages in private label manufacturing for industry giants such as Carrefour (Middle East), Lulu, Tata Soulfulls, and Alpino. Negotiations with global players like Kellogg’s and Yoga Bar indicate a strong growth trajectory.

With a commitment to quality, innovation, and health-conscious offerings, Fit & Flex is not just competing in the market—it’s shaping the future of breakfast and snacking in India.

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