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GlobalBees Raises Stake in Candes to 92 Percent, Strengthens Electronics Play Amid Rising Costs at Brainbees

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GlobalBees Brands has increased its ownership in Candes Technology to 92 percent following the acquisition of an additional 30 percent stake, reinforcing its strategic push into the consumer electronics segment. The transaction, executed as a cash deal at ₹37,250 per share, was completed on March 31, 2026, and elevates GlobalBees’ holding from 62 percent to a near complete controlling stake. The move is aimed at strengthening its position within the fast growing electronics and appliances category, where Candes operates across products such as electrical equipment and audio visual goods.

The acquisition signals GlobalBees’ continued focus on building a diversified portfolio of digital first brands by increasing ownership in high potential categories. By consolidating its stake in Candes, the company gains greater operational control and flexibility to scale the business, streamline decision making, and drive synergies across its broader ecosystem. The company also clarified that the transaction does not qualify as a related party deal and did not require any regulatory approvals, indicating a straightforward execution process.

Parent entity Brainbees Solutions, which operates the FirstCry platform, continues to invest in expansion initiatives, although this has impacted its near term profitability. In the third quarter of FY26, Brainbees reported a significant increase in net loss to ₹38 crore, compared to ₹14.7 crore in the same period last year. The rise in losses has been attributed primarily to higher spending associated with scaling its rapid delivery capabilities and broader operational expansion.

Despite the increase in losses, the company reported steady growth in its top line. Operating revenue rose by 11.6 percent year on year to ₹2,423 crore in the December quarter, up from ₹2,172 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. However, this growth was accompanied by a 12.7 percent increase in expenses, which climbed to ₹2,327 crore, reflecting the cost pressures associated with expansion and infrastructure investments.

The latest stake increase in Candes comes at a time when GlobalBees is actively strengthening its presence across multiple consumer categories, particularly those with strong online demand and scalability potential. Electronics and appliances represent a key growth area within India’s ecommerce landscape, driven by increasing digital adoption, rising disposable incomes, and demand for affordable, branded products.

Overall, the transaction underscores GlobalBees’ strategy of deepening its investments in select portfolio brands while building category leadership through higher ownership and operational integration. At the same time, Brainbees’ financial performance highlights the trade off between growth and profitability, as the company continues to invest aggressively in expanding its ecosystem and enhancing customer experience.

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Blinkit Enters Mumbai Airport with In-Terminal Delivery, Expands Quick Commerce Footprint

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Blinkit has introduced its services at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, marking a notable expansion of quick commerce into airport infrastructure. The service is currently available at Terminal 2 for domestic departures, allowing passengers to order essential items such as phone chargers, books, and gifts directly through the Blinkit app and receive them within the terminal before boarding. The initiative has been rolled out in partnership with Adani Airports, which manages the airport, and represents a new use case for rapid delivery models in high traffic transit environments.

The service operates through a dedicated team stationed within the terminal, ensuring that orders are fulfilled and delivered to designated pick up points without requiring passengers to exit or navigate traditional retail outlets. This “in terminal” logistics model is being positioned as a first of its kind globally, highlighting how quick commerce platforms are evolving beyond residential delivery into on demand consumption zones such as airports. By offering access to over 2,500 products, Blinkit is aiming to address last minute travel needs, enhancing convenience for passengers who may have forgotten essentials or prefer not to carry certain items.

From a strategic perspective, the move aligns with Blinkit’s broader ambition to expand its presence across high density, high urgency environments where speed and accessibility are critical. Airports represent a unique opportunity in this context, given the time sensitivity of passengers and the premium placed on convenience. By embedding its service within the airport ecosystem, Blinkit is effectively extending its value proposition beyond everyday grocery and essentials delivery into travel related consumption.

The launch also comes amid the company’s aggressive expansion of its dark store network, which forms the backbone of its quick commerce operations. Blinkit is targeting a scale up to around 3,000 micro warehouses by March 2027, compared to approximately 2,027 stores as of the end of December. This infrastructure growth is expected to support faster delivery timelines, wider assortment availability, and entry into new micro markets, reinforcing its leadership position in the segment.

In terms of market dynamics, Blinkit continues to maintain a dominant position within India’s quick commerce space, with an estimated market share exceeding 50 percent. It competes with players such as Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, BB Now, and Flipkart Minutes. The airport expansion could serve as a differentiator, allowing Blinkit to tap into a new consumption context that remains largely untapped by competitors.

The development follows recent organizational changes at parent company Eternal, where founder Deepinder Goyal stepped down as managing director and chief executive officer. Leadership transitioned to Albinder Dhindsa, who continues to oversee the quick commerce business. Notably, Blinkit’s net order value has now surpassed that of the group’s food delivery segment, indicating the increasing importance of quick commerce within the overall business portfolio.

Overall, Blinkit’s entry into Mumbai Airport reflects the ongoing evolution of quick commerce from a convenience driven urban service to a broader on demand infrastructure layer. By integrating with travel hubs and expanding its operational network, the company is positioning itself to capture new consumption occasions while reinforcing its leadership in a rapidly growing and competitive market.

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Unilever in Advanced Talks to Merge Food Business with McCormick in $60 Billion Deal

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Unilever is reportedly nearing the final stages of a major strategic transaction that would combine parts of its food business with McCormick & Company, potentially creating a new entity valued at approximately $60 billion. According to reports, the proposed deal is expected to be structured as a combination of cash and stock, reflecting a balanced approach to valuation and ownership between the two companies. Under the anticipated structure, Unilever shareholders are likely to hold around two thirds of the merged food business, indicating that the Anglo Dutch consumer goods giant would retain a controlling stake in the combined entity.

The transaction is also expected to include a substantial cash component, estimated at करीब $16 billion, which would form part of the overall consideration alongside equity participation. While official confirmation is still awaited, sources suggest that the announcement could come imminently, signaling one of the most significant consolidation moves in the global food and packaged goods sector in recent years. If completed, the deal would bring together complementary portfolios, combining Unilever’s extensive range of packaged food brands with McCormick’s strong positioning in spices, seasonings, and flavor solutions.

From a strategic standpoint, the potential merger reflects a broader shift within the consumer goods industry, where companies are increasingly focusing on scale, efficiency, and category leadership to navigate evolving consumer preferences and competitive pressures. For Unilever, this move could represent a step toward streamlining its portfolio and sharpening its focus on high growth and high margin segments, while still maintaining a strong presence in the food category through a more specialized and consolidated structure. For McCormick, the transaction would provide access to a wider global distribution network and a more diversified product base, enhancing its ability to compete across multiple food categories.

The combined entity is expected to benefit from significant synergies, including cost efficiencies, supply chain optimization, and enhanced innovation capabilities. By integrating operations and leveraging shared expertise, the new organization could strengthen its market position and accelerate product development in areas such as ready to eat meals, condiments, and flavor solutions. Additionally, the scale of the combined business would likely improve bargaining power with suppliers and retailers, further supporting margin expansion over time.

This potential deal also underscores the ongoing consolidation trend within the global food industry, where companies are seeking to build larger, more resilient platforms capable of adapting to changing consumption patterns. With increasing demand for convenience, health conscious products, and premium offerings, scale and brand strength have become critical differentiators. A merger of this magnitude would not only reshape the competitive landscape but also set a benchmark for future transactions in the sector.

While details regarding regulatory approvals and integration timelines remain unclear, the proposed combination of Unilever’s food portfolio with McCormick represents a significant strategic development with far reaching implications. If successfully executed, the deal could create a formidable player in the global food market, combining heritage brands, operational expertise, and innovation capabilities under a unified structure designed to drive long term growth and shareholder value.

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Apis India Expands Snacking Portfolio with Masala Dates, Eyes Strong B2C Growth Momentum

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Apis India is sharpening its focus on the packaged snacking segment with the launch of masala dates, as the company looks to accelerate its direct to consumer business and deepen its presence across retail channels. The Delhi headquartered FMCG player, which has reported trailing twelve month revenue of करीब ₹385 crore, has invested approximately ₹1.5 crore to set up a dedicated production line for spiced date snacks at its Roorkee facility. This move reflects a strategic push to diversify beyond its core categories while tapping into the growing demand for affordable, on the go snack options among Indian consumers.

The newly launched masala dates are being introduced in multiple flavour variants at an entry price point of ₹20, positioning the product firmly within the impulse purchase category. The company is targeting widespread availability across general trade, modern retail, and quick commerce platforms, ensuring high visibility and accessibility. By aligning pricing with mass consumption patterns and focusing on flavour innovation, Apis India is aiming to carve out a niche within the competitive snacking space, which continues to see strong growth driven by changing consumption habits and increasing urbanisation.

A key pillar of this launch is the company’s distribution strength, which management identifies as a significant competitive advantage. Apis India currently operates an extensive network comprising over 500 super stockists, more than 2,000 distributors, and access to nearly 2.5 lakh retail outlets across the country. In addition to traditional retail channels, the brand has established a presence on modern trade platforms and quick commerce networks such as Reliance Retail, Zepto, and Blinkit. This multi channel approach is expected to support rapid scale up and ensure strong market penetration for the new product line.

Alongside its entry into snacking, the company is also investing in strengthening its manufacturing capabilities. Apis India has received subsidy approval of around ₹1.65 crore from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana scheme. This support is being directed toward setting up a fruit and vegetable processing unit in Roorkee, with a total project cost of approximately ₹4.9 crore and a planned production capacity of 2,400 metric tonnes per annum. These investments indicate a broader strategy to enhance processing capabilities and support future product diversification.

Geographically, the company continues to expand its operational footprint, including scaling activities in Gujarat while maintaining an established manufacturing and distribution base in Dubai. Through its international operations, Apis India exports to nearly 40 countries, primarily through business to business channels, reinforcing its presence in global markets. This dual focus on domestic expansion and international outreach positions the company to capture opportunities across both segments.

Despite its diversification into snacking, honey remains the cornerstone of Apis India’s business. The company reported an 18 percent volume growth in its honey segment until December 2025 and is targeting around 25 percent growth for the full financial year. It sources honey from multiple regions across India, including जम्मू and कश्मीर, पंजाब, हरियाणा, मध्य प्रदेश, उत्तर प्रदेश, बिहार, and पश्चिम बंगाल, ensuring supply consistency and product quality.

Looking ahead, Apis India is aiming to double its B2C business over the next two years, driven by new product introductions, continued expansion of its distribution network, and increasing consumption in tier two and tier three markets. With a combination of product innovation, strong distribution infrastructure, and targeted investments in manufacturing, the company is positioning itself to capture a larger share of India’s evolving FMCG and snacking landscape while strengthening its consumer facing business.

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Epik Secures $1 Million to Scale Try Before You Buy Electronics Model in Quick Commerce

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Epik has raised $1 million in a pre seed funding round led by Info Edge Ventures, with participation from a group of angel investors including Anirudh Prasad, Bhaskar Raju K, Deepak K Gowda, Vine Jain, and Vedang Patel. The funding marks an early validation of the company’s differentiated approach to electronics retail, which combines the speed of quick commerce with a hands on, in home product experience. Founded by Gotama Gowda, Varun Chopra, and Harsha Reddy, the startup is attempting to address one of the most persistent challenges in online electronics purchasing, the lack of physical interaction with products prior to purchase.

Epik’s core offering enables customers to request a product demonstration at home, with trained personnel delivering and showcasing devices within approximately 60 minutes. This allows users to compare multiple products, understand features in real time, and make informed purchase decisions before committing. The model is particularly relevant for higher value electronics, typically priced above ₹5,000, where consumers tend to spend significant time researching and often face dissatisfaction post purchase. Industry estimates suggest return rates in this category can range between 15 percent and 25 percent, largely driven by a mismatch between expectations and actual product experience. By enabling a tactile, in person interaction, Epik aims to reduce such friction and build greater consumer confidence.

The company plans to deploy the newly raised capital toward expanding its fulfilment infrastructure, enhancing its product catalogue, and scaling its network of trained demo personnel across additional urban markets. Currently operational in Bengaluru since its launch in October 2025, Epik claims to have witnessed rapid traction, reporting nearly 20 fold growth since inception while maintaining zero product returns on completed purchases. This early performance indicates strong consumer acceptance of the model, particularly in a category where trust and experience play a critical role in decision making.

Epik’s platform features a range of well known global brands including Samsung, Philips, Dyson, and Apple, positioning it as a premium yet accessible solution for electronics discovery and purchase. By combining curated product selection with a high touch service model, the company is attempting to bridge the gap between offline retail experience and online convenience.

The broader context for Epik’s growth lies in the rapid evolution of India’s quick commerce ecosystem, which has expanded beyond groceries and daily essentials into higher value categories. While speed and convenience have become baseline expectations, categories such as electronics continue to demand a higher degree of engagement, trust, and product understanding. According to industry data, India’s electronics market is estimated to be around $90 billion, with online penetration varying between 15 percent and 40 percent depending on the segment. This creates a significant opportunity for hybrid models that can enhance the online buying experience without compromising on product familiarity.

Investors also view Epik’s proposition as timely, given the increasing need to solve for consumer hesitation in digital purchases. The ability to experience products physically before buying, combined with rapid fulfilment, aligns well with shifting consumer expectations. As the company scales its operations and expands into new cities, its ability to maintain service quality and operational efficiency will be key to sustaining growth.

Overall, Epik’s funding round highlights growing interest in innovative commerce models that go beyond traditional delivery paradigms. By integrating experience driven retail with the speed of quick commerce, the startup is positioning itself to redefine how consumers approach high value electronics purchases in India.

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BlaBliBlu Scales Rapidly to ₹100 Crore Run Rate, Targets Affordable Luxury Fragrance Segment

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Emerging fragrance startup BlaBliBlu has reported a sharp early growth trajectory, achieving an annual revenue run rate of ₹100 crore within just six months of launch. The company is currently clocking around ₹8 crore in monthly revenue, reflecting strong consumer traction in the affordable luxury segment. Founded by Palash Arneja along with Rajat, Kushal, and Durgesh, the brand is positioning itself at the intersection of premium product quality and accessible pricing, with most of its perfume offerings priced below ₹1,000. This pricing strategy is aimed at capturing demand from young, value conscious consumers who are increasingly seeking premium experiences without a high price barrier.

At the core of BlaBliBlu’s product proposition is a relatively high fragrance oil concentration of around 25 percent, which the company claims enhances longevity and overall performance, bringing it closer to premium category benchmarks. By focusing on formulation quality while maintaining competitive pricing, the brand is attempting to differentiate itself in a crowded and highly competitive fragrance market. This approach is complemented by a strong product led growth strategy that prioritizes trial and discovery as key drivers of customer acquisition.

A significant contributor to the company’s early scale has been its use of affordable trial packs, typically priced at around ₹399, which allow consumers to experience multiple variants before committing to a full sized purchase. This model not only lowers the entry barrier for first time buyers but also helps improve conversion rates by enabling informed decision making. In addition, it supports more efficient customer acquisition by reducing hesitation and aligning expectations with actual product experience. The brand has also built an active consumer feedback loop, engaging with approximately 3,000 to 4,000 users to refine its product offerings and better align with evolving fragrance preferences. This continuous feedback driven approach allows the company to iterate quickly and stay relevant in a category where personal taste and trends play a significant role.

According to Palash Arneja, reaching a ₹100 crore run rate within such a short time frame indicates a clear market opportunity for high quality yet affordable fragrances in India. The brand’s performance reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior, where aspirational categories such as perfumes are witnessing increased demand from younger demographics, particularly in urban and semi urban markets. With rising disposable incomes and greater exposure to global trends, consumers are becoming more experimental and brand conscious, creating space for new age players like BlaBliBlu to disrupt traditional pricing and positioning models.

Looking ahead, the company is planning to expand its portfolio beyond core perfume offerings into niche fragrance segments as well as adjacent product categories. These include body washes, roll ons, and car fragrances, indicating a strategy to evolve into a broader fragrance led personal care brand. By extending its presence across multiple use cases and touchpoints, BlaBliBlu aims to increase customer lifetime value while strengthening brand recall.

Overall, BlaBliBlu’s rapid scale underscores the effectiveness of combining accessible pricing, product quality, and consumer centric innovation. As the company continues to invest in product development and category expansion, its ability to sustain growth while maintaining brand differentiation will be critical in building a long term presence within India’s evolving fragrance and personal care market.

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MARS Cosmetics Expands Offline Presence with 50 Kiosks, Strengthens Mall Focused Retail Strategy

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MARS Cosmetics has achieved a key milestone in its offline expansion journey, scaling its retail footprint to 50 kiosks across India as it deepens its presence in high footfall mall environments. The latest addition at Bhartiya Mall further reinforces the brand’s focus on premium, high traffic locations, complementing its existing presence across prominent retail destinations such as Lulu Group malls, Phoenix Mills properties, Inorbit Malls, and Pacific Malls. This expansion reflects a deliberate strategy to build stronger consumer visibility and engagement by positioning the brand at key urban shopping hubs.

The kiosk led model has emerged as a central pillar of MARS Cosmetics’ retail approach, enabling the brand to create compact yet high impact touchpoints that drive product discovery and trial. In a category such as beauty and cosmetics, where tactile experience and visual appeal play a critical role in purchase decisions, these kiosks offer consumers the opportunity to interact directly with products before making a purchase. This experiential format is particularly effective in attracting impulse buyers and first time users, while also reinforcing brand recall in a competitive marketplace.

MARS Cosmetics has built its positioning around affordability combined with trend driven innovation, allowing it to resonate strongly with value conscious consumers, particularly younger demographics. By offering products that align with current beauty trends at accessible price points, the brand has been able to carve out a distinct space within the mass premium segment. The offline kiosk expansion complements its broader omnichannel strategy, bridging the gap between digital discovery and physical experience.

According to Rishabh Sethia, reaching the 50 kiosk milestone is not only a reflection of scale but also a validation of the brand’s approach to meeting consumers where they are. The emphasis on mall led retail ensures consistent footfall, enabling the brand to engage directly with its target audience in environments that encourage browsing and experimentation. This approach also allows for more agile expansion compared to traditional store formats, as kiosks typically require lower investment and can be deployed quickly across multiple locations.

The broader trend of kiosk based retail is gaining traction across categories, particularly in segments like beauty, accessories, and quick service products, where customer engagement and convenience are key drivers. For MARS Cosmetics, this model supports both rapid expansion and deeper consumer interaction, helping the brand build loyalty while maintaining cost efficiency.

As the company continues to expand its offline presence, the focus is likely to remain on strategic locations that offer high visibility and strong consumer traffic. By combining affordability, trend relevance, and experiential retail, MARS Cosmetics is positioning itself to strengthen its foothold in India’s evolving beauty market while creating a more direct and engaging connection with its customers.

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The Hazelnut Factory Crosses ₹100 Crore Revenue Mark, Expands Café Mithai Concept Across India

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The Hazelnut Factory has surpassed the ₹100 crore revenue milestone, marking a significant achievement within seven years of its inception and reinforcing its growing presence in India’s organised food and beverage space. Founded in 2019 by Ankit Sahni, the brand has carved out a differentiated niche by combining specialty coffee with premium mithai in a modern café format. What began as a single outlet in Lucknow has now expanded into a network of 18 stores across 10 cities, supported by a workforce of over 1,000 employees, highlighting the company’s rapid scale and operational growth.

The brand’s expansion has been driven by a clear focus on premiumisation, product innovation, and an experience led retail approach that resonates with evolving consumer preferences. By reimagining traditional Indian mithai within a contemporary café setting, The Hazelnut Factory has successfully tapped into a segment of consumers seeking both familiarity and novelty in their dining experiences. This hybrid positioning has allowed the brand to stand out in a competitive market, where differentiation is increasingly driven by experience, ambience, and product quality rather than just pricing.

In FY26, the company recorded approximately 85 percent growth, reflecting strong same store performance as well as the contribution from new outlets. This growth trajectory underscores increasing consumer acceptance of organised and branded mithai formats, particularly in urban markets where demand for premium and hygienic offerings continues to rise. The café format further enhances customer engagement by encouraging longer dwell times and higher average order values, combining indulgence with a social experience.

Looking ahead, The Hazelnut Factory is preparing for its next phase of expansion, with plans to open 12 to 15 new outlets over the coming year. This rollout is expected to support a targeted revenue growth of around 70 percent, indicating continued confidence in market demand and scalability of the business model. The expansion strategy is likely to focus on strengthening presence in existing markets while selectively entering new cities with strong consumption potential.

To support this growth, the company is also investing in strengthening its backend capabilities, including supply chain integration, production infrastructure, and operational systems. These investments are aimed at ensuring consistency in product quality and service standards as the brand scales, while also improving efficiency and cost management. Building a robust backend is particularly critical in the food and beverage sector, where maintaining uniformity across multiple locations is essential for sustaining brand trust.

According to Ankit Sahni, the ₹100 crore milestone reflects the effectiveness of the company’s approach, which is built on delivering quality, consistency, and a distinctive customer experience. Co founder Badal Sahni emphasized that the brand remains committed to redefining traditional mithai for modern consumers while building a future ready organisation capable of sustained growth.

Overall, The Hazelnut Factory’s journey highlights a broader shift within India’s food and beverage landscape, where traditional categories are being reinvented through contemporary formats and premium positioning. By blending cultural familiarity with modern retail experiences, the brand is well positioned to capture the growing demand for organised, experience driven dining while continuing to expand its footprint across the country.

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Ochre Spirits Expands Gin Portfolio, Targets ₹145 Crore Revenue with Pan India Growth Push

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Ochre Spirits is strengthening its premium portfolio with the launch of two new gin variants, Original Dry Gin and Plum Citron Gin, as it accelerates its expansion strategy and targets ₹145 crore in revenue over the next three years. The Goa based craft spirits player, which already has a presence in markets such as Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Puducherry, is now preparing for a broader national rollout, with plans to expand into seven states and 34 cities in the coming fiscal year. This move reflects the company’s intent to capitalize on the growing consumer shift toward premium and craft alcoholic beverages in India.

The newly introduced products are positioned to cater to distinct consumer segments within the evolving gin category. The Original Dry Gin, with its classic botanical profile, is aimed at consumers seeking a more traditional and refined gin experience, while the Plum Citron Gin offers a fruit forward flavour designed to appeal to younger, experimental audiences. Both variants are bottled at 40 percent ABV and are aligned with global quality benchmarks, reinforcing the brand’s premium positioning. Through these launches, Ochre Spirits is looking to deepen its engagement within both on trade channels such as bars and restaurants as well as modern retail environments where premium spirits are gaining traction.

The company’s revised revenue target of ₹145 crore, up from an earlier projection of ₹100 crore, underscores the strong momentum within the craft spirits segment. According to founder John Royerr, the category is witnessing a shift from initial experimentation to more consistent consumer preference, with buyers increasingly opting for differentiated and high quality offerings. This transition is being driven by changing consumption patterns, rising disposable incomes, and greater exposure to global drinking trends, particularly among urban consumers.

Ochre Spirits’ broader portfolio already includes products in the rum and vodka categories, allowing it to build a diversified presence within the premium spirits space. The addition of gin further strengthens its offering and enables the brand to participate in one of the fastest growing segments within the alcohol industry. In recent years, gin has seen a resurgence in India, supported by the rise of craft distilleries and increasing demand for artisanal, flavour driven beverages.

The company’s expansion strategy is focused on scaling distribution and ensuring availability in markets where demand for premium spirits is growing. By entering new states and cities, Ochre Spirits aims to build stronger brand visibility and capture a larger share of the organised alcohol market. This approach also involves strengthening partnerships with on trade establishments and modern retail platforms, which play a crucial role in driving product discovery and consumer trial in the premium segment.

Overall, Ochre Spirits’ latest product launches and expansion plans highlight its ambition to emerge as a significant player in India’s craft spirits landscape. By combining product innovation with a focused distribution strategy, the company is positioning itself to leverage the ongoing premiumisation trend while building a scalable and future ready business in the evolving alcoholic beverages market.

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Swiggy Partners Sarvam AI to Launch India’s First Voice-First Commerce Engine

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In a major step toward redefining digital commerce in India, Swiggy has partnered with Sarvam AI to introduce a multilingual, voice-led shopping experience across its platforms, including food delivery, Instamart, and Dineout. The collaboration marks a shift from traditional app-based navigation to conversational commerce, designed to make online ordering more accessible to millions of users across the country.

At the core of this partnership is the idea of breaking the long-standing “English-first” barrier in Indian digital platforms. While internet penetration and digital payments have grown rapidly, a large segment of users still finds text-heavy, English-centric interfaces difficult to navigate. By enabling voice-based interactions in multiple Indian languages, Swiggy aims to onboard the next wave of users who are more comfortable speaking than typing.

One of the most notable innovations is the introduction of phone call-based ordering. Users can now place orders simply by making a call—without needing a smartphone app or even internet access. This feature has the potential to unlock commerce for users in low-connectivity areas and for those with limited digital literacy, effectively bridging a critical gap in India’s digital ecosystem.

In addition, Swiggy is integrating its services with “Indus,” Sarvam AI’s conversational chat platform. This allows users to complete the entire shopping journey—from discovery to payment—within a single chat interface. Whether searching for a dish, comparing options, or placing an order, the process becomes more intuitive and conversational, closely mimicking real-world interactions.

The technology powering this system is built specifically for India’s linguistic diversity. Sarvam AI’s models support 11 languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi, and are optimized for mixed-language usage such as Hinglish. This ensures that the AI can understand not just words, but context, accents, and regional nuances—an essential requirement for scaling voice commerce in India.

To complete the transaction loop, Swiggy has partnered with Razorpay to enable agent-driven payments. This allows the AI assistant to handle UPI transactions within the conversation itself, removing the need for users to switch between apps and simplifying the checkout process.

The strategic importance of this move lies in the massive untapped market. While India has hundreds of millions of internet and UPI users, only a fraction actively engages in e-commerce. Voice-led interfaces could significantly lower entry barriers, making digital services more inclusive and expanding the overall user base.

For Swiggy, this initiative signals a transition from being a convenience platform to becoming a technology-driven ecosystem focused on accessibility and scale. For Sarvam AI, it represents a real-world deployment of “sovereign AI”—technology built specifically for India’s unique linguistic and cultural landscape.

As voice interfaces become more sophisticated, the future of commerce may shift away from screens altogether. Swiggy’s early bet on voice-first interaction positions it at the forefront of this transformation, where ordering food or groceries could soon be as simple as having a conversation.

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