In Startup50 2017: The company was selected for creating a whole new FMCG category with its health bars and for scaling up its retail presence and touching Rs. 1 crore in monthly revenue run rate last quarter.

Founders: Anindita Sampath and Suhasini Sampath                       

People’s snacking habits are clearly very unhealthy in today’s world. To add to this is the plethora of products available in the market that are not very transparent when it comes to its ingredients, most of which are not natural. This not only adds to the rising population of people with diseases like diabetes but also adds to lifestyle related issues like obesity.

With an aim of changing the snacking habits of people, Yoga Bar was incorporated in 2015 by the Sampath sisters as a company that makes energy snack bar from natural ingredients. The very philosophy of their brand of bars is that it is made out of natural ingredients and is very healthy.  Since the time it was set up, the company has seen steady growth in its numbers and has a presence in almost 800 stores across India.  The company has touched Rs. 1 crore in monthly revenue run rate last quarter.

The ingredient matters

For Yoga Bar, its ingredients are its main strength. Its snack bars have whole grains and complex carbs, seeds, nuts and protein boost while its protein bars have complete protein, probiotic fiber, omega 3S and healthy fats. They offer health benefits and are completely natural with no additives or preservatives, which is the company’s main differentiator when compared to other brands in the market.  It sources its raw materials from farmers across the country. It has worked for over a year to set up the supply chain.

Changing habits

Its customers are in the group 25 years to 40 years and are those who are trying switch from eating chocolates to something healthy.  Yoga Bar does not spend much on advertising and is largely dependent on word-of-mouth marketing. It has gradually made an entry into social media marketing over the last few months. The company plans to have a whole host of product lines targeted specifically at the Indian population and aims to be the go-to company for people wanting to snack healthy. 

Quick Facts

• Received Smart Snack approval from US FDA and safe for consumption of school children
• Sponsor bars for Feeding India and Robin hood army

10 crores : Investment in two tranches in 2016 and 2017 from Firseside ventures, R. Ramraj (ex-CEO of Sify), Lakshmi Narayan (ex-CEO of Cognizant), Ashok Dhingra (ex-CEO of Perfetti), Kanwaljit Singh (ex-Helion)

800 – Number of stores present

1 crore – Monthly revenue run rate last quarter