Hyderabad-based superfood brand Nourish You has raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by Y Janardhana Rao of Triumph Group, Rohit Chennamaneni (Co-founder, Darwinbox), Nikhil Kamath (Co-founder, Zerodha), Abhijeet Pai (Co-founder, Gruhas Proptech), Abhinay Bollineni (CEO, KIMS), and others.
The startup plans to use the raised capital to double its focus on research and development of new products, branding, marketing, and hiring new talent for the company’s growth.
Founded in 2015 by Sowmya Reddy, Krishna Reddy, and Rakesh Kilaru, Nourish You retails its brand of quinoa, chia, millets, edible seeds, and breakfast cereals across online marketplaces and ecommerce platforms.
The brand also exports its products to countries including Nepal, Singapore, Kenya, Dubai, Mongolia, and Maldives.
“Having personally experienced the benefits of quinoa and chia- we launched Nourish You to introduce Superfoods to Indian consumers. As India’s foremost Superfood brand, we are confident of driving the category’s growth in a sustainable manner. The fundraise will help us expand our team, distribution channels and increase our investment in R&D. It will accelerate growth and cement our position as a preferred brand for Superfoods in India,” said Rakesh Kilaru, co-founder and CEO, Nourish You.
Commenting on the investment, Rohit Chennamaneni, co-founder of Darwinbox, said, “Even though I have been using Nourish You products for more than 5 years, it’s only now I got to understand the fascinating story of Rakesh and his team bringing Quinoa and Chia to India way back in 2013. From getting the mother seed and government approvals to field trials across India and finally large-scale cultivation of Quinoa and Chia, as a category-creating brand, Nourish You’s proposition of homegrown chia and quinoa seeds is attractive.”
