Luckin Coffee eyeing to enter Juice business in China

Cold-pressed juice start-up The Fresh Press has raised an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A funding round from Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund (GCCF), a fund floated by Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath and Abhijit Pai’s VC fund Gruhas in partnership with Collective Artists Network.

With this fundraise, the Mumbai-based startup is now a part of the first cohort of Gruhas Gusto, a six-month accelerator programme aimed at boosting early stage food-tech startups, shared the release.

The programme is backed by Gruhas, Jubilant Bhartia and DLF family offices as well as Anthill Ventures.

As per the release, the company will use the funds to expand into Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, while also targeting key regions like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi. 

“With the support of GCCF and Gusto Accelerators, we envision expanding our footprint nationwide, revolutionising the way people perceive and consume nutritious beverages. We anticipate that the current funding will definitely help in building a little bigger team since expansion is a major part of this fundraise. We aim to utilise it as effectively as possible and maximise results for smoother operations,” shared Dino Morea, Co-founder & Investor.

Founded by Mithil Lodha and Rahul Jain in 2018, Dino Morea came on board as both an investor and co-founder later.

The startup sells four fruit juices (mango, avocado, strawberry and fresh lime) in 350 ml bottles out of 36 stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bhopal.

It is also available in stores of Nature’s Basket, PVR Cinemas, Carnival Cinemas, Grovel, Biz Bazaar, FreshPik, Jio World Mall and Reliance Retails.

The start-up also aims to establish 1,000 quick-service restaurants across all the Indian cities. 

In the fresh juice category, the startup competes against the likes of Foodaholics, MyGreens, SapFresh and Raw Pressery, among others. 

“Our commitment to The Fresh Press reflects our support for the growing health consciousness among Indian consumers. As people become more mindful about what they eat, I want to support innovative home-grown entrepreneurs who are leading the charge in the health and consumer sectors. It’s time we take control of our own well-being and pay attention to our nutrition intake,” Kamath added.

RAW Pressery, one of the largest clean label food and beverage company has launched of its latest offering LIFE.

Created with a delicious blend of strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples and pineapples, LIFE offers great taste and a perfect measure of antioxidants.

“At RAW Pressery, we are committed to offering our consumers products that truly enhance their sense of well-being,” shared Anuj Rakyan, Founder and MD, RAW Pressery.

RAW Pressery has blended power foods with the energy-boosting, potassium-rich bananas that not only prevent high blood pressure but are also the perfect pre-workout food.

The smoothie is packed apples which are a rich source of fibre, flavonoids and of course, antioxidants. Topping off the extremely healthy combination are the delicious, tropical fruit pineapples containing large quantities of brome lain that aids in digestion besides relieving joint pain and giving you glowing, lustrous skin.

“LIFE is the perfect way to get one’s fill of antioxidants, keep ageing at bay and really adding more life and vitality to one’s daily existence. It’s an easy, refreshing and delicious way to stay in shape and in the pink of health,” added Rakyan.

The LIFE smoothie will also be available across the seven cities where RAW Pressery products are currently available. These include Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL) has launched their first branded retail product “AamRus” under the umbrella brand name of “Jain FarmFresh”.

‘AamRus’ is sweetened frozen mango pulp and a 100% natural product with no added colours, flavours or preservatives.

It can be enjoyed throughout the year in two delicious variants of Alphonso and Kesar. The product is rich in Vitamins A & C and has a shelf life of two years when stored at -18 degrees celsius.

‘AamRus’ has better taste and nutrient retention and is processed at the company’s internationally certified food plants.

The product is available in attractive and reusable packaging in food-grade polypropylene buckets (in two packaging sizes of 1 kg and 500 g) convenient for direct consumption or for use in recipes for milkshakes, lassis, aamrakhands and other mango desserts and dishes.

AamRus is currently available in Hypercity and Sahakaari Bhandaar Stores in Mumbai and is expected to be available across the trade segments in Greater Mumbai region shortly. The Company plans to expand to the rest of Maharashtra, Gujarat, M.P. and other States in Western and Northern India over the next six months.

Jain Irrigation’s Food Division, now being spun off into a subsidiary, Jain Farm Fresh Foods Ltd. (“JFFFL”), has been in the food processing business since 1994 making fruit pulps of mango, banana, guava, strawberry and dehydrated vegetables like onion, garlic, ginger. The Company is a world leader in supplying these products to global institutional customers like Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Nestle and Unilever.  The entry into the Indian retail market is a significant step towards capitalizing on the opportunity offered by the rapidly growing processed foods business in India.

‘AamRus’ is the first retail product out of the bouquet of retail products that the company proposes to launch in the processed fruits, vegetables and spices categories.

Gujarat based Manpasand Beverages has partnered with ice cream and food retailing major Havmor Ice Cream to expand its reach in urban areas.

Manpasand's flagship mango-based brand 'Mango Sip' and recently launched 'Fruits Up' brand will be made available at around 210 food outlets of Havmor spread across Gujarat, Mumbai and Punjab, said the company statement.

"This marks our first major foray to aggressively tap the urban markets. Both Manpasand and Havmor are Gujarat headquartered companies with a strong presence in the state. With our 'Fruits Up' brand, we plan to take head-on the global cola majors in urban markets," shared Dhirendra Singh, Chairman and MD, Manpasand Beverages.

The tie-up is a part of the company's strategy worth Rs 400 crore to expand its reach in the urban areas through Havmor's food outlets.

"We will consider further expanding our tie up with Havmor by making our juice brands available at their outlets in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and rest of Maharashtra in the future," added Singh.

This tie up covers 164 outlets of Havmor in Gujarat, 28 outlets in Mumbai and 17 in Punjab.

Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages aims to start mango juice business in partnership with Jain Irrigation after success of mango farming initiative 'Unnati' launched in 2011.

Both the partners plan to invest Rs 50 crore over the next 10 years to boost mango production by using the Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP) technology with the involvement of about 25,000 farmers in an area of 50000 acre.

Speaking on the new deal, T Krishnakumar, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCCBPL), said, " We will result in creation of an ecosystem that delivers higher growth and income for farmers and helps us streamline supply chain and enhance productivity for our Indian brands Maaza and Minute Maid Mango."

The second phase of ‘Unnati’ will be carried out extensively with farmers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The initiative will focus on the 'Totapuri' variety of the mango, which is mainly used to produce packaged mango juice.

Atul Jain, Joint MD, Jain Irrigation Systems, said, "UHDP is commonly practised for mango cultivation worldwide and combined with other sustainable agricultural techniques has the potential to yield upward of 200 percent more produce than the traditional method.”

The company also plans to extend the initiative to other fruits as well in the coming years.