?Moon of Taj, Taiwanese Sweets opens its doors in New Delhi

Healthy Mithai Co., the top sugar-free mithai brand in India has announced Mandira Bedi as its official Brand Ambassador. Bedi is an actor, fitness fanatic, and businesswoman. A strategic venture firm based in Singapore that assists early-stage Indian entrepreneurs in scaling from Seed to Series A, BeyondSeed spearheaded this collaboration using its BeyondInfluence platform, a major brand-building project. 

Respected for her dedication to health and living a genuine life, Mandira Bedi joined forces with Healthy Mithai Co. to promote a sincere goal of bringing joy back to indulgence without guilt, sugar, or a loss of connection to the traditional essence of mithai. Food is never just food in India. It's a nice moment spent with loved ones, a celebration, and a memory. However, those lovely moments are more frequently accompanied by hesitancy and fear for the 10 crore Indians who have diabetes and the additional 25 crore who are pre-diabetic.

To change that, Healthy Mithai Co. was established. The company makes mithai that is completely sugar-free, low on the glycemic index, and full of traditional flavor using solely plant-based stevia. Prabhinder Singh and co-founder Deepak Jain, this is more than just a business; it's a personal mission to bring joy back to people who had to give up their favorite sweets for their health.

Mandira Bedi resonated with this cause deeply, "To me, fitness is not merely about the body, it's about balance," she states. "I used to celebrate with laddoos and pedas during childhood, but later on, the time came for tough decisions. Healthy Mithai Co. is filling that emotional void for all of us who wish to celebrate without sacrifice. I'm honored to be a part of something so meaningfully delicious."

In addition, Healthy Mithai Co. has clear goals for the future. With a target revenue of ₹125 crore by the fiscal year 2027–2028, the company hopes to rank among the top three sugar-free alternative brands in India. Its strong omnichannel presence—which includes partnerships with Nature Basket, Kokilaben Hospital, and other Aplus GT stores in Mumbai—is what propels its growth. Its website and popular online marketplaces account for half of its revenue, with the other half coming from offline touchpoints like kiosks. Celebrating health is always accessible because to the brand's 24-hour delivery service in key cities.

This collaboration was made possible through BeyondInfluence, a new platform that enables purpose driven startups to connect with voices that actually believe in their journey.  “We started BeyondInfluence because we believe in creating partnerships that go beyond marketing—they’re built on meaning” states Fiza Malhotra, CMO at BeyondSeed. "Mandira and Healthy Mithai Co. align on values that are deeply centered on wellness, impact, and trust. This partnership exemplifies these aligned values and serves as a catalyst for high-impact growth."

For Healthy Mithai Co., this is not a marketing campaign, it's a movement. "We're not here to sell sweets, explains Prabhinder Singh, Founder, Healthy Mithai Co. "We're here to change daily habits. And habits are not changed by data alone. Habits change when people feel something. With Mandira joining our journey, we are not only adding an ambassador, but we are also adding a partner who resonates with this mission deeply too."
 

Saffron & Mishri, a premium artisanal mithai brand, makes its grand debut in Mumbai with the launch of two stores and cafes in Mahalakshmi and Powai. 

The brand aims to create real mithais using the best ingredients and time-honored artisanal recipes in an effort to restore pride in Indian mithais and make them a popular dessert choice. Saffron & Mishri, a passion project of founder and artist Gunjan Shrivastava, was started with the straightforward goal of assisting people in rediscovering their souls via the tastes, textures, and tales of Indian mithais. You are now invited to rediscover the essence of mithai, where tradition and soul meet in every meal, at the recently opened Saffron & Mishri.  

The founder's profound admiration for India's rich and varied Mithai tradition marked the beginning of Saffron & Mishri. With an unquenchable passion and respect for tradition, Gunjan traveled throughout India's many regions to discover traditional recipes and honed the craft of mithai-making to provide a historically and gastronomically rich experience. Crafted with love and respect for the genuine art of mithai-making, Saffron & Mishri's magic is a flawless fusion of tradition and innovation. 

Each cafe is designed with a warm, inviting ambience and art-inspired interiors which is an ode to traditional Indian crafts such as Banarasi and Kantha. Consumers can dine in at the aesthetic Powai outlet’s cafe, with warm Instagram-worthy interiors featuring elegant shylights, perfect for enjoying both mithai and flavorful chaat. Meanwhile, the Mahalakshmi Experience Center features an interactive ‘Make Your Own Memories ’ (MYOM) counter, where people can indulge in interactive workshops, making for an immersive experience. Also a unique feature of this outlet is an open walk-in kitchen concept, where customers can actually see the entire process of mithai-making behind close transparent doors, reflecting the brand’s commitment to authenticity, quality and transparency. 

Gunjan Shrivastava, Founder of Saffron & Mishri, said, “During my travels across India, I discovered a treasure trove of mithai that carried the unique stories of our culture.  I have rediscovered recipes and perfected techniques behind each mithai, for our customers to indulge in its real flavors. Furthermore, we also observed that there is a significant void in today’s mithai industry—authenticity, hygiene, and transparency in sourcing are often overlooked. We therefore source the finest ingredients from different parts of the country and crafted mithais at our state of the art kitchen. At Saffron & Mishri, our aim is to help people rediscover their soul with Indian Mithais”

Saffron & Mishri’s products are available from their stores in Mahalakshmi and Powai and  pan-India delivery through its website, local delivery on Zomato, and Swiggy.

India Sweet House, one of the fastest growing and most popular mithai and snack brands in India has reached yet another milestone with the opening of its 38th location in Vishweshwariah Layout at Bangalore. This latest addition highlights the brand's unwavering commitment to expanding its presence across key neighborhoods, offering customers premium-quality, freshly prepared sweets and snacks. 

The Vishweshwariah Layout outlet offers the perfect blend of tradition and modernity, showcasing India Sweet House's signature mithai, savory treats, and street food-inspired favorites. The store aims to close this gap by providing an unmatched selection of premium-quality products, and its warm and welcoming atmosphere makes it the ideal place for families and foodies.

Commenting on the new launch, Shwetha Rajashekar and Vishwanath Murthy, Co-Founders of India Sweet House, shared, “The opening of our 38th store is a proud moment for us as it symbolizes the trust and love our customers have shown us since we began this journey. Vishweshwariah Layout is a growing hub, and we are excited to bring our carefully crafted sweets and snacks to this vibrant community. With every store we open, our goal remains the same – to deliver freshness, quality, and a memorable experience to our patrons.”

Established in 2020, the business has quickly grown its reach by providing an unrivaled blend of superior products and customer-focused service. India's rich culinary legacy is being celebrated by the company, which has an expanding network of locations in Bangalore and beyond. Going forward, India Sweet House intends to grow its nationwide footprint even more while remaining loyal to its origins and satisfying the ever-changing tastes of its customers.
 

J. Oberoi, a luxury catering and confectionery shop in Jaipur, has introduced a special line of Indian confectionery called "Edible Jewels" to mark ten years in business.

With an emphasis on premium ingredients and a recipe free of milk, this new collection is unlike any traditional sweet.

With gourmet components, exotic fruits from all over the world and dry fruits from India, "Edible Jewels" is marketed as exquisite delights.  J. Oberoi has demonstrated its dedication to safety and hygiene by receiving the esteemed 5-star grade from FSSAI. Their commitment lies in providing delectable items that meet the greatest standards of hygiene.

“Each Edible Jewel is as precious as a piece of jewelry,” said Yuvraj Jain, Managing Director of J Oberoi who added that the sweet is made with the utmost care, every sweet offered in this range is unique in shape, flavour, and ingredient composition, offering a distinctive experience with each bite. The intricate process and fine detailing ensure that these sweets stand out in both appearance and taste.

Sweet brand Scandalous Foods that’s catering to the restaurant and catering sectors, is excited to announce its ambitious goal of raising $12 million in the coming months. 

This move comes on the heels of a successful pre-seed funding round in February 2024, where the company secured ₹3 crore from various esteemed angel investors.

The pre-seed round, completed with the backing of seasoned investors, including KRS Jamwal, Mrunal Jhaveri, Arjun Vaidya of V3 Ventures, Ajay Mariwala, MD of VKL and FSIPL, and celebrity Chef Harpal Singh marked a significant milestone for Scandalous Foods. 

These funds have already catalyzed growth, enabling the company to expand its production capabilities and establish a larger facility.

“Our recent pre-seed funding has laid a strong foundation for our growth. The additional ₹3 crore has allowed us to enhance our production and cater to a broader clientele. As we prepare to raise $12 million, we are more committed than ever to revolutionizing the Indian sweets landscape. Our vision is to blend tradition with innovation, creating sweets that resonate with both contemporary and traditional palates,” shared Sanket S., Co-Founder of Scandalous Foods.

Scandalous Foods has demonstrated robust growth, with a 22% year-over-year increase in FY24. Notably, the company saw a remarkable 75% growth in the last quarter (January–March 2024) compared to the previous quarter (October-December 2023). 

The company aims to leverage this enhanced capacity to strengthen its presence in key markets, including Mumbai and Nasik, and build a robust HoReCa base. 

As Scandalous Foods embarks on its next phase, it remains focused on delivering exceptional Indian sweets that cater to evolving consumer tastes. 

The upcoming funding round will enable the company to introduce innovative products, launch its Mithai parlors expand its offerings, and become a category leader in the industry.

Founded in August 2022 and led by Sanket S, and Pravesh Amin, it is a pioneering venture aiming to revolutionize the sweets industry for the restaurant sector. 
 

The Art Lab Patisserie & Bakery under the guidance of the Chef Kiran Ahir has announced the arrival of vegan dessert luxury.

The Art Lab Patisserie & Bakery showcases culinary skill in crafting their range of vegan and gluten-free desserts.

Their combination of gluten free flour, vegan nut butter, and selected dairy-free elements results in a diverse array of flavours.

The menu presents a selection of handcrafted delicacies, including Petit Gateaux and Entremets. Earl Grey and Raspberry infused Papillon, the Forest Cake, a velvety Fromage blending lemon and blueberry cheesecake, a Hazelnut and Chocolate Entremets Cake, a Coffee Tiramisu, and the passion crafted with Ghanian Milk Chocolate and Passionfruit.

Chef Kiran Ahir highlights that some of their products are accessible nationwide, showcasing their distinctive flavors and artistry. Each creation resonates with a blend of passion and innovation.

Mumbai’s fondest Indian sweets brand Jhama Sweets has launched their first-ever online store in the city.

Established in the 1950s by the late Jhamamal Lulla, Jhama Sweets has expanded their services to 9 distinct locations to help serve more smiles and joy to their beloved customers.

Jhama Sweets launched a digital segment to their brand to satisfy their customers all around the globe. With the demand in various places other than Bombay, there was a need to reach out to the customers from other parts of the country.

“We first thought of the preservation and freshness of our products. While they are made with the highest quality of ingredients, they are also perishable. We proceeded with ordering a packaging machine from Germany that uses MAP (Modified Atmosphere Technology). This allows us to drastically increase the shelf life of our products, while maintaining our quality standards, without using any preservatives,” shared Rishay Lulla, Owner of Jhama Sweets.

Going digital was a process in itself and to top that, whilst they were planning their online business, the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic took place. The brand believes that at a time like this, while practicing social distancing, one should also be able to binge on their favourite delicacies. They maintain the highest standards of hygiene and sanitation and take all precautionary measures to ensure the wellness of their customers. A cherry on top is their special packaging which is only available online.

Sweet brand Saffron is revamping its to amalgamate the best of both worlds and so they added a Western twist to our classic Indian sweets.

A Food and Beverage brand, that fuses desi and videshi, Saffron was incorporated in 2013 with an intention to bring something new to the table.

At Saffron, they serve Indian sweets that come with a hint of western twist and are packed and delivered in the most unique way that is possible.

They put a lot of thinking behind every small detail from ingredients to packaging and concept.

Known for their Elaichi or Rose Badam Macrons, Cranberry Coconut or Blueberry Coconut Ladoo, Peri-peri or Cheese Namak Pare, Coconut and Rose Swiss Rolls, Coconut and French Nuts Mithai Cake, Dates and Dried Rose Slabs, Cranberry, and Indonesian Coconut Fudge to name a few.

“ Our vision is to place and market Saffron in a way that it becomes synonymous with luxury gifting. We customize our products and also cater to wedding hampers, baby announcement hampers, house warming gifts, festive occasions like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Holi, etc. We are also into corporate gifting, and birthday and anniversary gifting,” shared Akanksha Kohli.

So, next time you’ve got a special occasion coming up, get your hampers made by Saffron to leave a lasting impression on your guests!

Sri Krishna Sweets is planning to reach 100 branches by 2020.

Currently, the company has 75 branches, including Tamil Nadu (48), Maharastra (4), Karala (6), Karnataka (7), UAE (5) and Telangana 4. Sri Krishna Sweets aims to add 25 new branches during the next two years across PAN India and UAE.

Vaishnavi Krishnan, Director of Sri Krishna Sweets, said, “For the year 2020 we would like to touch the milestone of 100 branches spread across India. We want to strengthen international presence especially in UAE and also strengthen the international supply channels. We want to introduce a new variety of products by understanding the new generation.”

Sri Krishna Sweets is the pioneer in launching sweets made out of 100% pure ghee and a stand-alone sweet stall with clean and well-done interiors. The company is also exporting sweets to the United States, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia through the supply channels.

Offering 250 varieties of sweets, Sri Krishna Sweets had introduced modern packaging system.

Outlet launch in Hyderabad

Recently, Sri Krishna Sweets has also opened its 75th outlet at Nacharam in Hyderabad. This is the brand’s fourth outlet in Hyderabad.

Sri Krishna Sweets has its outlets in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra. It also has retail stores in international markets including UAE, United States, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

Apart from the newly opened outlet at Nacharam in Hyderabad, Sri Krishna Sweets also has outlets at Ameerpet, Kukatpally and Secunderabad. With the new launch, the brand is offering 4 kg of sugar as a gift for every purchase of 1 kg sweet at their Nacharam outlet.

Sri Krishna Sweets was started as a small retail sweet shop in Coimbatore in 1979. It has over the years expanded and opened its outlets across the country and also abroad.

The company is known for its Mysurpa, the softer version of Mysrupak, which is made of 100 per cent pure ghee. Mysurpa was invented by its CMD, Dr M Krishnan. The CMD stated that standardisation of recipes for input and output products, rewarding HR policies are the foundation stones of the Sri Krishna Sweets growth story.

Dadu’s, the sweets and snacks maker, is planning to make its international debut by mid-2020. The Hyderabad-based company is eyeing markets such as Singapore, Thailand, Dubai and eventually UK and US for its global foray.

Dadu’s is also investing Rs 30 crore in setting up a centralised kitchen as part of its plans to enter into the ready-to-eat segment by August 2020.

Rajesh Dadu, Managing Director of Dadu’s, said, “The company is close to clinching a deal to acquire 2.5 acres of land on Hyderabad’s outskirts for its proposed centralised kitchen that will not only make ready-to-eat items like items like frozen kulchas, parathas, samosas, packaged chole, rajma chawal as well as long-shelf-life products like pickles, relishes, snacks and sweets.”

“Once we have the centralised kitchen up and running, we intend to set up our outlets in Dubai, London, US, Singapore and Bangkok through the franchisee route. We also plan to have at least 20 branches of our contemporary cuisine fine dining brand Masala Republic in Hyderabad alone,” he added.

Dadu's, the sweet and snacks store, has opened its 6th outlet at PNR Empire, KPHB, Hyderabad. The new store will offer Indian flavor mitai ice-cream such as Jalato ice-cream, premium range of kheer sweet ice cream, wedding cakes and gold foil sweets.

Rajesh Dadu, Owner, Dadu's, said, "Today marked an important milestone for Dadu's. We are confident that the new outlet will be an astounding success as we continue to stay firmly grounded to our Hyderabadi roots."

The company will soon launch another store in Kondapur. It is also planning to introduce five more stores by 2020 in Hyderabad.

Dadu's eyes focusing on exporting select products to the overseas market. It further plans to start new concept restaurants in near future.

NativeSpecial, a Food-tech startup has raised an undisclosed amount of investment from Indian Angel Network and Madurai-based Native Angels Network. The startup retails traditional snacks & sweets through their online portal across India.

NativeSpecial will incorporate the funds for up gradation of its laboratory facilities and expand to newer markets. Executing 7,000 orders so far, the three-year-old company currently has over 42 products with 20 vendors on board. Nativespecial.com's 'stock-and-sale' model includes clients who form the migrated population in metros, travelers going abroad, gift givers & corporate clients.

The company offers traditional sweets without any preservatives or additions, with delivery across India. Baskaran Veluchamy, Founder & CEO at Native Special said, "Due to the positive response garnered during the trial execution of sale last festival season among South Indian NRIs in the US, the company senses a huge market potential among them and has already started working on tapping the same.”

K Premnath, the lead investor from IAN who joins the board to provide strategic mentorship to the venture said, "Native Special caters to a very pertinent yet untapped gap in the current market through a scalable business model and effective utilization of technology to serve fresh and authentic traditional south Indian sweets and snacks.”

Native Special is looking to introduce FSSAI certifications for vendors and set up an exclusive warehouse in Chennai to enable a hassle free delivery model.

Anand Thangaraj, the lead investor in the company from Native Angels Network said, "Native Special will revive the vanishing traditional cottage sector and thereby contribute to the rural economy.”

RI Bureau

Swiggy, online food ordering and delivery platform is sending traditional sweets, greeting cards and colourful Kites along each of their deliveries. While different regions in India have different names of this festival but the core of the festival is to share happiness. Like Pongal is the harvest festival in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in North India, Sankranti in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and lot of other places.

It is distributing sweets as per the preference of the eight cities where they are currently operational. For instance tilguls (sweet made of Sesame and Jaggery) being distributed in Mumbai, Edlubella (sweet made of Sesame and Jaggery) in Bangalore and other cities.

In Bangalore, Swiggy is distributing Sankranti special Sesame Jaggery (locally known as Ellu Bella) in these locations (Jayanagar and Basavangudi). In Chennai, they are sending cards wishing our customers on the occassion of Pongal. In Mumbai and Pune they are sending tilguls with their deliveries. And in Hyderabad, Swiggy has tied up with the some of the famous restaurants such as Agra Sweets, Agrawala Sweets, Akshaya Swagruha Foods, Almond House, B. Bicha Reddy Sweets, Keshav Reddy Sweets, Bikanervala Sweets etc and promoting assorted Sankranti special sweet boxes