Brands
BL Agro’s ambitious Rs 150 crore expansion plan
Mumbai: BL Agro Industries Limited, one of the fastest growing edible oils and food products companies in India, with a turnover of Rs 2500 crore is on an aggressive expansion mode with extensive brand endorsements to reach out to target audiences.
The company which recently launched TVCs for its brands, Bail Kolhu and Nourish has rolled out its marketing plans for the fiscal year 2021-22. The company will invest in a media mix of mainline, digital and innovative media vehicles led by Television, to create brand positioning resulting in consumer awareness and demand for BL Agro products across India.
“Our company is on an aggressive B2C expansion spree with a keen eye on profitable incremental growth and sustained capability, which can be achieved through proper marketing strategies” says BL Agro managing director Ashish Khandelwal.
“To take the brand to the next level through marketing and proper messaging, we have earmarked a media budget of Rs 150 crores for the current year. With a vision to contribute to the nation’s agro-economy, we would be channelizing our capacities through a manifold approach to reach out to the maximum audiences,” Khandelwal added.
BL Agro’s brands include Bail Kolhu, a 50-year-old product, and Nourish that envision a growing need to add nutrition to the consumers’ daily food habits. The company recently on-boarded Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi and Shilpa Shetty for its brands, says BL Agro brand spokesperson Richa Khandelwal.
“The entire range of BL Agro products are (meant) for all age groups, across different strata of society, and therefore it is imperative to be on every media. Television still holds the maximum mileage, where spends would be close to 60 per cent, followed by the print/radio/OOH, digital and online media besides other media such as public relations and influencer marketing,” adds Richa.
BL Agro consistently produces nutritionally well balanced quality food products using state-of-the-art technology that provides substantial support to Indian farmers. The company has a wide portfolio of food products and relies on agricultural value chains to procure raw materials at scale thus boosting farmer incomes. The company also aims to empower farmers and drive long-term growth through creation of infrastructure to support the agro-industry.
At the same time, with expansion of such a magnitude, BL Agro is contributing considerably in the domain of employment generation. The company already has a work force strength of about 5000, including a huge field force, with this number set to rise in times to come.
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
