Brands
Shandi Global stirs India with chickpea-based Chanza, targets 10 million dollars in ’25
MUMBAI: Call it chickpeas with a twist. Singapore-based food-tech innovator Shandi Global has landed in India with its flagship product Chanza: a protein-packed, plant-based alternative to meat and paneer that’s already winning fans abroad.
Made entirely from whole chickpeas: no soy, gluten, or artificial binders in sight. Chanza cooks, tastes, and feels like soft, fibrous chunks of meat. From curries to kebabs, stir-fries to tandoori, it’s designed to slip seamlessly into India’s kitchen classics while packing a nutritional punch.
The India launch marks Shandi Global’s biggest bet yet. The company has doubled its revenue every year, growing from 0.6 million dollars in 2023 to over 2.5 million dollars in 2025. With India now in its sights, it’s eyeing a bold leap to 10 million plus dollars revenue in 2025.
“Protein deficiency is a massive issue here, and we want to change that,” said Shandi Global, co-founder, Dr. Gaurav Sharma. “Our vision is simple: Protein for All, Without Compromise.” His fellow co-founder, Dr Reena Sharma, added that the move was “both personal and purposeful,” aiming to fuse nutrition, fitness, and sustainability in everyday Indian diets.
The rollout will start with restaurants, corporates, and institutions, before hitting retail shelves in metro cities by 2026. Partnerships with gyms and wellness communities are also planned to anchor Chanza firmly in India’s growing fitness culture.
Shandi Global’s portfolio abroad already includes plant-based meats, protein soups, and drinks under brands like Forever, Sprouty, and Proty. New snacks, cookies, and ready-to-eat meals are in the works, powered by its proprietary Canatein/Sproutin technology.
Recognition has followed too: at the ‘Vegan India Conference 2025’ in Mumbai, the company bagged the ‘Protein Innovation Icon of the Year Award’, presented by former mp Maneka Gandhi in the presence of cj D.Y. Chandrachud.
With India joining its global expansion map alongside Thailand, Canada, and Australia, Shandi Global isn’t just selling another plant-based product, it’s planting the seed for a protein revolution.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
