Brands
Elixiir Foods raises $9m to build urban grocery platform
3one4 Capital and Incubate Fund Asia back tech-led fresh food venture
DELHI: Elixiir Foods has secured $9 million in seed funding to build what it calls a destination-led, technology-driven grocery platform for urban India.
The round was led by 3one4 Capital, with participation from Incubate Fund Asia. The NCR-headquartered start-up plans to use the capital to launch its initial operations, strengthen its fresh sourcing and private label supply chains, expand its wholesale and distribution backbone, and build the technology required for a density-led city rollout.
Founded by Arvind Mediratta and Ambuj Narayan, Elixiir Foods is positioning itself as an “affordable premium” food destination. The idea is simple but ambitious: five-star quality at prices that still make sense to value-conscious Indian households.
The platform will span fresh produce, dairy, meat, poultry and seafood, alongside daily essentials such as flours, rice, spices, ancient grains, condiments, snacks, beverages, ready-to-eat and frozen foods. The emphasis is on fresh, wholesome and minimally processed products, including organic and pesticide- and antibiotic-free options.
Elixiir’s model blends farm-led sourcing with a high-trust private label engine, supported by a centralised wholesale and supply platform designed to make sourcing, distribution and replenishment more efficient. The company plans to serve dense urban micro-markets through flexible, partner-enabled and platform-led distribution formats.
The timing is deliberate. As India’s GDP per capita crosses the $2,500 mark, more than 150 million urban consumers are trading up from basic staples to healthier and higher-quality food. Elixiir is betting that this shift is not a fad but a structural change in how India eats.
“India is no longer looking only for basics,” said Elixiir Foods founder and chief executive Arvind Mediratta. “Consumers want healthier choices and authentic gourmet cuisines, not just from across India but from around the world. We are building a tech-native destination positioned as the most trusted platform for fresh, healthy and gourmet food.”
He added that pricing remains the decisive factor. “Indian customers across all socio-economic classes are highly value-conscious. That makes getting pricing right at the wholesale and distribution level central to our proposition. The total addressable market exceeds $100 billion and continues to grow.”
Mediratta brings 34 years of FMCG and retail experience, having held senior roles at Walmart, Metro AG, Procter and Gamble, Yum! Brands and Marico, across markets including India, China, Asean, the US and Australia.
Co-founder and chief operating officer Ambuj Narayan has over 25 years of experience in retail strategy and operations. Formerly chief executive of Taneira at Titan Company, he has also held leadership roles at Walmart and Metro, building and scaling multi-store networks across categories.
Together, the founders represent one of the more seasoned operating teams in Indian grocery retail, having collectively managed some of the country’s largest food and grocery businesses.
3one4 Capital investments team member Anand Batra said, the firm began working with Elixiir at the concept stage. “The most scalable customer platforms emerge when format innovation and operational discipline are integrated from the start. Elixiir reflects a first-principles approach, built on a tech-enabled wholesale foundation for long-term growth.”
Incubate Fund Asia founder and partner Nao Murakami, compared the opportunity to the rise of differentiated grocery chains in other markets. “When consumer tastes shift towards quality and trust, new formats emerge. We believe India is at that inflection point today,” he said, adding that the founders’ operating depth gives the company a strong base to scale.
If all goes to plan, Elixiir Foods hopes to turn the weekly grocery run into something more than a chore, and perhaps even a destination in its own right.
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.
