Brands
Happy Monk steams up India’s frozen aisle with chef-style, preservative-free dim sums
MUMBAI: Move over mass-market momos, there’s a new monk in town. Happy Monk, a new disruptor in the frozen food space, is shaking up Indian freezers with its first-of-its-kind line of premium, chef-crafted, preservative-free dim sums.
Launched by f&b veterans Varun Kapoor (ex-ITC, HUL) and Deepthi Nair (ex-Bisleri, MTR, Capital Foods), the brand rolls out with over 20 hand-folded varieties, featuring edgy flavour bombs like Edamame Truffle, Smoked Chicken & Cheddar, and Sriracha Chicken. Priced between Rs 395–485 for a pack of 10 dumplings and a hit of chilli oil, the line-up promises restaurant-quality indulgence—straight from your freezer, minus the guilt.
“We’ve seen the food industry evolve, but the frozen food category in India has remained largely unchanged. We saw an opportunity to introduce something more premium, more exciting, and more in line with what the consumer wants,” says Kapoor. “Our goal was simple: to bring high-quality dim sums to every home without sacrificing flavour, convenience, or authenticity. What started as a small experiment quickly grew into something bigger because we saw the demand for truly exceptional frozen food.”
“Happy Monk is more than just a food brand, it’s a lifestyle experience that can be made easily accessible for the quality-conscious audience”, adds Nair. “There’s a new wave of consumers who are redefining comfort food. They want food that feels familiar but tastes elevated. That’s the sweet spot we occupy by providing gourmet food that’s deeply satisfying, yet incredibly convenient.”
Currently available on www.thehappymonk.co.in, the brand offers same-day delivery in Mumbai (for orders before 3 pm) and has plans to expand to other metro and tier-1 cities.
With punchy packaging, playful branding, and full-on flavour, Happy Monk isn’t just joining the frozen food category, it’s building one. Say hello to dumplings with a little more bite.
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.
