Brands
Sundrop Brands posts 80 per cent Ebitda jump in Q3
Revenue rose 10 per cent while gross margins expanded 330 basis points
GURUGRAM: The latest quarterly results from Sundrop Brands, formerly known as Agro Tech Foods, suggest the snack-maker has found its second wind. For the quarter ended 31 December 2025, consolidated revenue rose about 10 per cent on a pro forma basis, supported by strong trading performance, the company said in its earnings call.
Under the stewardship of group managing director Nitish Bajaj, the firm is aggressively pivoting from low-margin staples towards “joyful food experiences” in the premium packaged segment.
The strategy appears to be paying off in the P&L; consolidated Ebitda soared by 80 per cent during the quarter, aided by a 330-basis-point expansion in gross margins. This “profitable growth” was driven largely by the foods business, even as the company ramped up marketing spend by 22 per cent to defend its turf.
The group’s flagship popcorn brand, Act II, remains the “crown jewel”. Ready-to-eat formats grew at a blistering 36 per cent as they muscle into the wider snacks market, maintaining a “moat” through a savvy Rs 10 price point and an efficient backend that challenges newcomers like Marico’s 4700 BC.
However, it is not all smooth sailing; the spreads business remains under pressure from nimble competitors, prompting a flurry of seven new high-protein peanut butter launches to regain lost share. Despite these hurdles, the company’s innovation engine is humming, with new products launched in the last two years now accounting for 5 per cent of total sales, or some Rs 55 crore.
Integration with the Del Monte franchise is also yielding fruit, particularly in B2B channels which now account for 40 per cent of that division’s revenue. While a dip in global olive oil prices dented value growth, volumes in the Italian segment jumped by 16 per cent, with olive oil volumes alone surging by 34 per cent. This suggests that Sundrop’s appetite for market share is far from sated. The company is also betting big on digital distribution, with quick-commerce channels growing at nearly 50 per cent and sales force automation now covering over half of its vast retail network.
Looking ahead, Sundrop Brands has signaled an ambitious intent to double its top line over the next three to four years, targeting a compounded annual growth rate of roughly 15 per cent.
Management aims to squeeze further efficiencies from the business, eyeing a 3-4 per cent expansion in gross margins and a 3 per cent reduction in SG&A costs, while keeping the marketing budget steady at 6 per cent of revenue.
With a fresh five-year Esop plan tying management’s fortunes to these performance milestones, the board is betting that this racy trajectory is more than just a flash in the pan.
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.
