Brands
Wagh Bakri appoints Bhawesh Thakar as Chief Digital & Information Officer
Ahmedabad: Wagh Bakri Tea Group has hired a heavyweight for its digital ambitions. Bhawesh Thakar has joined the tea major as chief digital and information officer, tasked with sharpening its technology spine and turning data into competitive edge.
Thakar arrives with more than 25 years in IT across FMCG and consumer businesses, bringing a mix of infrastructure depth, security oversight and business-facing technology leadership. At Wagh Bakri, he will work with the leadership team on digital transformation, data-led decision-making and technology capabilities aligned with growth plans.
Announcing the move, Thakar said he is keen to collaborate closely with the company’s leadership to drive transformation and harness data. He credited mentors, colleagues and teams across his career for shaping his outlook as a technology and business leader, and said he looks forward to contributing to Wagh Bakri’s legacy of trust and innovation while engaging with partners and the wider tech community.
Before the switch, Thakar spent over seven years at AWL Agri Business Limited, where he led IT infrastructure and security and also handled governance, risk and compliance as chief information security officer. His remit covered large-scale infrastructure, security verticals and enterprise controls.
Earlier, he held multiple roles at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, including head of devops and national head for IT solutions engagement and delivery. There he partnered the supply-chain function, scoped and delivered enterprise IT solutions and helped shape a future digital supply-chain vision. He also managed ERP roll-outs across Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and led solution design across warehousing, transportation, production and planning streams.
His longer stint at the Coca-Cola bottler included roles as business solution lead and national manager for back-office applications, where he worked on demand forecasting, supply planning, customer replenishment and warehouse systems. As regional manager for IT operations in the south, he oversaw infrastructure services across states and drove early ERP and pre-sales automation projects. His career began on the ground as a plant IT head and earlier as a service engineer handling network and server support for large clients such as Castrol.
Thakar’s stated career focus has been techno-commercial leadership: long-term IT strategy, simpler and sharper business solutions, and new systems to manage complex operations. His toolkit spans strategic technology planning, global IT delivery, programme management, ERP implementation, data-centre management, supply-chain solutions and leadership communication.
For Wagh Bakri, the hire signals a push to modernise a legacy brand. For Thakar, it is another large platform. And in a consumer market where even tea competes on technology, the kettle is clearly on the digital boil.
Brands
Hocco crosses Rs 530cr revenue in two years
Sauce.vc-led Rs 100cr raise values ice cream brand at Rs 2,500cr pre-money as quick commerce hits 20 per cent of sales.
MUMBAI: Hocco has just scooped a seriously sweet milestone crossing the Rs 530 crore revenue mark in just two full years of operations. The fast-growing Indian ice cream and indulgence brand announced it has raised Rs 100 crore in fresh capital led by Sauce.vc. The round values the company at Rs 2,500 crore pre-money and underscores investor confidence in its rapid scale and distinctive India-first approach.
Founder Ankit Chona said the brand’s success stems from solving real Indian challenges extreme summer heat, fragmented cold chains and culturally rooted tastes. “In India, product development doesn’t end in the lab. It only ends when it survives the street,” he noted. This philosophy has produced viral hits such as Aamchi mango ice cream, BIX cake-sponge sandwiches, the Oh cone and culturally relevant collaborations like Haldiram’s Barfi and festive Modak specials.
Hocco currently operates manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad and Panipat with a production capacity of approximately 3 lakh litres per day, running near full capacity in peak season. The fresh capital will help expand this to around 4.5 lakh litres per day.
Quick commerce has emerged as a major growth engine, now contributing ~20 per cent of overall business and growing nearly 2x year-on-year. The channel has boosted product discovery, increased consumption frequency and helped extend ice cream beyond its traditional seasonal limits.
Sauce.vc founder Manu Chandra said, “At Sauce, we believe that when you chance upon an outlier business, you double down with stronger conviction. We see Hocco as just that.”
With a strong innovation pipeline, deeper distribution and continued focus on cultural relevance, Hocco is entering its third year aiming to capture even more mind space and market share. In a category long dominated by legacy players, this young brand is proving that the coolest way to win is to build for India’s realities, one scoop, one street and one satisfied craving at a time.
