Latest news with #CountryDelight
Business Standard
6 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Country Delight Launches High Protein Cow Milk with 2X (30g) Protein -- A Game-Changer in India's Protein Revolution
VMPL New Delhi [India], August 6: Country Delight, India's most trusted kitchen essentials brand, has launched its latest innovation -- High Protein Cow Milk -- offering 2X (30g) protein compared to regular cow milk. Designed to address one of India's most silent yet widespread nutritional challenges, this launch marks a major milestone in the country's clean protein movement. The Problem: A Hidden Health Crisis in Indian Diets Despite rising health consciousness, 73% of Indians still fall short of their daily protein needs. The numbers are worse for vegetarians (91% deficient) and even among non-vegetarians (85% are deficient). What's more alarming -- 90% of urban consumers are unaware of how much protein they actually need (~48-60g per day). Many rely on processed powders or low-protein substitutes without understanding the long-term impact. Protein deficiency can lead to fatigue and low energy, weakened immunity, muscle loss, poor growth in children, hormonal imbalances, slower recovery, and reduced productivity and focus. India needs a natural, accessible, and high-trust protein solution -- and that's where Country Delight steps in. The Solution: Country Delight's High Protein Cow Milk This clean-label, high-nutrition product delivers 2X (30g) protein per 450ml pack -- meeting 50% of the daily RDA in just one serving. It's made using advanced natural filtration technology that reduces excess water while preserving the milk's natural nutrients. "We are solving India's natural protein scarcity by building a clean-label, minimally processed product ecosystem -- free from stabilizers, emulsifiers, and artificial ingredients. This is just the beginning. We will soon be introducing high-protein paneer, dahi, whole grain breads, and fresh batters," said Mr. Chakradhar Gade, CEO & Co-Founder, Country Delight What makes it special is that there are no added powders, no added water - just pure, pasteurized cow milk. It is rich in calcium and micronutrients, supporting muscle, bone, and metabolic health. The milk is multi-use friendly and works great in tea, coffee, curd, paneer, shakes, and desserts. Every pack goes through 140+ quality checks, ensuring purity and safety. This product is ideal for fitness-conscious individuals, growing children, working adults, and families that want natural protein without synthetic processing. Built on Trust, Delivered with Freshness Country Delight's supply chain is designed for source-to-home freshness. Milk is sourced directly from farmers, bypassing all middlemen, and reaches customer doorsteps within 24-36 hours of milking -- with 7 AM delivery even for midnight orders.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Country Delight Launches High Protein Cow Milk with 2X (30g) Protein — A Game-Changer in India's Protein Revolution
Country Delight, India's most trusted kitchen essentials brand, has launched its latest innovation — High Protein Cow Milk — offering 2X (30g) protein compared to regular cow milk. Designed to address one of India's most silent yet widespread nutritional challenges, this launch marks a major milestone in the country's clean protein movement. The Problem: A Hidden Health Crisis in Indian Diets Despite rising health consciousness, 73% of Indians still fall short of their daily protein needs. The numbers are worse for vegetarians (91% deficient) and even among non-vegetarians (85% are deficient). What's more alarming — 90% of urban consumers are unaware of how much protein they actually need (~48–60g per day). Many rely on processed powders or low-protein substitutes without understanding the long-term impact. Protein deficiency can lead to fatigue and low energy, weakened immunity, muscle loss, poor growth in children, hormonal imbalances, slower recovery, and reduced productivity and focus. India needs a natural, accessible, and high-trust protein solution — and that's where Country Delight steps in. The Solution: Country Delight's High Protein Cow Milk This clean-label, high-nutrition product delivers 2X (30g) protein per 450ml pack — meeting 50% of the daily RDA in just one serving. It's made using advanced natural filtration technology that reduces excess water while preserving the milk's natural nutrients. 'We are solving India's natural protein scarcity by building a clean-label, minimally processed product ecosystem — free from stabilizers, emulsifiers, and artificial ingredients. This is just the beginning. We will soon be introducing high-protein paneer, dahi, whole grain breads, and fresh batters,' said Mr. Chakradhar Gade, CEO & Co-Founder, Country Delight What makes it special is that there are no added powders, no added water – just pure, pasteurized cow milk. It is rich in calcium and micronutrients, supporting muscle, bone, and metabolic health. The milk is multi-use friendly and works great in tea, coffee, curd, paneer, shakes, and desserts. Every pack goes through 140+ quality checks, ensuring purity and safety. This product is ideal for fitness-conscious individuals, growing children, working adults, and families that want natural protein without synthetic processing. Built on Trust, Delivered with Freshness Country Delight's supply chain is designed for source-to-home freshness. Milk is sourced directly from farmers, bypassing all middlemen, and reaches customer doorsteps within 24–36 hours of milking — with 7 AM delivery even for midnight orders. The processing facilities are certified by ISO, USFDA (FSVP–FSMA), and FSSC, aligning with global standards of food safety and quality. Priced at Rs. 41 for a 450ml pack, Country Delight's High Protein Cow Milk is available exclusively through the Country Delight app.
Mint
04-08-2025
- Business
- Mint
Country Delight's backers look to dilute Orios Venture Partners' stake amid larger fundraise
Country Delight's existing investors are looking to buy a part of Orios Venture Partners' eight-year-old stake in the company as the direct-to-consumer fresh food brand prepares for a larger fundraise, three people familiar with the matter told Mint. 'The company is also scouting for a new investor to put in fresh capital as a part of a $150 million funding round that will be a mix of primary and secondary capital," one of the people said. 'All existing investors are expected to infuse a proportionate amount of capital to buy Orios's stake in the company," the second person said, adding that details around the valuation were yet to be determined. 'The exit is likely to help the investment firm show some liquidity and distribute capital to its limited partners," the people cited above said. Though Orios is looking for a full exit, it will only be able to sell a partial stake in this round, said a third person directly involved with the deal. 'Eventually, when the company gets to an IPO, the cap table will be cleaner. Orios will sell more through [the public offering]," this person added. Investment firms under pressure Several investment firms are under pressure to deliver exits and returns to their limited partners (LPs). As a result, venture capital and private equity firms have been harnessing various exit strategies such as continuation vehicles, secondary stake sales, initial public offerings (IPOs) and mergers & acquisitions to partially or fully exit their portfolio companies. This is especially important for them as they look to raise more capital from the same LPs. 'We recently closed our fund so we have no plans for a new one yet. (We) cannot confirm any exit specifics as investments and exits are part of everyday life at a fund. Both are announced after they are done," Orios's managing partner Rehan Yar Khan told Mint in an emailed statement. Country Delight did not respond to Mint's requests for comment. Earlier this year Mint reported exclusively that the dairy startup had mandated Avendus to help with a $100 million fundraise. The round, which has since expanded slightly, is likely to close by later this year. Partial exit Last year, Orios partially exited the company by selling about a 3% stake for ₹225 crore. The venture capital firm first invested about ₹3 crore in the company from its maiden fund in 2017 and has subsequently topped up its stake in the company. Before the partial exit, Orios held 21-22% in the company, according to an ET report in February 2024. The first fund, launched in 2014, closed at ₹300 crore the following year. It backed 18 companies including Country Delight, e-pharmacy company PharmEasy, and shared-accommodation firm Zostel. The sector-agnostic fund is said to have returned to investors what they put in, but the company expects better returns in 2024 and 2025, it said in January 2024. It typically focuses on early-stage startups with investments of $1-2 million. Last year Mint reported that Mumbai-based Orios planned to launch its fourth fund in 2025 with a corpus of about $120-150 million. However, the firm marked its final close around $85.3 million, according to a VCCircle report in April. Founded in 2015 by Chakradhar Gade and Nitin Kaushal, Country Delight operates in the milk products and fresh produce category with its own branded offerings, and currently serves about 1.5 million users across 15 Indian cities. It offers daily subscriptions, serving its customers fresh cow & buffalo milk, curd, ghee, paneer, bread, eggs and other staples. Funding rounds The startup has raised about $200 million across 18 rounds. Besides Orios, its investors include Matrix Partners, IIFL Asset Management and Elevation Capital, according to market intelligence provider Tracxn. Its last sizeable round was in 2022, when it raised $108 million in Series D funding at a valuation of $615 million. The round was led by investors including Venturi Partners and Singaporean private equity major Temasek, with participation from Asia-focused SWC Global and Trifecta Capital. Earlier this year, Country Delight secured about $25 million in an extended Series E round from Temasek at a valuation of $820 million, according to a report by Entrackr. In FY24 the company posted revenue of ₹1380 crore, a 46% increase from the previous year, according to a report by the ARC. The report added the growth was driven mainly by increase in subscribers and sales of non-dairy products such as fruits, vegetables, eggs and pulses. It was also powered by high-quality produce, ease of engagement, and a robust distribution network for predictable deliveries. The company has said it aims to further strengthen its supply chain and expand across India.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ETBWS 2025: Why ‘Zero to One' is still the most exciting stage for D2C
At the seventh edition of the ET Brand World Summit 2025 , hosted by ETBrandEquity, a packed room of marketers and startup founders gathered for an engaging fireside chat titled 'Pitch Perfect: A VC's Lens on India's D2C Equity.' The session featured Chandrasekhar Venugopal , Principal at venture capital firm Z47, in conversation with Krystyna Devina Lason, Senior Anchor and Producer at The Economic Times. Venugopal described his career as a journey marked by a consistent focus on "zero to one" value creation. His path, which he attributes to "serendipity," began at BCG. He then led growth strategies at Foodpanda before venturing into his own start-ups in food and digital marketing. Prior to Z47, he also ran Glance Collective . Venugopal expressed a deep affinity for this foundational stage, stating, 'I'm not an operator or a founder or a VC; I'm just in love with the stage. I think it's a beautiful stage. In 'zero to one,' you just get to see magic created from nothing and that's what got me here.' Reflecting on the current consumer landscape, Venugopal noted that the environment for building brands has never been more promising. 'I have been acquiring consumers since 2014 across various sectors, and it has never looked this good. What once required immense effort to reach a five-lakh monthly run rate is now comfortably reaching one crore. Contribution margins are improving, customer acquisition costs are declining, return on ad spends are rising, and retention and repeat purchases are increasing across categories. It is truly an optimistic time to build in India.' India's D2C market is on a distinctive path, according to Venugopal, prompting discussion about whether it will follow the lead of the US or China. 'I don't think our supply backend is the same as some of these other countries and their trajectory,' Venugopal explained. He pointed out a unique paradox in India: despite being "brand-starved" with a largely unorganised and fragmented market, its supply chain infrastructure isn't yet fully developed, resulting in a substantial "influx of material from outside." He emphasised that to effectively serve India's enormous consumer base, "you do need innovation on the supply chain backend and get new price points in." Venugopal offered an interesting example from Z47's portfolio: Country Delight. "Country Delight started off selling milk. Now it does everything from veggies to, you name it." This expansion, he clarified, "required deep, absolutely deep backend sort of vertical integration to make the quality of milk right, or to get the freshness of the fruits and veggies right, or to get the staples right." He highlighted that "for Country Delight to unlock a new price point and repeat behaviour, it took a tonne of work on vertical integration." He also praised Lenskart for its similar approach, noting that "every large sort of outcome, you'd see this sort of deep vertical integration to sort of crash price points and reach India in the right sort of positioning." This focus on vertical integration is presented as a vital differentiating factor for successful D2C brands within the Indian landscape. On what makes a brand VC-backable, Venugopal cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach. 'We have done a disservice by grouping very different businesses under the D2C label. Everything from Unilever to Nike to Decathlon gets lumped together, but they are not the same. Public market investors understand these nuances, and we need to apply the same lens. Metrics like retention and revenue are important, but their significance varies by category. A tile brand and a skincare brand will never have the same retention, but both can build meaningful businesses.' For marketers and founders, he encouraged a greater focus on what he termed 'the hidden potential of the long tail.' 'Marketers in large companies focus on the big levers that can move the needle by ten times. But in startups, there is value in the overlooked insights found in the long tail. These can lead to breakthroughs that do not come from conventional strategy. It is often in these small, seemingly unscalable moments that the biggest growth levers lie.' Addressing the scaling challenge from the first thousand to the first million customers, he advised founders to stay close to their users. 'Do not delegate customer conversations too early. That is where your product-market fit lives. Also, while growing fast, do not lose sight of financial discipline. It is easy to compromise on terms in the short run, but that can come back to bite you. Finally, strategic thinking should not be postponed. If your business becomes too dependent on one channel or partner, it can create risk. Take time to step back and assess whether your trajectory is sustainable and well-positioned.' Venugopal believes AI will be a monumental force in D2C, creating entirely new brands and sales channels. He highlights a historical pattern: every major shift in distribution (from newspapers to mobile) has led to new brands emerging. While AI will boost productivity, Venugopal urges founders and marketers to think bigger: how can AI enable entirely new frameworks? He points to areas like personalised experiences in local stores or property tech, which are still rudimentary. AI could transform these into truly one-to-one interactions. A key example for India is bridging the digital divide in "Bharat." Current app interfaces are often intimidating due to their Western UI/UX. Vernacular, voice-powered AI could be a game-changer, leveraging the comfort people have with phone conversations. This seemingly "unscalable" approach could forge entirely new, accessible commerce channels and, consequently, new brands. As he puts it, "Do things that don't scale in the beginning. You'll be surprised at what gets created." When asked what category he would choose if he were to start his own D2C brand today, Venugopal offered a framework rather than a specific sector. 'If you look at the most successful brands of recent times-Decathlon, Lenskart, Zudio, Country Delight, they all combine vertical integration with control over distribution. These are not just brands; they are full-stack businesses. On the backend, they own their supply chain. On the frontend, they own their customer interface through apps or stores. When a consumer sees a retail experience, but the business owns the full profit and loss like a brand, it creates a powerful advantage. If you find a category where you can do both, I would love to hear about it.'
The Wire
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Wire
Country Delight Launches Oats Beverage – A Wholesome, Affordable Plant-Based Alternative
• Expanding its portfolio with a nutritious and delicious option for health-conscious consumers New Delhi, June 24th, 2025: Country Delight has announced the launch of its all-new Oats Beverage, marking its foray into the rapidly growing plant-based drink segment. Designed for health-conscious consumers seeking a nutritious and affordable alternative, Country Delight's Oats beverage is crafted with the same commitment to purity, quality, and freshness that the brand is known for. Shift in Consumer Preference: Oat and Plant-Based Drink Gain Momentum India's widespread lactose intolerance affecting a vast number of the population meets its match in the affordable oats beverage - a smooth, lactose-free alternative that does not compromise on taste. With increasing consumer demand for plant-based alternatives, Country Delight's Oats Beverage is set to redefine the segment with its rich in taste and unmatched nutritional benefits. Made from high-quality Australian oats and free from chemical additives, preservatives, and added sugars, this product contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it an ideal choice for lactose-intolerant individuals, fitness enthusiasts, and health-conscious consumers. Mr. Chakradhar Gade, CEO & Co-Founder, Country Delight, said, 'At Country Delight, we are constantly innovating to meet the evolving needs of our consumers. With the launch of Oats Beverage, we aim to provide a nutritious, plant-based alternative without compromising on taste or quality. Our mission has always been to make India live better, and this product is another step towards offering wholesome, nutritious food choices'. Key Features of Country Delight Oats Beverage Country Delight's Oats Beverage offers a range of benefits that make it a smart and wholesome choice for today's health-conscious consumers. It is naturally lactose-free, making it ideal for people with lactose intolerance who often struggle with digestive sensitivity. This oats beverage is easy on the stomach and supports better digestion thanks to the presence of soluble fiber (beta-glucan) and the absence of lactose or casein—common culprits behind bloating and discomfort. Unlike many other plant-based drinks that rely on common allergens like soy or nuts, Country Delight's Oats Beverage is free from both. The product is also free from added sugar and preservatives. It is completely unsweetened, with no artificial sweeteners, allowing consumers to enjoy a, minimally processed plant-based drink. Combining purity with quality, this oat beverage aligns with Country Delight's promise of delivering fresh, nutritious, and trustworthy products to Indian households. Country Delight's Oats Beverage is priced at Rs. 40 for a 400ml pack and will be available for order through the Country Delight app. (Disclaimer: The above content is a press release and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). This is an auto-published feed from PTI with no editorial input from The Wire.
