The Origin Story
Corporate honcho Praveen Nagamalla observed that Indians consume very little fresh fruit every day – an average of 100g compared to the WHO recommendation of 400g. Moreover, the fresh fruit industry is mainly unorganised and seasonal, without standard pricing and quality assurance. On the other hand, packaged fruit products off the shelf contain added sugar and preservatives. Nagamalla identified five key factors that could increase the consumption of fresh fruits: Easy availability, food safety, ease of preparation, taste and price. Keen to fix these to help consumers, he joined forces with Rahat Achanta to launch Fruitoholic, an F&B brand offering delicious fresh fruit products with many health benefits.
The Differentiator
Unlike mass-produced, off-the-shelf products, Fruitoholic offers fresh and premium packaged whole fruits, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as value-added products such as cold-pressed juices, smoothies, milkshakes, combos (oats and fruits), ice creams and more across 10 categories. Fruits are directly sourced from partner farmers, importers and aggregators to keep tabs on quality. Storage, sorting, grading, production and packaging are done at the brand’s processing & distribution centre and 15 cloud store kitchens (CSKs) spread across Hyderabad. It claims to be one of the lowest-wastage firms with minimum processing losses due to an optimised product mix (hence, maximum utilisation of raw materials) and efficient returns management.
The Growth
Apart from its official website, the brand sells its products through ecommerce players, offline retailers and foodtech platforms Zomato and Swiggy via its 15 CSKs. In 2023, it became a top player in the juices & smoothies category on these platforms in Hyderabad, saw a quarter-on-quarter user growth of more than 50% and a combined repeat purchase rate of more than 42%.
What’s Next
In 2024, Fruitoholic will expand its product range by introducing ice creams in the dairy and vegan categories. It will also increase its presence on quick-commerce platforms, enter cities like Bengaluru and Chennai, and ramp up its marketing efforts to drive growth. By 2025, the brand will open physical stores, enter the Delhi NCR market and focus on improving the shelf-life of its juices and smoothies through high-pressure processing and mild pasteurisation.
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