Inside BENEO’s new pulse plant: pioneering sustainable protein from faba beans
Shaka Harry has been on the shelves for less than a year and already are category leaders in this fast growing sector
Indian cricketer MS Dhoni has joined global investors in backing Bengaluru-based plant protein startup, Shaka Harry and picks up equity in the company. This is a huge development on the backdrop of the company having recently received $2 million in a seed funding round led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and Panthera Peak Ventures. Other investors include; Dexler Holdings, celebrity Chef Manu Chandra and a group of domestic family offices and angel investors.
Anand Nagarajan, Co-founder and CEO of Liberate Foods said, “We are serving over 30,000 customers across 10 cities monthly, and expect to triple this number in the next few months. Shaka Harry will also be available on global shelves by the end of this year.”
Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, Good Food Institute (GFI) India, said “Remaking our protein supply is our best bet at building sustainable economic prosperity for the 21st century – we’re still in the very early stages of the global smart protein transformation. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s partnership with Shaka Harry is exactly the kind of leadership we need, bringing plant-based meats to his legions of adoring fans, breaking into the true multi-billion dollar mass market.”
GFI research with Deloitte indicates that the right investments in talent, R&D, manufacturing, and distribution could drive the Indian smart protein sector to a market size of nearly Rs 19,000 crore by 2030, including a sizeable export market.
Liberate Foods, a plant protein company with the meat alternate line Shaka Harry, is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally.