CHENNAI: GD Prasad, the founder of VS Mani & Co, was recently on Shark Tank India, along with co-founders Yashas Alur and Rahul Bajaj, and he couldn’t be happier. “We knew we had a product that reached out to a certain customer base, but we wanted to go on Shark Tank India because it would give us visibility. And we got exactly. We were expecting a three or five-time hike, but we ended up getting an 8x jump! On Amazon, our sales went up by over 10x that night and sustained itself for a couple of days. Now, even though the effect of that episode will taper down, we are confident to maintain a 5x hike,” shares Prasad.
VS Mani & Co, founded in 2020, is a tribute to South Indian culture, around which Prasad grew up. Their products include instant filter coffee, ready-to-eat snacks and spice blends. Prasad believes his and his co-founders’ past experience in advertising helped them prepare for the Shark Tank feature. “What we understood was that even though the sharks would understand the business plan, it was pertinent for us to reach out to the audience, who are the ones who would buy our product.We planned everything from how we present ourselves to how we show our products in a storytelling format to connect with people. That storytelling aspect was key in many ways, the pitches are a 15-minute advertisement,” says Prasad.
VS Mani & Co was offered Rs 60 lakh (Rs 19 lakh in equity and the balance in debt) by shark Namita Thapar, executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals. Anupam Mittal, founder of shaadi.com, was also present, who had invested in the company much before the episode.
The larger goal that VS Mani & Co is trying to achieve is to build a global South Indian brand. “In our travels across the country, Alur, Bajaj and I noticed that there is no single brand for someone to in a grocery store for South Indian offerings. So we are trying to establish ourselves as the brand for South Indian snacks across the country and internally. Other big brands are there but they have either taken a different step or are championing convenience for South Indian cuisine. We are championing South Indian culture. If I can know what a bhujia is, why doesn’t the rest of the country know what a murukku is? That’s what we’re trying to do,” says Prasad.
There are plenty of brands selling South Indian snacks. So what has the company done to make them stand out in a heavily competitive market? “Our biggest differentiator is our brand. And the fact that we engage in cultural storytelling sets us apart. You have a ton of brands that do what we do, but every player in this space will only talk about the quality of the product.
We are selling the same product, but we are doing it via the story of our homes. Whenever you are interacting with us in any way, be it through social media or advertisements, you are figuratively transporting yourselves to south India. Our brand becomes a gateway into an insight into south India. For a South Indian, our product representation will evoke a nostalgic feeling, while others will get an accurate representation of our culture,” concludes Prasad, adding that even on a product level, the company ensures their products are made exactly how they used to do it at home but on an industrial scale.