It was while the advertising agency he ran was chalking out a campaign for a bottled sugarcane drink in 2017 that Vipul Gambhir, first thought of the idea for what was to become Yummiano. "I had been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver and suddenly a lot of my favourite foods were no longer allowed by my doctor. That's when I first thought of a range of snacks that I would enjoy, and which my doctor would let me have," recalls the Business Head of the Delhi-based premium health snacks brand.
It was in 2020, when business was slow during the pandemic and he found more time than he knew what to do with, that Gambhir revisited that idea, tying up with a third-generation traditional snacks manufacturer and a sales expert to launch the brand.
"I had already done research on my own and had tracked consumer trends in health and food, and knew what the market was missing. We are the first company in India to have chips made out of rajma, brown rice, and moong dal, as well as use of new methods, like vacuum cooking for the already present banana, kathal and our upcoming beetroot snacks, which are available in a large variety of flavours," he explains.
While doing his research, Gambhir says he found that Indian consumers fall broadly into three categories: "First are the everyday foodies, who will buy any items that are tasty, hygienic, and reasonably priced. The second are the health-conscious who will be very strict about how and what they eat and not touch anything with the word 'fried' or 'sweetened' in it, even if those words are preceded by 'shallow' or 'slightly'.
And the third is a huge proportion in the millennial demographic, who are becoming more conscious about how they eat, and not what they eat."
It is these people, following 'mindful snacking' (as it is popularly known in the West) as opposed to ‘guilt-free' snacking (which Gambhir believes is what’s currently en vogue in India), whom Yummiano hopes to target.
"Mindful eaters are okay with eating something fried or sweet, because they balance out their diets, whether it’s by paying equal importance to actual nutrients, or mixing their snacks with something healthy for them as well," shares Gambhir.
Indeed, it is after extensive research and development that the brand has come out with a range of snacks that use 70 per cent less oil. The products are chemical and preservative-free, and the brand also has vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO options.
Presently available at premium grocery stores in Delhi-NCR and Punjab (though Amazon and other e-tailers), Gambhir says Yummiano products will be on shelves across India by July. "We were ready to roll out in Maharashtra and other regions in March-April, but the lockdown happened," informs Gambhir, adding that the brand is also in talks with companies in the Middle East and the US.
"The thing is no matter what foreign companies say about how much they want to do business with us, they still look at a Made in India product as low quality. With Yummiano, we want to prove the opposite," signs off Gambhir.