Consumer Foods Brand Yu raises US 1 Mn from Asian Paints Promoters HNIs
NEW DELHI Oct 22 2021 PRNewswire — Yu a consumer brand that is re-imagining consumer packaged foods with their 100 natural Instant Meal Bowls has secured USD 1 million in its pre-Series A round The round saw participation from Manish Choksi and Varun Vakil part of the Asian Paints promoter group Lalvani family UK-based food hospitality group Nikhil Srivastava Head of India at PAG private equity Vishal Sampat Founder Convonix among others Founded by Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur Yu has crafted a range of delicious Instant Meal Bowls that contain ZERO preservatives additives artificial flavourings or colours Developed using highly advanced lyophilization technology chef-curated recipes and 100 natural ingredients Yus meal bowls retain their original taste and aroma while enjoying a non-refrigerated shelf life of 12 months All its products can be prepared in under 4 minutes by simply adding hot water with zero cooking and hassle-free preparation Inspired by the 2020 Nasa SpaceX mission Yu uses advanced bio-chemistry processes that avoid denaturation caused by conventional dehydration and allows foods to retain their original taste aroma and texture upon rehydration Importantly non-usage of direct heat in the process helps foods retain their nutrients making the product line healthier than conventional packaged foods All products are prepared and packaged at Yus fully integrated 12000 sq ft advanced state-of-art commercial scale food-lab in Gurgaon India Bharat Bhalla Founder Executive Director Yu Foodlabs said We have combined the most advanced food science technology with culinary arts to re-imagine the future of packaged foods Our Instant Meal Bowls are packed with gourmet flavours and nutrients while using ZERO preservatives or artificial ingredients The use of proprietary processes has enabled us to launch our products at an attractive price point of INR 75-100 per bowl We are adopting an omnichannel sales strategy and in due course will be present in offline and online stores pan-India Varun Kapur Founder Executive Director Yu Foodlabs shared his excitement on securing the seed funding It has been heartening to receive a very tangible vote of confidence from an eminent set of investors in our pre-launch stage We have partnered with high pedigree investors with backgrounds in consumer brands private equity hospitality technology and digital marketing We will use the funds to increase our production capacity to over 5 lac meal bowls per month while expanding our distribution network to key markets across India Yu has introduced 6 SKUs across 2 unique product categories to begin with a Wholesome Pasta Bowls Chunky Tomato Three Cheese Peri Peri b Wholegrain Oat Bowls Berry Apple Cinnamon Banana Caramel Peanut Butter Berry The product portfolio will soon see multiple additions with the introduction of Dessert Bowls Veg Non-Veg Asian Noodle Bowls and Superfood Breakfast Bowls Yus products are available at 100 retail outlets across Delhi NCR including Reliance Spencers SPAR Modern Bazar Needs Supermarket along with an online presence on Big Basket and Swiggy Yus products can also be purchased by customers pan-India through Amazon Flipkart Cora Health as well as the brands website wwwyufoodlabscom The brand aims to establish an offline presence in Mumbai MMR East North East by Jan 2022 followed by all other metro cities in 9-12 months About Yu Foodlabs Ikayu Foodlabs Pvt Ltd brand name Yu has crafted a wide range of delicious Instant Meal Bowls that contain ZERO preservatives additives artificial flavourings or colours Developed using advanced lyophilization technology artisan recipes and natural ingredients only Yus meal bowls retain their original taste and aroma The culinary team at Yu uses only the most fresh ingredients to create wholesome nutritious meals with unbeatable flavors All products have a non-refrigerated shelf life of 12 months and can be consumed by anyone anytime anywhere The Founders Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur incubated Ikayu Foodlabs as part of 3015 Venture Studio their entrepreneurship hub that conceives funds launches disruptive consumer businesses PWR PWR
NEW DELHI Oct 22 2021 PRNewswire — Yu a consumer brand that is re-imagining consumer packaged foods with their 100 natural Instant Meal Bowls has secured USD 1 million in its pre-Series A round The round saw participation from Manish Choksi and Varun Vakil part of the Asian Paints promoter group Lalvani family UK-based food hospitality group Nikhil Srivastava Head of India at PAG private equity Vishal Sampat Founder Convonix among others Founded by Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur Yu has crafted a range of delicious Instant Meal Bowls that contain ZERO preservatives additives artificial flavourings or colours Developed using highly advanced lyophilization technology chef-curated recipes and 100 natural ingredients Yus meal bowls retain their original taste and aroma while enjoying a non-refrigerated shelf life of 12 months All its products can be prepared in under 4 minutes by simply adding hot water with zero cooking and hassle-free preparation Inspired by the 2020 Nasa SpaceX mission Yu uses advanced bio-chemistry processes that avoid denaturation caused by conventional dehydration and allows foods to retain their original taste aroma and texture upon rehydration Importantly non-usage of direct heat in the process helps foods retain their nutrients making the product line healthier than conventional packaged foods All products are prepared and packaged at Yus fully integrated 12000 sq ft advanced state-of-art commercial scale food-lab in Gurgaon India Bharat Bhalla Founder Executive Director Yu Foodlabs said We have combined the most advanced food science technology with culinary arts to re-imagine the future of packaged foods Our Instant Meal Bowls are packed with gourmet flavours and nutrients while using ZERO preservatives or artificial ingredients The use of proprietary processes has enabled us to launch our products at an attractive price point of INR 75-100 per bowl We are adopting an omnichannel sales strategy and in due course will be present in offline and online stores pan-India Varun Kapur Founder Executive Director Yu Foodlabs shared his excitement on securing the seed funding It has been heartening to receive a very tangible vote of confidence from an eminent set of investors in our pre-launch stage We have partnered with high pedigree investors with backgrounds in consumer brands private equity hospitality technology and digital marketing We will use the funds to increase our production capacity to over 5 lac meal bowls per month while expanding our distribution network to key markets across India Yu has introduced 6 SKUs across 2 unique product categories to begin with a Wholesome Pasta Bowls Chunky Tomato Three Cheese Peri Peri b Wholegrain Oat Bowls Berry Apple Cinnamon Banana Caramel Peanut Butter Berry The product portfolio will soon see multiple additions with the introduction of Dessert Bowls Veg Non-Veg Asian Noodle Bowls and Superfood Breakfast Bowls Yus products are available at 100 retail outlets across Delhi NCR including Reliance Spencers SPAR Modern Bazar Needs Supermarket along with an online presence on Big Basket and Swiggy Yus products can also be purchased by customers pan-India through Amazon Flipkart Cora Health as well as the brands website wwwyufoodlabscom The brand aims to establish an offline presence in Mumbai MMR East North East by Jan 2022 followed by all other metro cities in 9-12 months About Yu Foodlabs Ikayu Foodlabs Pvt Ltd brand name Yu has crafted a wide range of delicious Instant Meal Bowls that contain ZERO preservatives additives artificial flavourings or colours Developed using advanced lyophilization technology artisan recipes and natural ingredients only Yus meal bowls retain their original taste and aroma The culinary team at Yu uses only the most fresh ingredients to create wholesome nutritious meals with unbeatable flavors All products have a non-refrigerated shelf life of 12 months and can be consumed by anyone anytime anywhere The Founders Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur incubated Ikayu Foodlabs as part of 3015 Venture Studio their entrepreneurship hub that conceives funds launches disruptive consumer businesses PWR PWR
