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This is the incredible story of Yoga Bar Founders from preparing protein from their kitchens to selling their brand for 260 crores for ITC.
From starting in a kitchen to being present in 4000 stores and 8 Indian cities.
Everyone will across problems but not everyone is driven by a solution-oriented mindset. This is what makes entrepreneurs different from the rest.
How did Yoga Bar Company start
This dates to 2012 when two sisters Sushasini Sampath and Anindita Sampath were in New York.
Every morning they use to go to yoga classes. Then after the yoga class, both sisters were consuming protein bars.
So, one-day Sushasini just googled about the protein bars company. It was surprising for her that the company values over a billion.
Then Sushasini thought about this random name ” Yoga Bar”. Finally, she trademark the name so that they can make money by selling this name in the future.
They did not have any idea to start a multigrain protein bar business.
Sushasini Sampath moved back to India and started the financial outsourcing company FinAdvantage Consultancy in 2012.
FinAdvantage Consultancy worked with every other startup in Bangalore to guide them in their financial charts and files.
So, Sushasini Sampath had a wide connection with the entrepreneurs in Bangalore. As their worked company worked for Zivame, Urban Ladder, and many more.
Sushasini Sampath came into contact with an active investor named Kaval. Then she discussed the Protein Bar business and made sure he invested if the product is good.
She got a positive response from Kaval as well.
Then Sushasini and her mother started preparing homemade protein bars with their recipes. So, that they can test the product in the market.
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Yoga Bar products tested as Deepawali Gifts
Suhasini plans to gift this Proteins bars to their employees and clients on Deepwali. So, that she can get feedback on her products.
To her surprise, everyone loved the protein bars and also enquired about the protein bars.
Now, Sushasini got the trust to sell the product. She started improving the quality of the protein bars by eliminating the extra ingredients.
Even her sister Anindita Sampath in New York was also coming out with the best recipes.
So, she worked with over 150 bakers in Bengaluru. To get precise feedback, she went to many Yoga Studios and gave her protein bars. Sushasini knew if she get good feedback from here then it’s perfect to go to the market.
Yoga Bars Founders Story
Finally, in 2015 Suhasini Sampath and Anindita Sampath started the multigrain protein bar company ” Yoga Bar”.
Suhasini Sampath went to every distributor and retailer to enhance the reach of the products.
Yoga Bar started with only one product and went on with the next six years of business. The company focused on improving its products.
Even Kaval as promised made a 75 lakhs investment in the Yoga Bar company.
Yoga Bar company only focussed on offline distribution until the entry of Sushasini’s Husband Aditya Anand.
Aditya Anand had built a product consulting firm which eventually gets acquired by Practo in 2015.
Now Sushasini and Anand Aditya went on to build Yoga Bar online product lines. After coming online, Yoga Bars products had a great demand on the market and it gets sold very rapidly. It was a huge success for the Yoga Bar founders and its team
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Yoga Bar Secret Ingredients and Product Strategy
Yoga Bar founders only focussed on a single product for the first six years 2014 to 2020. They did not make any hurry to expand their product line.
Yoga Bar founders continuously took feedback from the customers and went to eliminate unwanted or extra ingredients.
As Yoga Bar is one of the healthiest products. Here are some of the explanations about Yoga Bar product’s ingredients
Yoga Bars do not contain
Preservatives
Coloring Agents
Its product called ” Breakfast Bar” which contains 8g of protein and 7g of fibre which is all enough to skip breakfast. If anyone cannot have their breakfast because of the tight schedule or meeting then they can have Yoga Bar product ” Breakfast bar”.
The company also expanded its products after six years in 2020 to
- Dark Chocolates
- Fruiternuts
- Snack Bar
- Oats
Fruiter nuts are made of diabetes they can consume without any fear. Because the products do not contain any sugar or dates.
If we talk about Yog Bar Oats then it is one of the finest products which contains
- 0% emulsifiers
- 3 times more vegetables
- No Salt
Yoga Bars products are one of the healthiest products to consume. As the founder of Yoga Bar Sushasini Sampath said ” We will not add any chemicals into our products. Even if we do not make any wrong practices to get more profits to our table.Because every day I need sleep with a positive conscious of doing good to society”.
Yoga Bar products’ shelf life is less than a year because they do not have any preservatives.
Sushasini Sampath on FMCG Business Secrets Strategy
As Sushasini had a wide range of experience in the FMCG space. So, she told that being in the health category under the food in FMCG is one of the toughest spaces to be in.
Because there is more competition and one cannot beat the traditional brands. Sushasini expressed that if she wants to build a great brand in FMCG then one has played a long game for 10 to 20 years.
She knew that her Yoga Bar products are good for her health and does not contain any chemicals. But still, it could not make any difference. This is what makes it in the FMCG space.
Yes, consumers have great trust in the old brand than in new ones. For example, Kelox Chocos contains more than 60% maida and Yoga Bar Chocos contains only millets and Dal. Also, it is a gluten-free product.
However, Kelox Chocos ended up selling more than any brand in the market.
This is the reality of the FMCG Business. This is the reason for spending a lot on branding and advertisements.
Here are some shocking facts about the Food Brands
- Manu chocolate brand does not use any milk in its manufacturing process.
- India’s biggest Pizza uses 0% cheese and replaces it with a chemical called “emulsifier”
ITC acquisition of Yoga Bar
Over the years Yoga Bar products won the trust of the consumers even without any kind of marketing. In 2022, Yoga Bar made 68 crores of revenue.
Yoga Bar founders got a great offer from the ITC to buy their brand for 260 crores. The founders joined the hand of ITC to reach the masses and made Yoga Bar a global brand.
Yoga Bar 47.5% of the shares are purchased for 80 crores and the payment will be made by March 31st, 2025. Then Primary Subscription and Secondary shares of 39.4% sold for whopping 175 crores.
Suhasini opens up about the ITC acquisition of Yoga Bar. Suhasini Sampamth was impressed with the culture of ITC management where it prioritized brand building. So, yoga bar founders including Suhasini accepted the offer to make it reach the masses.
Even Suhasini had a sleepless night for over a year because of the ITC’s due diligence process. As ITC started the process in April 2022 and it went on for almost a year to get the deal done. As the founder, Suhasini herself had a hectic task and was drained out from the strict process of the ITC.
So, this is how the Yog Bar founders went from preparing protein bars in their kitchens to selling their brand to the ITC in 2023.
This is the incredible Success story of Yoga Bar.
WEB STories
From preparing Protein Bars in Kitchen to making 260 crores
This the story of two sisters Sushasini Smapath and Anindita Sampath
These two sisters were shocked to see the value of the protein bars company which was valuing over a billion.
So they thought to start their homemade protein bar business.
Then Suhasini with the help of her mother prepared a few protein bars and gifts to her colleagues and friends.
Suhasini got a good response about the protein bars and finally got the trust to start the business.
In 2015, both sisters started the Yoga Bar company to sell the healthiest protein bars with no chemicals.
Suhasini Sampath worked with over 150 bakers in Bengaluru to improve the quality of the product.
Till 2020, this brand sold only one product and then expanded to other 3 products called Dark Chocolates, Fruiternut, and Oats.
Now the Yoga Bar is present in 4000 shops and 8 Indian cities. In 2022 it made 68 crores of business.
In 2023, it got an offer from the ITC to purchase its brand for whopping 260 crores.