Happilo International expands operations in Bangalore

Happilo International expands eCommerce and modern trade operations in Bangalore, post their recent investment from A91 Partners. The brand is a leading conglomerate of healthy snacking in India, successfully amalgamating 'happiness' and 'love' into a forerunning motto for the organization's patrons.

The brand's offerings currently consist of dried fruits, nuts, berries, trail mixes, fusion packs, seeds, a variety of gift hampers, and a multitude of healthy snacking alternatives to regular processed foods. It was incepted in the year 2016 with Vikas Nahar at the forefront of the venture. The son of a farmer in Sakleshpur, Malnad, who owned several coffee estates, Vikas was exposed to agricultural practices from a young age. Along his journey in retail, he identified the dearth of healthy snacking options in India and the disorganization of the sector, and that is where he recognized the need for a brand like Happilo.

Today, with the pandemic having shaken various business streams tremendously, consumers are striving to change their consumption patterns to find healthier alternatives. Along with healthy options, they are also making conscious decisions to identify sustainable solutions for their daily food requirements. Working from home and being confined to four walls during the nationwide lockdown surely opened consumers' eyes worldwide to a very real difference we can make with small steps of consciousness.

Along with sustainability and nutrition, another major concern is 'food safety and hygiene. The wariness for produce entering someone's household is at an all-time high, and the paranoia will not die down anytime soon. Happilo works on a farm-to-fork model where the path through which the entire produce collected from across the supply chain is completely transparent and easy to map out. Additionally, and most importantly, there is no intervention of human contact with the produce during the post-production processes in any manner. The commercialization of the process has become a necessity, and for FBOs to fulfill FSSAI guidelines, each step of the process has been mechanized. All processing steps, right from separation, cleaning and washing to drying and packaging, have specialized machines ensuring the correct handling of the nuts and fruits.

Using optical sorting techniques, all dry fruits and nuts are segregated according to their color and appearance. Grading machines allow them to be graded as per their sizes. The machines are of SS304 and SS316 grades, which are the highest quality stainless steel and hence, no chances for contamination. These machines are sanitized regularly and make use of only potable water along each step of the way. There is no human contact along the production line, which ensures the non-contamination of the products while maintaining optimum nutritional value. Additionally, safe, sterile packing into food-safe packaging containers and materials only increases the value and shelf-life of the product.

It is essential for organizations like Happilo to meet and exceed every requirement concerning operational and hygiene practices. Using the advancements of technology and interspersing them with daily processes is a required adage. Happilo's offerings are nutritiously rich and essential for individuals to consume in times of an overriding pandemic. Having an assurance from the brand on sustainable and safe practices is an incentive for consumers to purchase products from nationally and internationally acclaimed organizations.

Founder Vikas Nahar commented, "Through product awareness, the propagation of a healthy lifestyle, and a comprehensive business model, our brand looks forward to promoting its message ardently. The brand is looking forward to expanding further from its one manufacturing unit in Bangalore and using the capital received to expand operations across the entire functional chain. The up comings for Happilo comprise brand collaborations, expansion of functions, products and product ranges, and an avid focus on farmer empowerment through their operations and supply chain."

Rajiv Singh, marketing head of Happilo, commented on the expansion plans for the brand, "We are due to launch our eCommerce website soon and are additionally working on a holistic D2C business module, as reaching out to our consumers directly is of paramount importance. Apart from the in-house expansions and changes, we are also looking at partnering with more channel partners and increasing our presence online tremendously. Our aim for Happilo is to make it a 500 crore brand, and our vision is not far off from its goal."