Marico acquires a majority 54% stake in digital-first healthy breakfast & snacks brand 'True Elements'

FMCG major Marico on Monday said that it had acquired a majority 54 per cent stake in a clean label certified healthy breakfast & snacks brand, 'True Elements' for an undisclosed amount.

The company in a statement said, "it has made a strategic investment in HW Wellness Solutions Private Limited with the acquisition of a 54 per cent equity stake through primary infusion and secondary buy-outs. It added, "the existing leadership team will continue to run the brand independently and build synergies."

The transaction will expand Marico's presence in the healthy foods segment and accelerate its digital transformation journey by adding another digital-first brand with a strong and differentiated proposition in its portfolio.

Co-founded by Puru Gupta and Sreejith Moolayil, HW Wellness Solutions Private Limited owns True Elements, a clean label, digital-first brand playing in the rapidly growing healthy breakfast and snacks segment in India.

True Elements is India's only food brand to be certified in both Clean Label & 100% Wholegrain. It is anchored on providing "Food that DOES NOT LIE to you" and promises 0% preservatives, 0% chemicals & 0% added sugar in its offerings. It offers a wide range of 70+ products spanning across categories of Western breakfast (Oats, Muesli, Granola, Flakes), Indian breakfast (Poha, Upma, Dosa), and Snacks (Roasted seeds, Seed mixes, Raw seeds) amongst others. Currently available in over 90 online platforms and in over 12,000 retail outlets, True Elements plans to significantly ramp up its offline presence over the next few years.

Saugata Gupta, MD and CEO, Marico Limited, said, "True Elements is another step towards expanding our total addressable market in the healthy foods segment. We believe the ethos of the brand complements the purpose that drives Marico. The exciting range of products brings to life the rare and virtuous blend of quality, taste and health at the right price. This adds another digital-first brand in our portfolio, which not only has a distinct proposition but also exhibits strong fundamentals along with a growing digital and offline presence."

Puru Gupta, CEO and Co-founder, True Elements, said, "We are delighted to have entered a strategic partnership with Marico. As a brand, True Elements has always focused on staying True across all its touchpoints- including Purpose, People, Product and Planet, and we are glad to have found a partner who echoes this way of thinking. True Elements built its first phase of growth behind a portfolio of innovative Clean Food and building high consumer trust- while we continue to push the bar on those, our next phase will be focused on long term brand building and accelerating our entry into newer households"

Sreejith Moolayil, COO and Co-founder, True Elements, said, "In addition to value systems, we see strong synergies with Marico in terms of our aspirations for the brand and are confident that this partnership will only make our promise of providing clean, healthy & no-nonsense food much stronger."

HW Wellness is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra. Here is the details of the last 3 years' turnover:

• FY 2021-22: Rs 54.3 crore (unaudited)
• FY 2020-21: Rs 36.3 crore
• FY 2019-20: Rs 16.5 crore