Happilo aspires to cross the Rs 1,000-crore mark in CY23: Vikas Nahar

Premium dry fruit brand, Happilo, was formed out of CEO Vikas Nahar’s vision to build one of India’s leading suppliers of calorie-conscious, premium nutrient-rich snacks, in 2016. Today, it is an omnichannel healthy snack brand providing a range of food products to customers, including dates, seeds, dried fruits, nuts, berries, and trail mixes, and is the category leader in the country.

The brand has recorded a 4X growth in the post pandemic times. Before expanding its footprint globally, Happilo has reimagined its brand identity and has been steadfast in its portfolio expansion and marketing through multiple partnerships with popular entities. With the launch of Happilo healthy dryfruit bar in six flavours, the brand is making its way into the dryfruit bars segment as part of its product portfolio diversification.

In conversation with Adgully, Vikas Nahar, Founder & CEO. Happilo, reveals how the brand is more focused on capturing the large unorganized dry fruit market greater than increasing share in the organised sector. Excerpts -

How is Happilo expanding globally?

We are actively expanding our footprint in the global markets this year to make Happilo a global brand. We plan to start our operations in MENA, South East Asia, and European markets as well.

What is your strategy to target the unorganised dry fruit sector?

Happilo offers healthy, delectable products familiar to the Indian taste palate, which can be consumed through the day. Our strategy is to be present wherever our consumers are, thereby enabling trial and conversion.

To tap the unorganised market, we are strengthening our presence in GT and MT for our products to be available in more than 50,000 outlets in the coming year. We have launched lower unit packs (LUPs), which serve as low entry barriers and induce trials. We are also exploring new distribution channels like HoReCa, and airports to launch our products. Our own experience centres would also be launched soon, where customers can visit and sample our products.

How is Happilo adapting and catering to the evolving consumer needs? What are the new products that the brand is launching?

Post-pandemic, there has been a shift in consumer preferences and the segment of mindful eaters has increased significantly. At Happilo, we have always been cognizant of the ever-evolving demands of our consumers. We are diversifying our product portfolio to launch products that include dry fruits as the base ingredient.

We are launching a range of peanut butter with the assurance that it has no-added sugar, is high on protein, and is cholesterol-free. We are also launching dry fruit bars, which are suitable for kids and do not contain oats and synthetic protein to match the Indian taste palate.

What are the marketing strategies that the brand is undertaking to promote its products?

Building a strong brand presence is essential for acquiring customers and is our area of focus. We have been aggressive with our marketing strategies to build brand awareness in our core audience. We invest in building high decibel campaigns for TV, print, digital and other ATL platforms; run a large scale of influencer-led campaigns and entered into multiple exclusive partnerships with popular entities like Disney & Marvel, IPL, Pro Kabaddi, Femina Miss India. etc.

What are the exclusive partnerships that you have formed?

We are the title sponsors of Rajasthan Royals, the IPL cricket team. We have also tied up with Marvel & Disney for launching product range in collaboration with them.

What are your expansion and growth plans?

For Happilo, distribution is the key factor for our growth, and we plan to be present at all possible touch points, both online and offline. Currently, our products were available primarily in metro and Tier 1 cities. We are now exploring market penetration in Tier 2 and 3 cities as well. We are also launching our exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) at select airports and malls and opening franchise stores to get stronger visibility for the brand. From being a D2C brand, it is imperative for us to move to an omnichannel network. We plan to launch 100 stores at high footfall malls, high streets, and key airports across India by 2023.

What was the kind of traction that the brand saw in 2021?

2021 has been a fantastic year for Happilo as our revenue grew 4x. The brand’s presence increased exponentially as we are present in more than 50 e-commerce marketplaces, 10,000+ GT and MT stores, in 20+ cities in India. We continue to see exceptional growth in CY22 and aspire to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark in CY23.

How have consumer attitudes evolved towards the dry fruit segment in India?

Wellness and maintaining good health have become the focal points post-pandemic with more people adopting healthier lifestyle and eating habits. F&B accounts for 30% out of the total demand for FMCG category as consumers are always searching for healthy snacking options that combine health and taste offered in a packet. Organised dry fruits market players offer great alternative to bridge that gap.

How is it different from its competitors in the market?

We are focussed more on the capturing the large unorganised dry fruit market than increasing share in the organised sector. Happilo is a premium brand in the category because we don’t use trans-fat. Our snacks are not fried, they are gluten-free, with no preservatives, no added sugar, no genetically modified organism, and have zero cholesterol. All this makes us the preferred consumer choice as our offerings are not just high on health and nutrition but also great in taste.