Emerging start-ups of India build their success stories from exhaustively researching product–market fit. They focus on what matters most and build engaged communities. They foster awesome company cultures and are also passionate about disruption. These companies take feedback seriously and possess the grit and determination to achieve their goals with efficiency.
One such fast-growing start-up which is making a massive impact in the healthy snacks industry is none other than Mixbox. It is a snack brand manufacturing roasted snacks which are healthy yet tasty. The company uses age-old ingredients like makhana, jowar, bajra, etc., roasts them, and flavors them to make delicious yet healthy snacks in the true sense and not just as a marketing gimmick.
Some snacks, which are consumed in fried form, the company either tries to make the component ingredients healthier by using ragi, bajra, jowar, etc., or uses a healthy medium to fry them. Mixbox uses rice bran oil which is indigenously made in India and has several health benefits as well. The prime focus of the company is to make sure that the customers can truly enjoy their snacks without any worries.
Mixbox’s products are made with love in India, using all ingredients sourced from India, offering a mix box of taste and health for the world. It is currently exporting its products to the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe (UK, Germany, Norway, Netherlands), Singapore, Dubai and West Indies.
In recognition of the company’s effort to offer consumers healthy snacking options, it has been selected as one of the ‘Top 10 Best Food and Beverages Startups for 2020’ by Silicon India magazine published in Bengaluru.
“Its products are based on the philosophy of natural ingredients, minimal processing, and using the age-old wisdom about food with a modern twist”
The Focused Spearheads
The day-to-day affairs at Mixbox are managed by Mr Sanjog Jain, and Mr Sameer Goyal. Mr Pradeep Chordia is the Founding Partner who provides his guidance and support to the young entrepreneurs. Mr. Sanjog has done MBA in Marketing from Loyola College, Chennai and looks after the marketing and sales functions at Mixbox. Mr. Sameer has done MBA in Finance from IMI, New Delhi and looks after the finance and technical functions at the company.
The journey to establish this business started with the thought of offering some unique snack products to the customers, which were healthy but also tasty. By chance the team came across makhana, which is a very tasty and healthy food. Team Mixbox dug deeper to know about its health benefits and was amazed by them. Thus began the company’s R&D process and eventually, it launched its trial packs in selected markets. Buoyed by the positive feedback and response it received Mixbox launched new packaging and started expanding to newer markets.
Opinions About the Snacks Industry
Team Mixbox opines that the snacks industry in India is huge and in 2021 it had a value of around US$6.2 billion. The industry is expected to more than double to reach US$12.6 billion by 2026 aided by a growing economy, increase in the working population, and increase in spending on food among other factors. Sameer adds, “Furthermore, as we are seeing globally, there is a shift happening towards healthy eating. Even global majors are scrutinizing their portfolios to assess whether their offerings are healthy and ways to increase that”.
Standing Tall in the Industry
The company is currently bootstrapped and is growing steadily as it brought a new product to the market and consumer education takes place at a slow pace. Mixbox is growing steadily and may look for funding in the future if required.
With a dedicated and close-knit team which carries out all the tasks efficiently Mix Box follows a culture of open communication wherein it encourages its team members to own up to any mistakes they may have made without offering excuses and improve upon them. This gives them a feeling of ownership and empowerment which motivates them to work in the best manner.
Braving the Pandemic
Team Mixbox opines that the Covid – 19 pandemic impacted the business both positively and negatively. Its negative impact was only in the sense that since shops were closed, and customers could not see the products demand was affected badly. However, the pandemic also cemented the shift towards healthier eating and healthier snacking among the population at large. The company saw increased traction for its products on various online platforms.
Also, the awareness about makhana and its health benefits expanded overseas, and it exported its products to more than 10 countries during the pandemic. Mixbox received fantastic response to its products and received repeat orders from almost everywhere. This was a big validation for its products and a big motivational push for the entire team. “We now see dreams of a completely sourced and made in India product delighting consumers worldwide”, says Sameer.
Keeping Customers on Top Priority
For Mixbox, its quality – of products, of service and of work ethics – is what is helping it to not only retain existing customers, but also acquire new ones. It believes that the pandemic has impacted the customers choices and given a nudge and push towards healthy snacking. “With that acting as tailwind, our quality and service helps us achieve our business objectives of expanding”, states Sameer. The company is also working on a lot of new products which will be a win-win for all – consumers will get a wider range of healthy products and business partners like distributors will get an enhanced range which will be positive for their business.
Achieving Excellence with Efficiency
When Mixbox launched makhana as a snack, many people didn’t even know what makhana is. The people who knew makhana were very pleasantly surprised to see it being offered as a snack which could be eaten out of the packet and that too in so many flavours which they loved. Now that the awareness about makhana and its health benefits has grown manifold, the company is expanding geographically.
It is eyeing exports in a big way and is looking at some big institutional supplies as well. Mixbox is also expanding its product range to offer its consumers more and diverse options of healthy snacks. The company is using age-old and nutritionally dense ingredients like bajra, jowar, etc., and is creating delicious snacks out of them. It believes that all these efforts would help it to scale the business.
Mixbox has been consistent in quality and fair in business dealings thereby earning the trust of its vendors, partners, and consumers. From trial offering the products to having a presence in markets of Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Calcutta and many more Mix Box has carved a niche in the food industry. It is tapping the modern trade channel to increase its reach further and to take it pan-India. The team is keen on exploring the online channel and the distribution channel to increase its presence in new geographies.
Offering Nutrition in a Platter
Keeping the health of the consumers in perspective, Mixbox offers a wide range of roasted snacks to them. Its products are based on the philosophy of natural ingredients, minimal processing, and using the age-old wisdom about food with a modern twist to offer innovative snack products to the consumers.
Some of its various offerings include different variants of makhana, roasted items (chana, peanuts, soya puff, and so on), roasted mixtures, healthy chips, and a lot more.
Overcoming Challenges to Deliver the Best Products
Team Mixbox has faced various challenges while running this business – some regular, some unusual. When it launched makhana in the form of a snack, the awareness about makhana was very low and educating the people in the right manner was a big challenge for the entire team.
As the company slowly and steadily grew with time, the pandemic struck, and business was impacted. However, despite all the odds, Mixbox has managed to face and grow out of the different challenges thrown its way.
Marching Ahead Confidently
With its eyes set on the future, Mixbox aims to become the brand of choice for healthy snacks for consumers all over India. It also wants to represent India and its food value systems and wisdom globally. The company intends to earn a mark of respect for its brand for representing those values genuinely and really offering the intended benefit to the consumer.
