In an exclusive interaction, Tarun Agrawal shared valuable insights into the evolving landscape of healthy snacking in India and the journey behind building Healthy Master into a fast-growing clean-label brand. From the rising demand for functional and millet-based snacks to the impact of consumer awareness, innovation, and omnichannel expansion, he discusses how the company is redefining nutritious snacking while staying committed to transparency, taste, and preventive wellness.
Healthy Master has emerged as a strong player in India’s healthy snacking space. Could you walk us through your journey, key milestones, and the vision behind building a clean-label brand at scale?
Healthy Master was founded with a clear mission: “To create the most respected, loved and junk-free snacking brand in the world”.
What began as a focused effort to bring natural, clean-label snacks to Indian families has grown into a brand offering 250+ SKUs made from millets, nuts, seeds, oats, and whole grains. A defining milestone was our appearance on Shark Tank India Season 2, which validated our model and sparked significant expansion across retail, HoReCa, and corporate channels. Our vision remains simple: make healthy snacking accessible to everyone, not just the urban elite.
The Indian snacking market is undergoing a major shift toward clean-label and functional foods. What is driving this transition, and how is Healthy Master aligning its product development with evolving consumer expectations?
India’s healthy snacks market stood at USD 3.91 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 6.12 billion by 2030, driven by rising health awareness. Today, 73% of Indian consumers actively demand clean-label products, 58% prefer natural ingredients and 55% avoid artificial additives. Healthy Master aligns directly with this by building a portfolio free of refined sugar, preservatives, and maida, with millets and whole grains at its core.
With a portfolio of over 250 SKUs, including millet-based snacks and ready-to-cook mixes, how do you balance nutrition, taste, and innovation while catering to a diverse and growing consumer base?
Managing 250+ SKUs means constantly listening to consumers and benchmarking taste alongside nutrition. Every product is developed to satisfy cravings while nourishing the body, our millet-based snacks, for instance, are naturally gluten-free, high in fiber, and made with 0% additives. Innovation is driven by ancient grains reimagined for modern snacking occasions, whether it’s millet chips, ready-to-cook mixes, or roasted snack formats.
You gained significant visibility after your appearance on Shark Tank India. How did this experience impact your brand’s growth trajectory, and what were the key challenges in scaling operations post the show?
Appearing on Shark Tank India proved to be a defining moment for Healthy Master. It significantly boosted consumer trust, led to a sharp increase in demand, and unlocked new opportunities across retail and corporate gifting channels.
At the same time, this rapid growth brought its own set of challenges. Scaling operations while maintaining consistency, especially in logistics, supply chain efficiency, and product freshness, required focused efforts. Post the show, the priority shifted to strengthen our operational backbone to seamlessly support expanded, pan-India delivery and sustain the momentum.
Healthy Master has built a strong omnichannel presence across D2C, retail, and corporate wellness segments. How do you strategically balance these channels to ensure consistent growth and brand visibility?
Healthy Master operates across D2C (own website and app), e-commerce platforms, retail, HoReCa, and corporate wellness, each channel serving a distinct consumer need. The D2C channel ensures brand ownership and direct consumer relationships, while corporate wellness and gifting segments open high-volume B2B opportunities. Consistency in clean-label messaging across all touchpoints ensures that regardless of channel, the brand promise remains intact.
As consumers become more health-conscious, ingredient transparency and sourcing are gaining importance. How is Healthy Master addressing this demand while maintaining quality and scalability?
As consumers increasingly scrutinize labels, Healthy Master has made transparency a non-negotiable brand pillar, clearly listing all ingredients and nutritional information on every product.
This approach has helped raise industry standards and pushed even larger FMCG players to rethink their formulations. The broader market trend supports this: brands are now adopting QR codes and digital labels to showcase sourcing, certifications, and nutritional data.
Looking ahead, what key trends do you foresee shaping India’s healthy snacking and preventive wellness market, and how is Healthy Master preparing to lead this evolution?
The next wave in Indian snacking will be defined by functional foods, preventive wellness, and personalized nutrition.
Consumers want snacks that actively support immunity, gut health, and energy. The rise of Tier-2 and Tier-3 city consumers seeking cleaner alternatives also represents a massive untapped opportunity. Healthy Master is positioned to lead this evolution by doubling down on millet innovation, expanding its D2C reach, and building deeper consumer education around the why behind every ingredient.
