Agritech Startup Fragaria Raises $2 Mn To Sell Fresh Fruits

SUMMARY

The funding round was led by WEH Ventures, with participation from Rainmatter, Spiral Ventures, and Akshayakalpa Organic founder Sashi Kumar

The capital will be deployed in scaling its production in Bengaluru by increasing daily output to 120-150 kg from 2-3 kg

Fragaria Fruits sells its produce under the brand ‘Oh! Fruits’, offering European strawberries grown in Chennai with advanced vertical farming technology

Chennai-based agritech startup Fragaria Fruits has secured $2 Mn (INR 17.66 Cr) in its seed funding round led by WEH Ventures, with participation from Rainmatter, Spiral Ventures, and angel investor Akshayakalpa Organic founder and chief executive Sashi Kumar.

In a statement, the startup said it will deploy the capital to scale its production in Bengaluru by increasing daily output to 120-150 kg from 2-3 kg and expand its portfolio to include blueberries and raspberries.

Additionally, this capital will support Fragaria Fruits in providing year-round supply of high-quality, sustainable produce to the Indian market, it added.

Founded in 2024 by Harish Varadharajan, Timothy Chad Van Niekerk, and Damian López-Salazar, who have a collective experience of 25 years in the agricultural industry across the globe, Fragaria Fruits aims to address the issue of unavailability of premium-quality, consistent fruits to Indian consumers throughout the year.

It claims to use sustainable farming techniques to address this problem. The startup claims to grow “premium strawberries” throughout the year through practices like controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) and vertical farming.

Fragaria Fruits sells its produce under the brand ‘Oh! Fruits’, which offers European strawberries grown in Chennai with advanced vertical farming technology. It claims that these strawberries are twice as sweet as conventional Indian varieties, pesticide-free, and have a shelf life 3X longer than the ones available in the market locally today.

The funding comes at a time when a number of agritech startups are using innovative farming practices to provide pesticide-free produce, as demand for organic vegetables, fruits, and grains has been rising rapidly with the increase in the country.

According to a study by IMARC Group, India’s agritech market is projected to reach a size of $6.2 Bn by 2033 from $878.1 Mn in 2024, clocking a CAGR of 10.93%, led by the growing demand for sustainable practices in the agriculture sector.

To capitalise on this opportunity, investors are actively backing startups operating in this sector. For instance, Two Brothers Organic Farms raised INR 110 Cr yesterday to expand its manufacturing capabilities and international reach.