Bakery Brand The Baker’s Dozen Raises $4 Mn From Wipro Consumer Care Ventures, Others

Artisanal bakery brand The Baker’s Dozen (TBD) has secured INR 33 Cr (almost $4 Mn) in a Pre-Series A round led by Wipro Consumer Care Ventures. Mirabilis Investment Trust, She Capital and existing investor Fireside Ventures, too, invested in the round. 

Founded by Sneh Jain and Aditi Handa in 2013, the Ahmedabad-based startup is an artisanal bakery brand that operates via omnichannel mode. It offers different kinds of breads, cakes, cookies, crackers and premixes made of natural ingredients. 

In India, the startup is present in more than 40 cities, including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, etc. Alongside operating 50 brand stores, the company runs its operations by partnering with retail chains across India. 

In the online segment, TBD’s products are available on platforms such as Instamart, BlinkIt, Big Basket, Zepto, Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato, et al. 

Moving on, the startup will use funds to expand its footprint expansion beyond metro cities. In addition, the brand will also focus on enhancing the mass-premium segment of its product range. 

Speaking with Inc42, cofounder Jain said they have also set their eyes on developing distribution channels and marketing across the target cities. This includes a well-balanced blend of online and offline campaigns, aiming to fortify TBD’s market position and amplify brand visibility.

“Because we were bootstrapped for a long time, we did not focus on brand building. Our revenue generation was majorly dependent on product availability across quick-commerce apps, ecommerce apps, and retail stores. But with this funding, we are also going to consider brand building,” Jain said. 

On the investment front, Jain added that the brand secured its first funding in June 2022. It raised about INR 25 Cr (approximately $3 Mn), and the brand has witnessed 2X growth in ARR since then. 

The cofounder is also aiming to make TBD an INR 500 Cr company within five years and enter the Middle Eastern market. 

A few months ago, Bakingo, one of TBD’s competitors, secured $16 Mn in its first-ever funding round. The company intended to strengthen its distribution footprint by expanding from 75 dark kitchens to 150 and entering ten new cities.