Making plant and Himalayan herb-based nutrition and wellness supplements

Founders Vaibhav Raghuvanshi and Suditi Sharma wanted to bring vegetarian nutritional supplements to the Indian market and were inspired by traditional remedies derived from Himalayan herbs and plants.

While nearly 500 Mn Indians are vegetarian, many of them require supplements to tackle deficiency in Omega 3-6-9, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, vitamin E, protein and other nutrients. This results in several ailments such as weak bones, joint pain, fatigue, hair loss, depression, weak vision, memory loss, anaemia, poor immune system among others. Raghuvanshi said as someone diagnosed with a deficiency of Vitamin D3, his search for nutritional supplements led him to see that the only vegetarian options available in India had to be imported. The ones available in the market were derived either from animals or available as gelatin (non-vegetarian source) capsules. While importing helped him temporarily, it still was a major pain point which led to the launch of Himalayan Organics in 2019.

Himalayan Organics claims it clocked a GMV of INR 21 Cr in FY21, and is on track to finish FY22 with an ARR of INR 50 Cr. It claims to have served over a million customers through its website, presence on marketplaces as well as through more than 300 retail outlets in over seven countries.

The primary USP of Himalayan Organics’ products is that they are derived from plants and herbs that are native to the Himalayas in India and neighbouring countries. The startup is targeting urban millennials and generation Z consumers that are becoming more conscious of clean labels and animal cruelty with its 100% vegetarian range.

The startup claims its flagship products include the plant-based Vitamin D3 supplements, vegan Omega 3-6-9 supplements as well as ginsengbased products. Having expanded its product lineup to cater to ‘head-to-toe’ wellness, the company also introduced dietary and nutritional consultation through a team of certified dieticians. Today, it sells health as well as beauty supplements for men and women.

The short term plans include solidifying the brand recall and adding more categories of products that are aligned with the natural health, beauty and wellness vision of the founders. There is plenty of competition in the vegan and veg nutraceuticals space in India and the global market for the same is also expanding beyond Western markets. The company has set itself a target of serving 3 Mn customers by 2022, and hopes to increase this to 20 Mn by the end of 2025.