GO DESI’s Secret Sauce: Candy Classics In Fruit Flavours To Kindle Nostalgia

The Origin Story 

The year: 2018. The month: January. While trekking the Western Ghats, Vinay Kothari, an FMCG professional, and his sister Raksha stumbled upon handmade jackfruit candies at a local store. The taste enthralled and the duo purchased 30 kg to share with the people they knew. After returning to Bengaluru, Vinay set up a stall at a flea market, and the candies were quickly sold out. Sensing a business opportunity if they could organise the highly segmented local candy market, the duo launched GO DESI that year.

The Differentiator

GO DESI has turned the spotlight on desi candies by tapping into taste-bud nostalgia. It produces lollipops made from natural ingredients such as tamarind and mangoes and sweetened with jaggery, besides paan (betel leaf)-flavoured mouth fresheners and traditional Indian sweets. Again, the D2C confectionery brand has transformed the lives and livelihoods of 200+ women working for its three manufacturing units in rural Karnataka.

The Growth

All its products are sold on the GO DESI website, ecommerce marketplaces and 45K+ offline stores, a long way from a single flea market shop where the business started. This success can be largely attributed to its signature lollipops, DESI PoPz, and the startup’s participation in Shark Tank India, a popular angel investing show. 

Its flavourful fruit lollipops remain its best-selling products and the startup sold DESI Popz to more than 5.6 Cr customers in 2023. The brand claims monthly sales of 90 Lakh+ lollipops and has recently added eight new flavours.

What’s Next

In the calendar year 2024, the brand aspires to reach a topline of INR 50 Cr. By 2025, it aims to achieve 100% YoY revenue growth and attain a topline of INR 100 Cr.