[Funding alert] Organic baby food startup Tiny Spoons raises Rs 2 Cr from angel investors

Mumbai-based Tiny Spoons raised Rs 2 crore from a bunch of angel investors including Anil Joshi, Managing Partner of Unicorn India Ventures; Paresh Kariya, an early-stage investor in Naaptol; Drums International HNI investor Harsha Vijay, and others.

The startup will use the fresh funds to launch new flavours and products, improve its distribution and presence in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, create brand and product awareness, and strengthen its sales team.

Started in 2018 by Dharmesh Ratanghayra, Tiny Spoons specialises in organic baby food products and sells EU-certified organic ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable purees.

While living in Europe, Dharmesh and his wife Manisha Sharma could easily source organic food purees for their daughter Nishka. However, on their occasional visits to India, they realised there was a lack of nutritional, healthy, and organic choices for little ones.

Dharmesh said it was a "mix of Swades moment and an opportunity to really make a difference" that led him to leave his job in December 2016.

He then spent two years visiting organic farmers in India and talking to parents. Eventually, the duo developed recipes with the help of food technologists in Europe to cater to Indian kids. 

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Tiny Spoons claims that its purees are free of preservatives, artificial flavours, pesticides, and GM ingredients with no added sugar, salt or water. They come in easy to carry pouches and are in two flavours - plum-prune, and blueberry, banana, apple, and strawberry.

"Our food is 100 percent prepared in Europe under the stringent EU-Organic certifications, and our packaging is convenient and BPA-free," said Dharmesh.

Tiny Spoons' purees are available offline as well as online. It is available at Mothercare, Godrej Nature’s Basket, Food Hall, Namdharis, Le Marche, MK Retail, and other premium retail stores. It is also listed on platforms like Amazon, FirstCry, Big Basket, Snapdeal, Flipkart, etc. 

“The whole idea is to break the pattern of fussy eating and provide healthier food alternatives to babies and kids," said Dharmesh.

(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)

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