Mensa Brands acquires majority stake in gardening solutions brand TrustBasket

Mensa Brands has invested in homegrown online gardening solutions brand, TrustBasket.

Founded in 2015 by Santhosh Appaji, Santhosh Kumar N and Shekar N, TrustBasket offers a range of gardening solutions catering to different consumer segments — from gardening kits for hobbyists to compost makers and specialised soils for professionals.

TrustBasket’s products are available on its D2C website, Amazon, and other ecommerce platforms. Since its inception, the startup has served over 1.2 million customers, the company said in a statement. 

“As a unique, consumer-centric brand, TrustBasket is an exciting new addition to our digital-first portfolio of brands and marks our first investment in the home gardening space,” said Ananth Narayanan, Founder and CEO of Mensa Brands.

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“We believe this partnership has immense potential. Together we will cater to the end-to-end needs of new-age gardeners to help them experience the joy of gardening. We have charted out a five-year strategic plan for the brand and with our expertise in building digital-first brands. I am confident that TrustBasket will be a household name, known for its strong community and customer experience,” he added. 

Mensa Brands is building a tech-led house of brands by investing in and scaling up digital-first brands across diverse categories including fashion and apparel, home and garden, beauty, and personal care.

“TrustBasket’s journey started with a few friends coming together and working towards filling a gap in the market. In the last six years, we have witnessed rapid growth, serving more than a million consumers with our high-quality products,” said Santhosh Appaji, Co-founder, TrustBasket. 

“With Mensa team’s support, TrustBasket will be able to consolidate the domestic market and expand our reach to international markets.”

This is the third acquisition Mensa has made in 2022 after leather brand Estalon and aromatherapy D2C brand Florona.