From baking treats for his daughter to building a guilt-free food chain: How Sandeep Jangala is scaling Yummy Bee

When entrepreneur Sandeep Jangala began experimenting with healthier baking at home, he wasn’t thinking about launching a food startup—he was thinking about his daughter.

“I like baking and cooking,” the founder of Yummy Bee says. “When my daughter was born, I wanted to make sure that whatever I baked for her was a better version with less sugar, no maida, but still something she would enjoy. That’s really where this whole journey started.”

That journey was closely shaped by his wife and co-founder Sonia Lamba, whose own health experience influenced the direction of the recipes. After the birth of their daughter, Sonia says she became more conscious of gut health and food sensitivities, prompting the couple to rethink how desserts were made at home.

“Sandeep was always very good at baking, especially desserts — I would always eat what he made, particularly his tiramisu,” Sonia says. “When our daughter was born, I had gone through a physical transformation and learned more about my gut health and food allergies. So when he started baking for her, we made sure everything was sugar-free and without maida. She loved it, and that’s when we realised there was potential to build something from this.”

Around the same time, their previous venture was being acquired, creating what Sonia describes as a natural opening to start afresh. The couple began with a small cloud kitchen focused on healthier desserts. That experiment has since grown into Yummy Bee, under parent company VLOGS Food Private Limited. Founded in 2022, the company now operates cafés and cloud kitchens in Hyderabad and Bengaluru serving sugar-free and gluten-free meals and desserts.

Growth, however, has brought operational challenges. Jangala notes that expanding into new cities required navigating varying regulatory norms and paperwork, while maintaining consistency has been an ongoing focus.

“Major challenges lie in operations — making sure SOPs are followed uniformly, monitoring product quality, and ensuring service standards remain the same across stores,” she says.

Today, Yummy Bee reports annual run rate of about Rs 35 crore, has raised two funding rounds, and is continuing its expansion, positioning itself within India’s growing demand for health-focused food options. 

There are 17 kitchens in total, of which 10 are cafes and 7 are cloud kitchens. The company claims to be at 15% net profitability at store level.

Reliance Consumer Products acquires Southern Health Foods to boost millet portfolio

---

Reliance Consumer Products acquires Southern Health Foods to boost millet portfolio

A founder shaped by tech, fitness and food

Jangala’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2013 with a government ERP solutions company, which he grew into a Rs 50 crore enterprise before pivoting into a tech-enabled fitness and nutrition platform.

That venture was later acquired by the Apollo Group in 2021–22.

His relationship with nutrition goes even further back. A former India Under-19 cricketer, Jangala grew up closely working with nutritionists and understanding how food affects performance.

“I’ve always been in the fitness and nutrition ecosystem,” he says. “So when we decided to enter food, the goal was clear — create products people could eat every day without guilt, but without sacrificing taste.”

He saw a gap in the market: healthy alternatives existed, but consumers rarely stuck with them.

“People want to eat better,” he explains. “But if taste is compromised, it’s not sustainable. We wanted to eliminate that trade-off.”

From cloud desserts to a full cafe experience

Yummy Bee initially launched as a cloud kitchen focused solely on sugar-free desserts. Physical cafes weren’t part of the original plan. But customer behaviour quickly reshaped the business.

“People started asking for food, for coffee, for a place to sit,” Jangala says. “Everything we’ve built has evolved based on how customers visualised our brand.”

One turning point came unexpectedly. A mother approached the team asking if they could create pasta and pizza for her eight-year-old daughter, who had severe celiac disease and couldn’t eat outside food.

“We made it as a birthday gift,” Jangala recalls. “That was our first non-dessert product — and it opened our eyes to what this space could become.”

Today, Yummy Bee offers a broad menu spanning desserts, hot meals, and beverages designed around sugar-free and gluten-free principles. 

Typically desserts are priced at Rs 200-250 with some of its premium selection products like its best seller san sebastian cheese cake at Rs 350. San Sebastian cheesecake is famous for its unique "burnt," crustless, rustic look, intensely caramelied top. Food ranges from Rs 250-500 depending on category. Like baked fries could be 220 vs salads/rice bowls at 350 and pizzas at 450.

Its customer base reflects that positioning. Mothers and children form a core audience, but the cafes often see three generations dining together.

“We’ve had grandparents enjoying desserts they couldn’t eat before because of diabetes,” he says. “That’s when you realise the emotional impact of what you’re building.”

An R&D-driven food company

Behind Yummy Bee’s menu is a heavy investment in research and development.

The company operates a 4,000 sq ft R&D facility in Hyderabad staffed by around 40 chefs and nutritionists. Every product undergoes months of testing before launch.

“Our benchmark is simple,” Jangala says. “If you close your eyes and eat the product, you shouldn’t feel it’s a guilt-free alternative. And we always ask — would we serve this to our own families?”

“That process can take anywhere between three to six months per product. The goal is not just substitution, but parity — recreating indulgent flavours with healthier inputs,” he adds.

Current R&D efforts include millet-based croissants, sourdough burgers, and low-calorie beverages that deliver familiar taste with significantly reduced sugar content.

Scaling operations and expansion plans

The company reports strong same-store growth, with existing outlets seeing a 170% rise in sales over the past year.

On the funding front, Yummy Bee has raised a Rs 7 crore seed round followed by a Rs 19 crore Series A. A larger round is planned within the next six months to fuel rapid expansion.

The immediate goal is to scale to around 22 outlets by March, eventually targeting 50 stores across cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai. If executed as planned, Jangala expects the business to reach a Rs 150–200 crore run rate within 18 months.

Looking ahead, Yummy Bee is exploring niche sub-brands including millet-based burgers, donuts, and pizza concepts.

For him, the mission remains personal.