In India’s highly competitive food and beverage landscape, collaborations between brands have emerged as a powerful growth strategy. From quick-service restaurants to coffee chains, food brands are increasingly joining forces with popular consumer products, entertainment franchises, and lifestyle labels to create innovative, limited-edition offerings. These partnerships not only help brands capture consumer attention and boost footfall but also drive product innovation, enhance engagement, and strengthen long-term profitability. With a growing appetite among Gen Z and millennial audiences for new experiences, collaborations are emerging a key lever for differentiation and sustained growth in the Indian market.  

Coming up with collaborations

Food brands track evolving consumer trends, emerging lifestyle preferences, and brand synergies that align with their positioning. Collaborations are identified based on relevance to the audience and the ability to create excitement around the brand.

“We evaluate opportunities where both brands can co-create value, whether through limited-time offerings, product innovations, or experiential campaigns, ensuring that every partnership resonates with our consumers and strengthens Barista’s brand connect,” shared Rajat Agrawal, CEO, Barista Coffee

“We look for partners who share our philosophy of creating moments of happiness for consumers. The idea is always to find a natural synergy between our donuts and brands that bring excitement, fun, and freshness to everyday life,” added Tarak Bhattacharya, CEO & Executive Director, Mad Over Donuts

Driving sales and visibility through co-branded partnerships

Collaborations that merge brand identity and create co-branded products have proven highly effective for food brands.

In July, Burger King collaborated with Nestlé’s KitKat to introduce the BK Fusion dessert range, featuring BK Fusion KitKat Shake and BK Fusion KitKat Sundae.

“It’s our way of bringing more variety, indulgence, and fun to the dessert menu. The creamy-chocolaty combo is a flavour we believed would instantly connect with our audience and keep them coming back for more,” expressed  Kapil Grover, Chief Marketing Officer, Burger King India.

Baskin Robbins India collaborated with the Smurfs movie franchise to launch a new blue-themed ice cream flavor, Splish Splash, accompanied by in-store games and Smurfs merchandise. This limited-edition rollout was supported by in-store branding, digital campaigns, influencer outreach, and consumer contests to engage younger families.

“At Baskin Robbins, our mission is to spread smiles over a scoop of happiness. Collaborating with the beloved Smurfs helped us do that in a playful way. We brought the colourful world of the Smurfs into our parlours through in-store activations, exciting games, and fun social media contests,” shared Aleesha Desai, General Manager (Marketing), Baskin Robbins India.

Mad Over Donuts partnered with Korean beauty brand Laneige India to launch a limited-edition Glaze Craze collection inspired by Laneige’s Glaze Craze Tinted Lip Serums.

“Our recent collaboration with Laneige allowed us to step into lifestyle-led engagement, where food met beauty. The launch not only drove sales but also sparked conversations that strengthened our brand relevance,” shared Bhattacharya.

Barista Coffee collaborated with healthy snacking brand Twiddles by cricketer Yuvraj Singh to launch a co-branded snack range, including multigrain bars, energy bites, and nut mixes.

“Our partnership with Twiddles by Yuvraj Singh in the healthy snacking segment helped us connect with health-conscious consumers, resulting in sales increase in the category and further strengthening our brand visibility and engagement,” expressed Agrawal.

Barista also partnered with William Penn for the launch of its Coffee Collection pen and ink.

Upcoming collaborations

As India gears up for the festive season, food brands are preparing fresh collaborations.

Barista Coffee plans to launch a festive collaboration with Twiddles by Yuvraj Singh:

“We are about to launch exclusive festive gifting options for our customers in collaboration with Twiddles,” noted Agrawal. 

Mad Over Donuts is also exploring new partnerships:

“We are always exploring fresh opportunities. While I can’t reveal specifics just yet, I can say we’re working on some exciting collaborations that will surprise our consumers and keep our menu buzzing with innovation,” added Bhattacharya.

Collaborations as a strategic growth lever

Collaborations have become a key driver for visibility, product innovation, premium positioning, and customer acquisition. They help brands differentiate themselves, drive sales, and foster long-term growth in a competitive market.

“With collaborations like our BK Fusion KitKat range, we are able to bring more variety and indulgence to the dessert menu, connecting instantly with Gen Z and millennial consumers,” expressed Grover. 

“Collaborating with popular entertainment IPs like the Smurfs franchise boosts engagement, strengthens footfall, and creates memorable experiences for our young audience,” shared Desai. 

These partnerships are the key to stay relevant and profitable in the long run. 

“For food brands in India, collaborations offer a scalable way to stay relevant, tap into new audiences, and continuously refresh the consumer experience—ultimately building long-term growth and profitability,” concluded Bhattacharya.