Snacking in India is getting a healthy makeover. As more people choose mindful eating and nutritious options, homegrown brands are changing the way we think about snacks. From nuts and trail mixes to clean desserts and makhana-based treats, homegrown brands are blending taste with health and convenience. 

“I came up with Nutty Gritties to enhance the way that India consumes nuts as a healthier alternative to snacking. It stemmed out of solving for my own need and just got driven by innovation, by health consciousness, by the emergence of retail in the Indian market,” expressed Dinika Bhatia, Founder, Nutty Gritties.

“India’s healthy snacking industry has shifted from being a niche category to a mainstream movement. Earlier, ‘healthy’ snacks were seen as restrictive or medicinal, but today, consumers want snacks that are both functional and enjoyable. The pandemic accelerated awareness around ingredient transparency, gut health, and sugar reduction — and now, convenience and trust are leading the way,” shared  Priyasha Saluja, Founder, The Cinnamon Kitchen.

 “Healthy snacking is no longer an option, it’s becoming the norm,” added Abhishek Agarwal, Co-Founder, Farmley

Omnichannel retail play 

These homegrown brands follow an omnichannel retail strategy to reach customers where they are. Online retail channels consist of ecommerce and quick commerce and D2C. while, offline channels encompass modern trade and general trade.

“Nutty Gritties has a presence on  Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, Amazon, Epcot, Big Basket in the online space. Offline, we are there in 100 plus cities in premium retail stores. We have 8,000 plus touch points. It includes corporations, airports, airlines, vending machines, cafes, and so on and so forth,” shared Bhatia. 

 

“Farmley is present on ecommerce marketplaces, quick commerce platforms, and its own D2C website. Offline, the brand is available across 12 states with deep penetration in Tamil Nadu, where it reaches more than 10,000 outlets. At a national level, Farmley has a footprint in 25,000 stores, including large-format retailers like Reliance, Spencer’s, and DMart,” highlighted Agarwal. 

“Cinammon Kitchen has presence on ecommerce, quick commerce alongside our D2C website. The brand has a presence in modern trade and is also involved in B2B gifting,” added Saluja.

Online vs offline retail 

Online sales contribute the lion’s share in overall revenue for Farmley and The Cinnamon Kitchen.

“About 75 percent of sales come from online channels. Within online, 35 percent is from ecommerce and 40 percent from quick commerce. The remaining 15 percent of sales comes from offline retail, a channel that is rapidly expanding,” shared Agarwal. 

“Our  D2C website, ecommerce and quick commerce together contribute up to 85–90 percent of our business. The remaining 10-15 percent comes from  offline retail including Modern Trade, B2B and events,” noted Saluja. 

While for Nutty Gritties, the split between these two channels is equal. “The split between online and offline is about 50-50,” remarked Bhatia. 

Consumer demand for healthy snacking beyond metros 

The trend of healthy snacking is not limited to metros and Tier I cities but gaining momentum across the smaller towns and cities. There is a growing consumer demand in the Tier II and III markets driven by increasing aspiration and health consciousness among people.

“We’re  actually seeing a surge of demand for basic nuts like almonds, walnuts, raisins, pistachios and  cashews. People are definitely consuming more and more. And what’s driving it is their aspiration to become like the big city people,”expressed Bhatia.

“Tie II and III markets are evolving rapidly — consumers there are as aspirational and brand-conscious as metro audiences. The key difference is that they value availability and trust more than experimentation. Brands like ours are approaching this through modern trade partnerships, curated regional distributors, and on-ground sampling to build awareness,” shared Saluja.

Innovation and Product Development

These homegrown brands are proving that healthy snacking shouldn't compromise on taste. From creative packaging to delectable flavours, these brands are doubling down on innovation. 

“ We’ve had innovation in terms of flavors and products. For instance, matcha was trending, so people asked, can we do some matcha-flavored nuts? We came up with matcha nuts—a matcha-flavored trail mix. Then our customers told us they were looking for something with chocolate. So, we collaborated with a chocolate brand and created a chocolate box with our trail mixes.This is how we just respond to customers. There’s lots coming up in terms of the innovation pipeline,” shared Bhatia.

“Farmley began with roasted and flavored makhanas but has since diversified into a wider portfolio. Today, it offers date bites, trail mixes, raw dry fruits, snacks made with makhana flour, and healthy desserts. Healthy desserts are where we see massive future potential. They are deeply relevant to both Indian and international audiences, especially around festive gifting,” noted Agarwal.

“Innovation in this space is all about bridging trust and indulgence. For us, that means recreating familiar flavours — like cookies, fudge, or mathri — with modern, nutrient-dense ingredients.We make sure that our every product tastes good or better than the regular counterpart, contains no preservatives and easy to carry packaging,” highlighted Saluja.

Surge in festive gifting 

Healthy snacks have become a popular gifting choice among consumers on festivals such as Diwali and Raksha Bandhan. The brands report rapid increase in demand during these occasions resulting in increased sales. 

“The sales almost double even in terms of regular consumption because during Diwali, people are hosting a lot. And while hosting and having Diwali parties, they also want to serve their guests with the best quality nuts. That’s where sales also get uplifted.
The  numbers are more than 2x actually during Diwali as compared to an average month,” shared Bhatia.

 

Growth target 

Looking ahead, these brands are looking to grow manifold on the back of retail expansion, category diversification and innovation. 

“We’re looking at aiming for at least a 5x growth. We’re also setting up a new plant right now, with the capacity of six times compared to our current plant. We’re looking at reaching that capacity in the next five to seven years at least,” shared Bhatia. 

“ From festive gifting to everyday snacking, we want to be part of every consumer’s health journey. The next 18–20 months will be about scale — in stores, in categories, and in global markets,” expressed Agarwal.

“ The next phase of growth will focus on key urban and emerging markets across North, West, and South India, while continuing to strengthen our presence in established metro hubs,” added Saluja. 

Market outlook 

The future of healthy snacking industry is poised for exponential growth driven by continued acceptance, flavour innovation and inclusion of new ingredients.

 “The trends where we’re going to see growth are—firstly, increase in snacking; secondly, use of nuts as an ingredient.  The third is inclusion in culinary experiences and restaurants—like I shared earlier—using more nuts and dry fruits for toppings in salads, as an ingredient in kormas, or as stuffings in mushroom or chicken.” shared Bhatia.

“Consumers are looking for snacks that do more than fill hunger — they want mood-lifting, protein-rich, hormone-balancing, or gut-friendly benefits. We’ll also see regionalization of health — using Indian ingredients like millets, jaggery, or ghee in modern formats.
At The Cinnamon Kitchen, we believe the future of healthy snacking lies in taste-first innovation, where health isn’t marketed as a compromise but as a given,” concluded Saluja.