In this special episode of The Founder’s Dream Podcast, Abhishek Vyas talks with Suhasini Sampath, founder of the Yoga Bar. From starting a protein food business to leading a women food business, her brand’s ₹500 crore ITC acquisition reflects a bold, healthy vision for India’s food space.
Healthy Food Startup Disrupts FMCG Market
Yoga Bar started to fill the gap in healthy food snacks and healthy food to eat in the morning. Clean ingredients and honest branding helped it scale in India’s growing food business startup ecosystem.
Yoga Bar: Among Best Protein Brands in India
The Suhasini Sampath podcast offers a deep dive into how Yoga Bar emerged as one of the most trusted nutrition brands in the country. Today, Yoga Bar protein shake and Yoga Bar whey protein consistently feature among the top 10 protein brand names in India. Competing with some of the best Indian protein brand labels, Yoga Bar stands out for its clean positioning, transparent Yoga Bar ingredients, and clearly defined Yoga Bar benefits.
In the Suhasini Sampath podcast, Suhasini explains that modern consumers don’t just buy protein—they buy trust. From reading labels to understanding sourcing, Indian buyers have become more informed. Yoga Bar tapped into this shift early by focusing on functional nutrition, honest communication, and products that fit everyday Indian lifestyles. This approach helped the brand earn credibility in a crowded protein and health-food market.
ITC Acquisition: A Strategic FMCG Move
A major highlight discussed in the Suhasini Sampath podcast is the strategic acquisition of Yoga Bar by ITC Limited for ₹500 crore. This move marked a significant milestone not just for Yoga Bar, but for India’s evolving FMCG landscape. By acquiring Yoga Bar, ITC strengthened its FMCG portfolio with a fast-growing, health-focused brand aligned with changing consumer preferences.
The Suhasini Sampath podcast breaks down why this acquisition made sense. ITC’s expansive distribution network, deep supply-chain expertise, and experience across ITC all brands gave Yoga Bar the ability to scale faster without losing its core identity. Through ITC company distributorship, Yoga Bar products gained wider national reach while retaining the brand’s startup-driven agility and innovation.
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Digital Marketing & Valuation in Loss-Making Businesses
One of the most insightful segments of the Suhasini Sampath podcast focuses on growth strategy and valuation. Yoga Bar’s rise was fueled by strong ecommerce marketing and smart digital marketing for FMCG brands. Instead of relying only on traditional advertising, the brand invested heavily in content, community building, and direct-to-consumer channels.
In the Suhasini Sampath podcast, Suhasini openly discusses a reality many founders face—being labeled among loss making startups in India during the growth phase. She explains how valuation is not just about current profitability, but about long-term consumer loyalty, repeat purchases, and brand equity. Yoga Bar demonstrated that even a loss making business can command high valuation if it shows strong fundamentals, customer love, and category leadership.
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Women Leaders & Brand Legacy in Food Sector
The Suhasini Sampath podcast also highlights the importance of women leadership in India’s food and nutrition industry. As a prominent figure in women food business, Suhasini Sampath built Yoga Bar while competing with established giants in the FMCG space, often compared in discussions like ITC vs Nestlé.
From setting up the Yoga Bar factory to shaping the brand voice seen in every Yoga Bar review, Suhasini focused on creating a relatable, health-first brand that consumers could trust. The Suhasini Sampath podcast emphasizes that brand legacy is built not just through scale, but through consistency, ethics, and consumer-centric thinking. Yoga Bar’s journey proves that purpose-driven brands can stand tall even against multinational competitors.
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Conclusion
The Suhasini Sampath podcast is more than a founder story—it’s a masterclass in building a modern Indian FMCG brand. From product integrity and digital-first marketing to smart acquisitions and long-term vision, the podcast captures how Yoga Bar became a category-defining name.
For entrepreneurs, marketers, and anyone interested in health brands, the Suhasini Sampath podcast offers practical lessons on scaling with authenticity, navigating losses strategically, and building brands that last. Yoga Bar’s journey shows that with clarity, courage, and consumer trust, Indian startups can create global-standard brands from the ground up.
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Through steady growth, focusing on clean-ingredient snacks, strong offline & online distribution and then the ITC deal. ITC acquired a significant stake in Yoga Bar, giving the brand access to larger scale and distribution muscle. It was founded by sisters Suhasini Sampath and Anindita Sampath; they saw a gap in India for healthy, on-the-go snacks.
