Set up in 2014, InnerBeing is a nutri foods company that has introduced millets like ragi, jowar and bajra in a contemporary avatar of ready-to-eat and cook mixes ranging from breakfast mixes, hot drinks to protein bars and snacks. The ingredients are sourced directly from the farmers, to make sure that they remain in the purest form. Sandesh Pandhare, co-founder and director, InnerBeing Wellness, says, “At InnerBeing what we are basically aspiring to do is bring alive the ancient grains, particularly millets, to consumers in a format which they are already accepting. For example, idli, upma, poha these are all standard items. We are bringing them in millets which are very good for health and they offer very good nutritional benefits”
There are about eight varieties of millets like for example jowar, bajra, nachni or ragi. Millets are basically gluten free, they also have very low glycemic index and they are good for diabetics. India is now the diabetic capital of the world. He adds, “These millets are helpful for such consumers. They are also very good in proteins. Especially foxtail millet. Ragi is very good in calcium. So what we have done is we have created this product – a ragi chocolate drink. This is a fantastic thing for mothers to give to their children.”
InnerBeing is focused on five pillars – gluten-free, plant protein, no added sugar, no preservatives and high fiber. All the company’s products are gluten free. They are fortified with plant protein and have no added sugars, so even the cake mix that they offer is good for diabetics. The company also has quinoa and millet blended porridge which is good for young children.
Pandhare continues, “InnerBeing products use a lot of natural ingredients. Natural ingredients such as dates or honey. We offer these foods or millets not only in traditional formats like poha and idli but also in modern formats like say, millet pancakes. Our packaging is also stylish so that it appeals to millennials.Turmeric milk is a known remedy for generations but children these days refuse to have it. But now Starbucks has introduced their turmeric latte and it’s hugely successful now all over the world. Ironically, India is the largest producer of turmeric in the world.”
InnerBeing uses three distribution channels- retail, institutional sales and the online store. Institutional sales account for almost 40 per cent. Rest 40-45 per cent is retail and online is still small. But it is catching up. The company is headquartered in Hyderabad and works closely not only with leading hotel chains but also with dieticians as well as the chef fraternity, fitness sector like gyms etc, the education sector and corporate canteens. The company is aiming to foray into the top 10 cities like Bengaluru. Pandhare informs, “IT people don’t have time but are very health and lifestyle conscious and they are well travelled. They are our target segment. We want to map that.”
InnerBeing is also the first company to be incubated with a-idea NAARM (National Academy for Agricultural Research & Management, a Government of India agriculture arm) and receive seed funding from ICAR- NAARM. It is also the first company in which they have actually made an investment.
The company also has a technical tie-up with the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), the apex body for all millet research in the country.The Indian government is promoting millets big time and globally also the FAO has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
