Founded in Bangalore in 2020, VS Mani & Co first focused on selling real-tasting filter coffee. They started including South Indian delicacies in May 2023. Without caffeine, South Indian filter coffee comes from the root of the chicory plant. Their Shopify website, Amazon, several stores, and supermarkets help them to market their goods.
Anupam has already made investments in this business and decided to back off from any decision-making to prevent interfering with the process. Yashas owns 14% as the head of development, GD Prasad holds 45% as the CEO of the company, Angel Investors have 21% of the equity, Rahul owns 14% as the head of operations. Besides, the family owns the remaining 6%.
Company Name: VS Mani & Co
Founder: Yashas Alur, GD Prasad & Rahul Bajaj
Product: Filter Coffee
Highlights
1. The brand introduces to a larger audience traditional South Indian filter coffee, snacks and instant mixes in line with authenticity.
2. Premium & Convenient: Provides excellent goods in a ready-to-use form, thereby enabling customers to savour real tastes without much cooking involved.
3. Filter Coffee: Renowned for its rich scent and taste, South Indian-style filter coffee is their trademark product.
4. Typical South Indian dishes such murukku, banana chips, and other regional favourites abound in range of traditional snacks.
5. Ready-to-make solutions like rasam and sambhar mixes fit hectic lives with instant mixing for quick preparation.
6. Available online via their website and Amazon’s e-commerce systems, Direct-to- Consumer (D2C) Model is
7. Premium Packaging & Branding: To appeal modern consumers, the brand emphasises pleasing looks and quality packaging.
Pitch Details
Ask: ₹60 lakhs for 1.5% equity, valuing the company at ₹40 crores.
Deal: After negotiation Namita Thapar, finished the deal at ₹19 Lakhs for 1% Equity and ₹41 Lakhs @ 10% interest.
Investors: The investment came from Namita Thapar.
Conclusion
VS Mani & Co. successfully impressed the Shark Tank India Season 2 investors with its unique positioning in the South Indian food and beverage market. The brand’s focus on authentic flavours, premium quality, and convenience resonated with the sharks. Despite a high initial valuation, the founder secured a deal with Namita Thapar for ₹19 lakhs at 1% equity and 41 lakhs @10% interests. This pitch highlighted the growing demand for regional and nostalgia-driven food brands in India, proving that a well-branded and high-quality product can attract both investors and consumers.
