{"id":481,"date":"2026-03-26T03:40:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T18:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/india-company\/yoga-bar\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T13:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:59:19","slug":"yoga-bar","status":"publish","type":"india-company","link":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/en\/india-company\/yoga-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga Bar \u2014 ITC Built Up Its Stake and Made It a Subsidiary Through Board Nomination Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nThis article is based on what we could verify As of September 19, 2026<\/strong> This page is based on the disclosures and news reports from each company that we were able to confirm as of that date. Amounts in the text follow the notation commonly used in India, with \u20b91 crore = 10 million rupees, and yen figures are approximations calculated at a little over 1.7 yen to the rupee. Store counts, funding raised, and results at Indian companies change over short periods, so when making a business decision, please check the latest information in primary sources such as each company's own announcements.\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Yoga Bar is a healthy snack brand launched in 2014 by the sisters Suhasini Sampath and Anindita Sampath. Its operating company, Sproutlife Foods, has had ITC build up its stake in stages since 2023, and became a subsidiary of ITC as of April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

Company profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Operating company<\/td>\nSproutlife Foods Private Limited<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year founded<\/td>\n2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Headquarters<\/td>\nBengaluru (Karnataka)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Co-founders<\/td>\nSuhasini Sampath and Anindita Sampath (sisters)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Revenue<\/td>\n\u20b9202 crore (FY2025 = fiscal year ended March 2025. Some reports put it at about \u20b9200 crore)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Employees<\/td>\nAbout 200 people<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Capital<\/td>\nA subsidiary of ITC (as of April 1, 2026. The stake is about 47.5% on a diluted basis, but it holds the right to appoint a majority of the directors)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main products<\/td>\nProtein bars, muesli, oats and cereal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

How to make it a subsidiary without holding a majority<\/h2>\n

ITC announced a phased acquisition in 2023 and, through multiple rounds totaling \u20b9255 crore by March 2025, raised its stake to about 47.5% on a diluted basis. The stake doesn't reach a majority. Even so, effective April 1, 2026, it gained the right to nominate a majority of the board, so for accounting purposes it's an ITC subsidiary.<\/p>\n

Building up a stake rather than buying it all at once suits putting a brand onto a major company's distribution while keeping the founders in place. The acquired side gets to keep running the business, and the acquirer can set the price while watching performance. It plans to complete a full acquisition over 3-4 years.<\/p>\n

Where protein bars sit in India<\/h2>\n

India's confectionery shelf is dominated by cheap biscuits and snacks. Protein bars are expensive at \u20b950-100 each, and buyers are limited to gymgoers and urban office workers.<\/p>\n

Yoga Bar has targeted this segment with protein bars alongside muesli, oats, and cereal, a lineup that covers both breakfast and snacking. Revenue for FY2025 (year ended March 2025) was \u20b9202 crore. That's a large figure for something that started as D2C, but small next to ITC's overall food business.<\/p>\n

Points for Japanese companies<\/h2>\n

This is worth noting as a model exit for a brand launched as D2C in India: a major FMCG company acquires the stake in stages, lending its distribution before folding it in fully. The same pattern shows up in Marico's D2C acquisitions.<\/p>\n

For a Japanese food company launching a brand in India, building nationwide distribution in-house from the start isn't realistic. Assuming a path of building a certain level of e-commerce revenue first and then partnering with a major company makes negotiations over investment or partnership more concrete.<\/p>\n

Reference Information<\/h2>\n