‘Healthful’ Food For Children

According to studies, over 70 per cent of Indians suffer from protein deficiency. Gladful provides high-protein products for the Indian palette which are convenient to make and can easily fit in the tiffin box. “We intend to solve for the busy mother by giving high-protein options to her kids and family,” says the company’s founder and CEO, Parul Sharma.

For the Jaipur-based company, the growth plans and investments rest on two pillars –– distribution and innovation. This year, the brand is expected to bring out new products across several categories.

Slow Beginning

Sharma quit her job during the pandemic and started product research. Each step took slightly more time than usual because companies were shutting down new verticals, marketing spend was reducing, startups were downsizing and there existed many other complexities.

The idea of Gladful took root when she was asked to significantly increase the protein content in her nine-year-old child’s diet. She built her version of a protein calculator only to realise that meeting the daily protein requirement for active pre-teens was not easy for an Indian household.

By designing functional foods and snacks, Gladful’s vision was to solve India’s protein and other nutritional deficiencies. The company sells cookies, nuts, cheela mix and much more to provide the adequate protein needed for a kid.

Growing with the Consumer

The past few months have been interesting on account of increased cost of customer acquisition and focus on businesses that can grow sustainably. For Gladful, it’s a welcome change. “It is a necessary push as well, as an automatic filter where only the best competition will truly stay,” says Sharma.

Consumer connect is the core focus area for the brand. It has so far served over one lakh customers. It ensures that it constantly listens to and speaks with its customers to take their feedback. “We are quick to change based solely on consumer feedback. We touch base with over 20,000 consumers monthly through WhatsApp, emails and phone calls,” informs Sharma.

The team at present has five members including founders apart from the dispatch staff, doing a business of Rs 6 crore in annual recurring revenue.