This title slide introduces a case study on Shark Tank India focused on Spice Story. The subtitle highlights the brand's mission to bring authentic Indian street-food flavors into homes.

Shark Tank India Case Study – Spice Story

Bringing Authentic Indian Street-Food Flavors Home

Source: Indian street-food stall blur, warm orange tones, chutney bowls, modern minimal overlay

--- Speaker Notes: Spice Story isn’t just a chutney brand — it’s about bottling India’s nostalgia. The founders wanted to make desi swad convenient, modern, and globally available. We’ll explore their journey, mission, challenges, and how they impressed the Sharks.

Spice Story is an Indian FMCG brand specializing in bottled chutneys inspired by authentic flavors from cities like Delhi, Agra, Indore, and Chennai. The brand is available on online platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket, and is distributed in over 1,700 offline stores across the nation.

About Spice Story

• Indian FMCG brand crafting bottled chutneys

• Inspired by flavors from Delhi, Agra, Indore, Chennai

• Available on Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket

• Distributed in over 1,700 offline stores nationwide

Source: Shark Tank India Case Study

--- Speaker Notes: Every Indian dish has its signature chutney. Spice Story captures these authentic tastes in hygienic, modern packaging. Their mission: “Taking Desi Flavours Global.”

The slide introduces the founders of the venture: Soumyadeep Mukherjee, with 21 years of expertise in FMCG, business, and distribution; Gayatri, a skilled branding and marketing strategist focused on visibility; and Chef Vibhor, a culinary master specializing in authentic regional flavors. Their collective motivation is to bridge the market gap by offering convenient, packaged desi chutneys.

The Founders & Their Motivation

• Soumyadeep Mukherjee: 21 years in FMCG, business & distribution expertise

• Gayatri: Skilled branding & marketing strategist driving visibility

• Chef Vibhor: Culinary master perfecting authentic regional flavors

• Motivation: Bridging market gap for convenient, packaged desi chutneys

--- Speaker Notes: Soumyadeep found a huge market gap — modern kitchens lacked desi chutneys in packaged form. Together with Gayatri and Chef Vibhor, they built a brand rooted in culture and taste.

In Indian homes, chutneys are highly cherished but their preparation is often time-consuming. The market lacks hygienic, ready-to-use packaged chutney options, with supermarket shelves dominated by international sauces instead.

Problem Identification

• Indian homes adore chutneys, but preparation is time-consuming.

• Lack of hygienic, ready-to-use packaged chutney options.

• International sauces overwhelmingly dominate supermarket shelves.

--- Speaker Notes: Despite demand, no one had packaged desi chutneys like ketchup or mayo. Spice Story aimed to fill this convenience gap.

In 2019, Spice Story was founded with a vision to modernize authentic Indian street-food flavors like Desi Swad, though early chutney recipe experiments faced challenges in capturing regional authenticity. By 2020, Chef Vibhor joined to refine the recipes, leading to finalized premium chutneys in 2021 that blend traditional local formulas with hygienic, modern packaging.

Idea & Origin Story

2019: Vision: Desi Swad in Modern Style Started Spice Story to bottle authentic Indian street-food flavors conveniently for modern homes. 2019: Early Recipe Experiments Begin Initial attempts to create chutneys struggled with achieving true regional authenticity and taste. 2020: Chef Vibhor Joins the Team Culinary expert Vibhor onboarded, transforming failed recipes into premium, authentic regional chutneys. 2021: Authentic Chutneys Finalized Each product developed from genuine local recipes, blending tradition with hygienic, modern packaging.

Source: Spice Story Journey

--- Speaker Notes: Their first recipes lacked authenticity. Chef Vibhor rebuilt them using real local ingredients. Eventually, even the Sharks were impressed during tasting!

The slide highlights the product's unique selling points and features, emphasizing authentic regional Indian chutneys made without preservatives or artificial flavors. It also showcases premium modern packaging and availability through both online and offline channels.

USP & Product Features

• Authentic regional Indian chutneys

• No preservatives or artificial flavours

• Premium modern packaging

• Available both online and offline

Source: Clean FMCG-style packaging shot with spices scattered artistically

--- Speaker Notes: Their USP = Authenticity + Convenience. It emotionally connects with Indian roots while looking modern and premium.

The Market Journey & Achievements slide highlights key stats, including a 2023 sales target of ₹9 crore as an ambitious growth projection and ₹4.7 crore in total funding raised from investors. It also showcases the company's distribution network with over 1,700 offline stores across 5 cities, emphasizing market expansion reach.

Market Journey & Achievements

• ₹9 crore: 2023 Sales Target

Ambitious growth projection

• ₹4.7 crore: Funding Raised

Total investor capital

• 1,700+: Offline Stores

Distribution network size

• 5: Cities Covered

Market expansion reach

--- Speaker Notes: Their growth attracted investor confidence, reaching a ₹23 crore pre-money valuation.

The slide outlines key challenges in business operations, including high marketing and sampling costs that strained budgets, alongside disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic to retail sales channels. Additionally, it highlights ongoing cash flow and inventory management issues, culminating in negative margins due to heavy advertising expenditures.

Challenges Faced

• High marketing and sampling costs strained budgets

• COVID-19 pandemic disrupted retail sales channels

• Cash flow and inventory management issues persisted

• Negative margins emerged from heavy advertising spends

--- Speaker Notes: Quality wasn’t the problem — financial discipline was. Acquiring customers cost more than the revenue initially.

The Sharks praised the startup's exceptional taste profiles, modern branding, and innovative concept for authentic Indian chutneys. However, they raised concerns about the high valuation ask and weak financial controls, leading to Namita Thapar's investment of ₹70 lakh for 5% equity at a ₹14 crore valuation.

Sharks’ Feedback & Deal

--- Speaker Notes: The Sharks rated the taste “10/10,” but questioned profitability. Namita saw potential and invested.

The slide highlights key learnings that a good product alone does not ensure profits, emphasizing the importance of execution, cash flow, transparency with investors, and the global potential of authentic Indian ideas. It concludes that success stems from blending desi emotion with modern execution, urging viewers to embrace such innovation.

Key Learnings & Takeaways

Good product ≠ guaranteed profits. Execution & cash flow matter. Authentic Indian ideas can go global. Investors value transparency. Desi Emotion + Modern Execution = Success.

Embrace desi innovation with smart execution!

Source: Shark Tank India Case Study – Spice Story

--- Speaker Notes: Spice Story reminds us that strong cultural products can scale internationally — but only with proper financial management. Closing message: Success blends heritage and hustle. Call-to-action: Innovate boldly, manage wisely—start your desi venture today!