GO DESi

GO DESi is a snack and sweets brand run by Go Desi Mandi Pvt Ltd. The brand says it began when founder Vinay Kothari found locally made jackfruit bars on a trek in the Western Ghats, and that its mission is to make desi snacks mainstream.

Inc42 reports that the brand sells about 80 products across eight categories, with DESi Popz jaggery candy as its flagship. It reaches more than 50,000 retail touchpoints through a network of over 500 distributors and runs around 60 kiosks in Bengaluru.

Production runs across three facilities. Two factories in Sira make Popz, fruit bars and mints, and a separate factory in Bidadi makes only sweets. Inc42 reports that output grew from a few thousand units to about 2.5 lakh units a day.

The company says it employs more than 250 rural women and that 40% of what consumers pay goes back to the rural economy, through farmers, women workers and rural entrepreneurs.