Brands
Japan’s Kikkoman taps manga magic to introduce soy sauce to Indian consumers
MUMBAI: Global Japanese brand Kikkoman has introduced its signature soy sauce to India’s food tapestry by distributing it to more than 1.5 million restaurants through the cultural exports manga. They launched a new series Varun & Pramod – Their Secret Ingredient for the campaign.
Kikkoman’s soy sauce is not just limited to the big food owners of India but is also accessible for junior chefs, cooks, and culinary school students to add a robust flavour to their platter. It is tapping into India’s manga fanbase to spice up the country’s culinary scene. The campaign using manga series showcases Kikkoman’s creative approach to establishing a foothold in India and influencing the country’s dynamic cuisine.
Using the manga approach to its marketing goal it uses its pivotal character Pramod- a young chef who learns that his job is in threat after changing the restaurant’s menu solitarily. However, his destiny led him to meet Varun who is a renowned restaurant owner’s heir. The two bond over their shared love for cooking and mutually agree to open a restaurant under their belt.
They aim to use this movement to change the dynamics of the food industry by using their secret ingredient- Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
Indian Federation of Culinary Associations and Kikkoman India Industry advisor Chef Manjit Gill complimented this campaign narrative as nostalgic and an enjoyable marketing approach.Talking about the campaign he said, “I strongly believe that Kikkoman’s message will resonate with many chefs in India. There are said to be more than 200,000 chefs in the organised sector alone.”
“I was fondly reminded of my own younger days – when the hero was trying hard, making all possible efforts to make dishes more delicious – using the best ingredients. I look forward to this story reaching out to a wide audience, making a real impact in India. In fact, I’m waiting impatiently for the next episode of this interesting Kikkoman Manga,” Gill added.
Currently, Kikkoman India is directly engaging with top chain restaurants and large format restaurants, gradually increasing its brand recognition and adoption. Given their fresh presence in India its recognition among restaurateurs and the country’s culinary experts is yet to be determined.
This campaign aims to familiarise the Kikkoman brand with Indian chefs who might be unfamiliar with it, encouraging them to experiment with its soy sauce in their recipes, including Chinese cuisine, and ultimately increasing its adoption in the Indian food industry. With this innovative creative strategy Kikkoman’s manga project hopes to leverage their storytelling method to make their sauce as an important ingredient to the recipes in the Indian market.
To make it accessible for all, the Kikoman manga will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi.
Brands
Delhivery chairman Deepak Kapoor, independent director Saugata Gupta quit board
Gurugram: Delhivery’s boardroom is being reset. Deepak Kapoor, chairman and independent director, has resigned with effect from April 1 as part of a planned board reconstitution, the logistics company said in an exchange filing. Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive of FMCG major Marico and an independent director on Delhivery’s board, has also stepped down.
Kapoor exits after an eight-year stint that included steering the company through its 2022 stock-market debut, a period that saw Delhivery transform from a venture-backed upstart into one of India’s most visible logistics platforms. Gupta, who joined the board in 2021, departs alongside him, marking a simultaneous clearing of two senior independent seats.
“Deepak and Saugata have been instrumental in our process of recognising the need for and enabling the reconstitution of the board of directors in line with our ambitious next phase of growth,” said Sahil Barua, managing director and chief executive, Delhivery. The statement frames the exits less as departures and more as deliberate succession, a boardroom shuffle timed to the company’s evolving scale and strategy.
The resignations arrive amid broader governance recalibration. In 2025, Delhivery appointed Emcure Pharmaceuticals whole-time director Namita Thapar, PB Fintech founder and chairman Yashish Dahiya, and IIM Bangalore faculty member Padmini Srinivasan as independent directors, signalling a tilt towards consumer, fintech and academic expertise at the board level.
Kapoor’s tenure spanned Delhivery’s most defining years, rapid network expansion, public listing and the push towards profitability in a bruising logistics market. Gupta’s presence brought FMCG and brand-scale perspective during a period when ecommerce volumes and last-mile delivery economics were being rewritten.
The twin exits, effective from the new financial year, underscore a familiar corporate rhythm: founders consolidate, veterans rotate out, and fresh voices are ushered in to script the next chapter. In India’s hyper-competitive logistics race, even the boardroom does not stand still.
Brands
Brnd.me enters Europe as haircare brands power global expansion
Bengaluru: Brnd.me, the global consumer brands company formerly known as Mensa Brands, has entered the European market following strong momentum across the Middle East, the United States and Canada.
The company has launched across the UK, Germany, France and Spain, with plans to expand into Italy, the Netherlands and Poland over the next year. The push is being led by its haircare and aromatherapy brands, Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure, marking Brnd.me’s first structured expansion into Europe.
The European beauty market represents a total addressable opportunity of over $4 billion across haircare and aromatherapy, supported by high digital adoption and demand for accessible, performance-led products.
Brnd.me’s hair care and aromatherapy business currently operates at an annual run rate of around $6 million, with Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure delivering roughly 10 per cent month-on-month growth, driven by expansion and rising repeat demand.
To support regional growth, the company has appointed a general manager based in Germany and is evaluating investments in warehousing and local team expansion.
Early traction has been strong. Within weeks of launch, Botanic Hearth’s rosemary hair oil ranked among the top five hair oils in Germany, signalling strong consumer pull in a competitive market.
Brnd.me founder and chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan, said Europe represents the next phase of the company’s international strategy. He added that the European business is expected to scale to a $10 million annual run rate by the end of 2026, with long-term ambitions to reach $60 million over the next six years.
The company’s Europe strategy centres on digital-first distribution, repeat demand and TikTok-led discovery, alongside direct-to-consumer expansion to strengthen brand equity and margins.
The move also aligns with growing EU–India trade engagement, supporting long-term sourcing and cross-border supply chains.
Brands
TechnoSport taps quick commerce with launch on Slikk’s 60-minute platform
NATIONAL: TechnoSport has launched on Slikk, the ultra-fast fashion app offering 60-minute delivery, as the activewear brand accelerates its push into quick commerce to capture Gen Z and young millennial shoppers.
The debut brings more than 150 high-performance styles to Slikk’s platform, with an average selling price of Rs 450, expanding TechnoSport’s reach across over 80 pin codes.
The partnership follows strong momentum for TechnoSport across Q-commerce channels, where the brand has recorded around 60 per cent volume growth over the past six months. The company expects quick commerce to contribute nearly 20 per cent of its revenue in the coming years as hyperlocal delivery gains scale.
Slikk, which recently raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, has rapidly gained popularity among youth consumers seeking speed, trend relevance and impulse-led shopping experiences.
Activewear remains one of Slikk’s fastest-growing categories, driven by shoppers increasingly treating fitness-led fashion as an everyday essential. The platform has reported a 30-fold year-on-year increase in items sold, reflecting rising demand for performance wear that blends comfort with style.
TechnoSport chief executive officer Puspen Maity, said the collaboration would help the brand engage more closely with young consumers whose fashion choices are shaped by instant needs and lifestyle aspirations. He added that rapid delivery bridges the gap between intent and purchase, allowing shoppers to access activewear exactly when they want it.
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