Happa Foods Founder & CEO Pankaj Prakash Sharma on reinventing baby food in India, tackling global giants, and ensuring quality from farm to spoon
Q: Your brand, Happa Foods, has positioned itself as a trusted baby food brand. What inspired you to start this venture, especially in the organic sector, given that the baby food market in India is still relatively small and dominated by giants like Nestlé?
A: This is a very personal journey for me. There are two key experiences that led me to start a baby food company. The first was back in 2016-17 when I was traveling with my sister and her six-month-old baby from Delhi to Mumbai. In North India, there’s a belief that one shouldn’t fly with an infant, so we had no choice but to take a train. Being a corporate professional at the time, I thought, “How difficult can this be?” But my sister insisted on carrying a whole baby bag—hot water, cold water, baby food, and everything else. I suggested we just carry cereal, like Cerelac, and find hot water when needed.
When the baby got hungry, I went to fetch hot water. The first stop was the train’s pantry, which was in no state to provide hygienic water. I then tried getting water from a vendor on the platform, but the container he used was questionable. That experience stayed with me.
Later, in 2018, when my wife and I had our own daughter, the reality of baby food hit home. I looked at the ingredients on the back of store-bought baby food and realised that everything I wouldn’t want to feed my child was in it—sugar, milk powder, preservatives. Meanwhile, the rest of India had progressed, but baby food was still stuck in its old ways. That’s when I decided that something had to change.
Q: When launching Happa Foods, how did you navigate the controversies surrounding traditional baby food brands?
A: We wanted to create the cleanest baby food possible. In our R&D circles, we call Cerelac a “sugar delivery device.” Even insiders at Nestlé acknowledge that Cerelac wasn’t originally formulated for babies—it was tweaked to contain extra sugar to appeal to Indian mothers, who have a habit of tasting food before feeding it to their babies.
At Happa, we’re not making food for Indian mummies, we’re making food for Indian babies. Profit is not our sole motive. We don’t have VC funding pushing us to prioritise growth at all costs—we focus on great food at all costs. That’s why our porridge range contains no milk powder, no sugar, and no preservatives. Our baby meals are made of 100% fruit and vegetables, nothing else.
Take our Jamun Melts, for example. The only ingredient in it is 100% Jamun. Not 99.99%, but 100%.
Q: That level of purity is impressive. Many parents want their children to consume more fruit, but concerns about pesticides and preservatives hold them back. How did you address this?
A: Many of our products are inspired by personal experiences. For example, my daughter loves mango-flavoured lollipops. I didn’t want to deprive her of the fun of childhood, but I also didn’t want her consuming artificial sweets. That’s how we created Mango Melts, made of 100% mango.
Parents have even started using our Mango Melts to make mango smoothies in the off-season! The product melts in the mouth within 10 seconds using only saliva, making it safe for infants.
Similarly, Jamun Melts were inspired by my childhood summers in rural Bihar. Jamun is only available for a few weeks each year, and modern kids don’t get to experience it. I wanted to bring that fruit into a convenient, safe, and chemical-free format.
Q: How do you ensure the purity of your ingredients and transparency in your supply chain?
A: Quality is at the core of everything we do. Unlike big brands that buy bulk pulp from the market, we source directly from farms. For example, during apple harvesting season, I personally visit farms to select apples. Our spinach travels to our factory at 4 AM on the day of production—I can take you to the exact farm where we source it.
Every shipment that we export goes through lab testing before leaving the country. This ensures that our products meet global quality standards. That’s also why we’ve successfully expanded to eight countries despite competing with established global brands.
Q: The baby food market in India has evolved significantly. What key trends do you see shaping the industry, and how is Happa Foods staying ahead?
A: Post-pandemic, I see five to six key trends shaping the market:
- Demand for clean-label, natural products – Parents are actively researching ingredients and brands can no longer hide behind marketing jargon.
- Rise of organic food – More families are seeking plant-based, organic options.
- Consumer awareness – Social media has given consumers the power to call out misleading labels.
- Global brands entering India – This pushes domestic players to step up their quality.
- Preference for minimally processed food – Parents are looking for nutrient-rich rather than calorie-rich food.
At Happa Foods, we’re not just reacting to trends—we’re driving them. We’re reinventing baby food in India by bringing transparency, quality, and real nutrition into the industry.
Q: Any final thoughts for parents choosing food for their babies?
A: Parents should always read the ingredient list. If there’s anything on it that you can’t pronounce or wouldn’t eat yourself, your baby shouldn’t either. The future of baby food is not just about convenience—it’s about trust and responsibility.
