Rising online customer acquisition costs are pushing India’s regional direct-to-consumer (D2C) food brands towards physical marketplaces, where consumers can taste premium products before buying.
Andhra Pradesh’s Bon Fiction, Kerala’s Paul & Mike, Coorg-based speciality coffee producer Maverick & Farmer, and Chennai cheesemaker Käse are among 11 southern Indian brands converging on Mumbai’s Bandra this weekend to reach buyers beyond their home markets.
The brands are participating in SALT, a two-day food and culture festival at Pioneer Hall and Corona Garden on October 10–11. Of the 45 brands on the festival list businessline reviewed, at least 18 are based outside Mumbai. Guided tastings and demonstrations let producers explain their premium pricing, attract first-time buyers, and build repeat demand.
“SALT has actually been a decade in the making, in many ways,” Anisha Rachel Oommen, founder of Goya and the festival’s creative director, said in a statement. “People care about where their food comes from, who is making it, and what goes into it.”
Digital advertising, sponsored marketplace listings and quick-commerce visibility have made customer acquisition increasingly expensive. A March 2026 IMA India report on D2C brands notes that acquisition costs have risen sharply as digital advertising matures. Physical tastings let producers show the sourcing, craftsmanship, and regional ingredients behind their prices.
Bon Fiction, founded by Akhil and Prathina Grandhi, grows cacao in Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari belt and works with more than 20 smallholder farmers.
Centralised fermentation and drying help maintain consistency and traceability. Its ‘Mango Menace’ chocolate combines alphonso mango and chilli, while cacao supplies to other chocolate makers extend its business beyond direct retail.
Kerala’s Rakkaudella builds its single-origin chocolate around cacao from Idukki.
Kochi-based Paul & Mike sources cocoa from growers in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and already operates a store and micro-café at Mumbai’s Kemps Corner, combining online distribution with physical discovery.
The premium is substantial. BigBasket lists Paul & Mike’s 68-gram, 72 per cent dark chocolate at ₹275, equivalent to about ₹404 per 100 grams. Such pricing makes product education particularly important when courting customers unfamiliar with regional craft chocolate.
Coorg-based Maverick & Farmer differentiates its coffee through experimental processing. Its Ol’ Smoky variety uses freshly pulped Arabica beans cold-smoked for 13–14 hours, a technique that’s easier to communicate through tasting.
In January, parent Good Farmer Food Concepts announced a $1.5-million fundraise to expand cafés in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Goa and Bengaluru, alongside investments in production and research.
Bengaluru-based cold-pressed oil maker Gramiyaa raised ₹7.2 crore in March 2025 to expand manufacturing and distribution across direct sales, offline retail, and quick commerce.
“This investment reinforces our commitment to owning our production process, which is key to maintaining consistent quality as we scale,” said co-founder Mohamed Yaseen.
For cheesemakers, expansion adds another challenge. Chennai’s Käse sells clothbound cheddar aged six to eight months at ₹430 for 150 grams, while its Ode to Chennai variety incorporates milagai podi. Assam’s TheQueso.in similarly gives cheddar a regional identity through bhoot jolokia.
Unlike coffee or chocolate, cheese requires temperature-controlled delivery. Käse uses insulated boxes, frozen gel packs, and air shipments, with delivery charges outside Chennai ranging from ₹250 to ₹500 per order. Weekend shipping restrictions can further complicate fulfilment.
For these producers, SALT offers a chance to turn product education into immediate sales. The more consequential purchase, however, may come weeks after the tasting.
Published on October 9, 2026
