To all vegan/ plant-based stakeholders,
Hello,
Over the last 6 months, I have spoken with multiple stakeholders with interests in the vegan/ plant-based space in India…
From startup owners to Big Brand leaders; from industry bodies to HoReCa players; from media platforms to independent professionals.
I have consumed research reports and breaking news from India and globally. There is only one resounding message emerging from all these quarters:
The industry is bursting with potential but is caught in a frustrating Catch-22!
It is ready to grow, but the pieces aren’t clicking into place.
If you’ve ever wondered what’s holding India’s vegan and plant-based sector back — and how it can break free — read this this open letter.
Limited Government support + low investment/ funding
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Hence, insufficient funds with brands for marketing
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Hence, low consumer awareness
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Hence, low demand
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Hence, low sales
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Hence, insufficient incentive for Government or investors to jump into the sector wholeheartedly
Thus the cycle continues.
The massive marketing muscle of dairy and meat industries, their lobbies makes it a classic David vs Goliath situation. Individual plant-based brands currently don’t have the might to do both, category education AND brand marketing.
The underlying reasons for the category (environmental, ethical and health) very much persist. In fact, they are more urgent than ever. The latent demand only needs an unlock. The virtuous cycle will kickstart on its own.
How can we unlock this Catch-22?
The solution is to come together and pool in sufficient funds to make real impact.
Similar to AMFI’s “Mutual Funds Sahi Hai” campaign that changed the fortunes of the entire mutual fund industry and every player therein.
(Ideally, plant-based industry bodies should undertake such campaigns. But current industry bodies such as PBFIA, GFI India do not have consumer facing mandates. Their only mandate is to work on the policy and regulation front).
Let’s start a co-operative/collective of plant-based brands. Each brand contributes a small amount towards marketing, either monthly like an SIP or per year. The collected funds are then used for marketing the category as a whole, doing consumer awareness and education campaigns.
As category awareness grows, so will the demand for individual brands and thus will kickstart a virtuous cycle of growth for the sector.
What makes me optimistic that this will work?
US’s dairy industry has been doing this for decades. You can read all about US’s Dairy Checkoff program and Dairy Management Inc here (though its grim reading how consumers are getting deceived by Big Dairy; their health played with for the sake of more sales and profits).
I hope to spark conversations and group action through this letter. Should we have sufficient interest, details of such a non-profit can be worked out.
Share this with anyone passionate about sustainable food and innovation in India.
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Would you join such a non-profit collective? Does such a collective/ co-operative exist already? What steps do YOU think need to be taken for this movement to thrive? Do share in comments.
Warm regards,
Jinal Shah,
Founder, The Vegan Marketer
21st March, 2025
