Fairs offer a fun way to gauge what’s trending. A walkthrough at Aahar 2025 in Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam gave one a whiff of what’s cooking and brewing in food and beverage companies around the world. With 80 participants from 22 countries, there was lots to absorb — there were the Australians pushing their macadamia nuts and lamb hard, the Italians their olive oil and fruit, while in the Indian pavilions it was interesting to see a sea of exotic syrups aimed at cocktail mixes. This time, the beverages were more interesting than the foods. At the Tata Consumer products stall, for instance, the Tetley Kombucha in multiple flavours caught the eye. Unlike at Gulfoods held in Dubai recently, from where one saw posts on “Unbread” and lab-grown foods and an Indian startup, Cup-ji, winning a packaging innovation award, at Aahar there was nothing startlingly new, except for an interesting Australian product for those with difficulty swallowing. Some trends:
1) Private labels taking off: A huge number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were showcasing condiments, sauces, marinades, honey, oils — and scouting for retailers or brands to act as private labels. Take Ludhiana-based Beehive farms, which had everything from honey to nuts to fox nuts and displayed up front its appetite to be a private labeller. On the other hand, one saw several retailers approaching the SMEs with enquiries. According to a recent Deloitte-FICCI report, private labels represent just 4 per cent of total retail sales in India, and, of this, 70 per cent are food categories. Retail experts feel we are going to see an explosion in private labels.
Bhindi and carrot chips from Fruit Treat by Karanth’s foods from Sringeri, Karnataka
2) Fusion pops: Yes, tandoori mayo and peri peri nuts are old hat, but at Aahar 2025, one saw fusion taken to extremes, especially by small businesses. If you can have heeng peanuts, why not heeng badam or blueberry-flavoured cashews? Ditto candied fruit in every conceivable flavour. Some worked, some did not. Fruit Treat, by Karanth’s foods from Sringeri, Karnataka, is going to be a player to watch — with its crispy bhindi treats, and sweet potato and carrot chips.
3) Rise of plant-based foods: At each new edition of Aahar, the number of plant-based food offerings seems to be growing, and it was no different this time too. Australia brought its OMG (Oat Milk Goodness) brand here. According to Sonal, founder of White Cub, a D2C Vegan brand that makes dairy-free butter, ice-cream and curd, already “many coffee chains in India make 22-32 per cent of their beverages with vegan milks these days”. She says the growth in plant-based food in India is interestingly coming from the “flexitarians”.
OMG oat milk brand
4) Frozen foods heat up: The frozen corner, which was static for ages, is warming up. The Amul stall had quite a few frozen snacks and sweets. According to a few manufacturers, two factors have put the zing in this category — more air-fryers entering homes and quick commerce.
5) New niches: At the Australian pavilion, an unusual offering was Wholesome Blends founded by Sarah Thomas, mother to a tube-fed child, whose own need led her to create a convenient healthy packaged product for enteral feeding, as an alternative to commercial formulas. She said, after Australia and New Zealand, India was the third market she was looking at for her product, meant for those who cannot swallow due to medical conditions. “India is going to be the start of our exports. I am learning about the landscape here. I am aware it is a premium product but there is definitely a need. Perhaps we could get some of it made here as well. Success for me is getting to as many needy people as possible,” she said.
