How Yummy Bee Scaled a Guilt-Free Food Chain in India

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TL;DR: Yummy Bee turned home-baked sugar-free treats into a Rs 35 crore, R&D-driven food chain with 17 kitchens and 15% store-level margins. The brand focuses on taste-first sugar-free and gluten-free products, backed by a 4,000 sq ft R&D lab and plans to scale to 50 stores.

From a home kitchen to a guilt-free food chain

What began as healthier baking for a newborn daughter evolved into Yummy Bee — a fast-growing Indian food brand focused on sugar-free and gluten-free desserts and meals. Founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Sandeep Jangala and co-founder Sonia Lamba, Yummy Bee has scaled to 17 kitchens across Hyderabad and Bengaluru, reporting a roughly Rs 35 crore annual run rate and 15% net profitability at store level.

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Why taste-first health food wins

Yummy Bee’s founding insight was simple: people want to eat healthier, but not at the cost of taste. The company’s bench-to-table approach ensures parity with indulgent flavors while swapping out refined sugar and maida. Hero items like the San Sebastian cheesecake — a crustless, caramelized classic — prove that healthier ingredients can still deliver the sensory experience customers expect.

R&D at the core

Behind the menu is a 4,000 sq ft R&D center in Hyderabad with about 40 chefs and nutritionists. New items undergo three to six months of testing to hit taste and texture benchmarks. Current experiments include millet-based croissants, sourdough burgers, and low-calorie beverages designed to mimic familiar favorites while reducing sugar and refined flour.

Product range and pricing

Yummy Bee started as a cloud dessert kitchen and quickly expanded into cafés after customer demand for coffee, savory options, and sit-down experiences. The menu spans sugar-free desserts (priced around Rs 200–350), baked snacks, salads and bowls (Rs 250–350), and pizzas and mains (around Rs 450). This spectrum helps attract mothers, children, and multi-generational diners who want indulgence without health trade-offs.

Operations, SOPs and scaling challenges

Rapid growth creates operational complexity. Moving into new cities required navigating regulatory differences, ensuring uniform SOPs, and closely monitoring product quality and service standards across outlets. Yummy Bee addresses these challenges with strict checklists, central R&D, and training programs to keep product parity across 10 cafés and 7 cloud kitchens.

Funding and growth roadmap

The company has completed a Rs 7 crore seed round and a Rs 19 crore Series A, with plans for a larger raise to accelerate expansion. The immediate objective is to grow to ~22 outlets by March and eventually scale to 50 stores across Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai — a trajectory that management estimates could push the run rate toward Rs 150–200 crore within 18 months.

Customer-first product development

Real customer stories shape the menu. One early turning point came when the team prepared a gluten-free birthday pasta and pizza for a child with celiac disease — an experience that opened the company to savory offerings beyond desserts. Today, the brand’s focus remains on creating everyday foods that families can enjoy without guilt.

Brand building and marketing

As Yummy Bee scales, consistent visual and experiential branding becomes crucial. Elements like a clear brand identity design and a centralized brand kit help ensure that each café and cloud kitchen communicates the same promise — healthier indulgence that still tastes great. For category education and faster reach, the company can also leverage influencer marketing for brands to build trust among health-conscious parents and younger audiences.

Leadership shaped by tech, fitness and nutrition

Sandeep Jangala’s background spans government ERP solutions, a tech-enabled fitness and nutrition platform, and experience as a former India Under-19 cricketer. That mix of tech, nutrition know-how, and operational rigor informs Yummy Bee’s product philosophy: create everyday foods that are both nutritious and delightful.

What other restaurateurs can learn

• Prioritize R&D: Invest in product testing to achieve taste parity with healthier ingredients.
• Standardize operations: SOPs and training are non-negotiable for consistent expansion.
• Design a cohesive brand: Use strong brand identity design and a repeatable brand kit to scale consistently.
• Amplify with the right channels: Consider targeted influencer marketing for brands to reach niche health-conscious audiences.

Looking ahead

Yummy Bee’s roadmap includes expanding geographic footprint, launching niche sub-brands (millet burgers, donuts, pizza concepts), and continuing product innovation. Their journey shows how a personal mission — baking better treats for a daughter — can become a scalable business when taste, R&D, operations, and brand strategy align.

Key stats at a glance

• Founded: 2022
• Model: 10 cafés + 7 cloud kitchens
• Annual run rate: ~Rs 35 crore
• Store-level net profitability: ~15%
• R&D: 4,000 sq ft, ~40 chefs & nutritionists
• Funding: Rs 7 Cr seed + Rs 19 Cr Series A; larger round planned
• Expansion goal: 22 outlets by March; 50 stores long-term

For any food entrepreneur aiming to build a health-focused brand, Yummy Bee’s playbook underlines one priority above all: make healthy food taste like the real thing. When that bar is met, customer loyalty — and scalable growth — follows.

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