Protein Pantry Raises Rs 9 Cr to Scale High-Protein Frozen Foods

Protein Pantry, a Delhi-based clean-label frozen food brand focused on high-protein ready-to-cook products, has raised Rs 9 crore in a seed funding round led by Sharrp Ventures.

The round also saw participation from Peercheque, Consumer Collective by Atrium and Indian Silicon Valley Capital, along with angel investors including Varun Alagh, Rishubh Satiya, Avnish Anand, Arush Chopra, Saurabh Munjal, Signal Ventures and others.

The fresh capital will primarily be used to establish and scale Protein Pantry's manufacturing capabilities. The company also plans to invest in research and development and strengthen its supply chain as it expands across Indian cities.

Building a high-protein frozen food brand

Founded in November 2025 by Disha Bhattacharya and Prashanth Bhushan, Protein Pantry is positioning itself around a growing demand for convenient food with higher protein content.

The company makes ready-to-cook frozen products using what it describes as clean-label, kitchen-shelf ingredients.

Its products are made without refined flour, preservatives or palm oil, and the company says its formulations target a 1:10 protein-to-calorie ratio.

The current portfolio includes products such as soya chaap, kebabs, cutlets and falafels.

Unlike many conventional frozen snacks, Protein Pantry says its products are baked rather than fried.

The company also manufactures several components internally, including its marinades, sauces and chaap base. This in-house approach is intended to give the company greater control over ingredients, product development and manufacturing.

Targeting the gap between supplements and everyday food

Protein consumption in India has traditionally been associated with supplements, protein powders, bars and other specialized nutrition products.

Protein Pantry is targeting a different part of the market: everyday meals and snacks that can be prepared conveniently while providing a higher protein content.

Its products are designed to be ready to cook, allowing consumers to add them to their regular meals without having to prepare protein-heavy dishes from scratch.

The company is betting that convenience and nutrition can increasingly become part of the same food purchase.

This positioning also gives Protein Pantry an opportunity to participate in both the broader frozen-food market and India's growing interest in protein-focused nutrition.

Expanding through D2C and quick commerce

Protein Pantry has already launched its direct-to-consumer operations across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Jaipur.

The brand is also available through quick-commerce platforms including Blinkit, FirstClub and Flipkart Minutes.

Its quick-commerce availability currently covers Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

According to the company, Protein Pantry has served more than 30,000 households and has recorded a strong repeat rate.

For a relatively young food brand, repeat purchasing is particularly relevant because frozen food companies need consumers to incorporate products into their regular shopping habits rather than treat them as occasional purchases.

The company is now planning a broader expansion.

By the end of 2026, Protein Pantry plans to enter Pune, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Chennai through quick-commerce channels.

This expansion would take the brand into several additional urban markets where quick commerce has become an increasingly important route for consumers buying packaged and ready-to-cook food.

Manufacturing is a major focus for the new capital

A significant portion of the Rs 9 crore funding will go toward setting up and scaling Protein Pantry's manufacturing unit.

The company currently manufactures its products entirely in-house, including its sauces, marinades and chaap base.

As geographic availability increases, manufacturing capacity and supply-chain infrastructure will become increasingly important.

Frozen food requires reliable production, storage and distribution systems to maintain product quality while reaching customers across different cities.

By investing in its own manufacturing capabilities, Protein Pantry can also continue experimenting with new product formats and formulations.

The company plans to continue spending on R&D alongside manufacturing and supply-chain expansion.

New products planned

Protein Pantry is not limiting its ambitions to its existing range of frozen foods.

The company plans to introduce new formats and expand its protein portfolio across additional categories over the next 12 to 24 months.

Its broader goal is to establish availability across major Indian cities through a combination of D2C and quick-commerce channels.

This strategy allows the company to maintain a direct relationship with customers through its own online channel while also using the distribution reach of quick-commerce platforms.

For consumers, quick commerce can be particularly relevant for frozen and ready-to-cook products because purchases can be made when meals are being planned rather than requiring advance supermarket trips.

Competition in India's protein-focused food market

Protein Pantry is entering a market that has attracted increasing attention from food and nutrition startups.

The broader category includes companies developing clean-label packaged foods, protein-focused snacks and ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook products.

Recent funding activity highlights the growing interest.

Athena Protein raised a pre-seed round from Campus Fund in September 2026 to expand its high-protein food portfolio and cold-chain distribution.

Meanwhile, The Whole Truth raised approximately $51 million in a Series D round in February 2026 to expand its clean-label protein and packaged-food business.

Protein Pantry is approaching the opportunity through frozen food rather than primarily through supplements or packaged snacks.

A larger urban food opportunity

The company's expansion strategy is closely tied to India's urban consumption patterns.

Consumers in major cities increasingly use digital commerce and quick-commerce platforms for groceries, snacks and ready-to-cook food.

For a frozen-food brand, this creates an opportunity to make specialized products available without requiring customers to visit a physical supermarket.

Protein Pantry's current presence across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Hyderabad gives it an initial footprint across several major urban markets.

The planned expansion into Pune, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Chennai would further broaden its geographic reach.

What comes next for Protein Pantry

The Rs 9 crore seed round gives Protein Pantry capital to move from an early-stage product rollout toward broader manufacturing and distribution.

The immediate priorities are scaling its manufacturing unit, strengthening the supply chain and continuing product development.

At the same time, the company plans to expand its quick-commerce presence and introduce additional protein-focused products.

Founded less than a year before this funding announcement, Protein Pantry is attempting to build a consumer food brand around a simple proposition: make higher-protein food convenient enough to become part of everyday meals.

Its next phase will depend on how effectively it can scale manufacturing, maintain product quality and build repeat demand across India's major cities.

With more than 30,000 households already served and expansion planned across multiple new markets, the company is now using its latest capital to build the infrastructure required for its next stage of growth.