India’s beverage aisles are crowded, colourful, and loud. Yet beneath the bright labels lies a problem that consumers have grown increasingly aware of. Many popular drinks promise refreshment but deliver sugar overload, artificial flavours, and chemical additives. As health awareness deepens across urban India, a growing segment of consumers is asking a simple question. Why should convenience come at the cost of clean ingredients?
This is the question that sparked the journey of Swizzle, a Bengaluru-based clean-label beverage startup that is now stepping into its next phase of growth after raising ₹2 crore in Seed funding on the entrepreneurship show Ideabaaz.
A Market Ready for Change
India’s ready-to-drink and non-alcoholic beverage market has expanded rapidly over the last decade, driven by urban lifestyles, quick commerce, and on-the-go consumption. Yet innovation in ingredients has lagged behind innovation in distribution. Clean-label options remain limited, expensive, or niche.
Swizzle saw this gap early. The founders believed that Indian consumers were ready for beverages that delivered real taste without artificial shortcuts. The vision was not to build another sugary drink brand, but to create a modern beverage company rooted in transparency, simplicity, and flavour.
Building Clean Without Compromise
From day one, Swizzle chose a harder path. Every product is crafted using real fruits and herbs, without artificial flavours, colours, or chemical preservatives. The drinks are vegan, preservative-free, and designed to deliver a mocktail-like experience straight out of the can.
This clean-label commitment quickly became the brand’s differentiator. At a time when ingredient lists were getting longer, Swizzle made them shorter. At a time when health claims were vague, Swizzle made its formulation clear.
The product-first approach resonated strongly with early consumers, particularly across vending machines, HoReCa outlets, and urban retail stores where customers seek convenience without guilt.
Early Days of Testing and Taste
Like most consumer brands, Swizzle’s early journey revolved around feedback. The founders spent months refining flavours, testing formats, and understanding where the product fit best. Taste mattered, but so did pricing, packaging, and accessibility.
The brand found early traction in controlled environments such as vending machines and premium food service outlets, where repeat consumption validated product quality. This steady validation laid the groundwork for scaling with confidence rather than rushing distribution prematurely.
The Ideabaaz Moment
The turning point came when Swizzle stepped onto the Ideabaaz stage. The pitch was not just about numbers or projections. It was about letting the product speak for itself.
Following a live pitch and product tasting on the show, Swizzle secured ₹2 crore in Seed funding, led by Sooraj Singh, CEO and Founder of Unibots, and Shaili Chopra, Founder of SheThePeople and Gytree. The investment was a clear signal of investor confidence in both the product and the founding team.
For Swizzle, Ideabaaz offered more than capital. It delivered national visibility and strong validation in a competitive consumer category.
Scaling with Speed and Structure
With fresh capital in place, Swizzle is now shifting from experimentation to expansion. The company is accelerating its presence across high-velocity channels including quick commerce platforms, mass retail, and vending networks.
The brand is entering Hyderabad this quarter while deepening its HoReCa footprint across Tier 1 cities. Partnerships with national restaurant chains and premium food service groups are already underway, positioning Swizzle in high-consumption environments.
To support this demand, Swizzle is upgrading its manufacturing capacity from 250 litres per day to 2,000 litres per day. This expansion will enable production of up to 40,000 cans daily, ensuring supply keeps pace with growing distribution.
Innovation at the Core
Product innovation continues to anchor Swizzle’s roadmap. The company is preparing to launch ₹30 PET bottles to improve affordability and access. It is also introducing Diet Desi Lemonade, a sub-20-calorie beverage with no artificial sweeteners or stevia, a first in its category.
These launches reflect Swizzle’s larger philosophy. Health should not feel premium or restrictive. It should feel normal, accessible, and enjoyable.
The Road Ahead
Over the next 12 to 18 months, Swizzle plans an aggressive retail push with a target of 5,000 outlets across Bengaluru and Hyderabad, expanding to over 20,000 outlets nationwide. The company also aims to scale to 7,500 vending machines, serve more than 2,000 HoReCa outlets, and launch across all major quick commerce platforms with coverage across 1,500 dark stores.
With partnerships already in place with brands such as Zomoz and Chalu Chinese, and upcoming tie-ups with Wow Momo, CCD Express, and Barista, Swizzle is steadily embedding itself into everyday consumption moments.
More Than a Beverage Brand
For co-founders Vrinda Singhal and Deepender Singh, the mission goes beyond drinks. It is about reshaping how Indian consumers think about what they consume daily.
With strong investor backing, a clear clean-label philosophy, and a rapidly scaling distribution network, Swizzle is positioning itself at the intersection of health, taste, and convenience. In a market hungry for better choices, Swizzle’s story is only just beginning.