According to a regulatory filing, Hindustan Unilever Limited has acquired a 19.8 per cent stake in health and well being firm Nutritionalab Private Limited for Rs 70 crore. It has also invested in plant-based products maker OZiva, to enter the well being sector with the capacity to become a Rs 30,000 crore industry.
Oziva
Launched in 2016, OZiva is a leading plant-based, and clean-label consumer wellness brand focused on the need spaces such as Lifestyle Protein, Hair & Beauty Supplements and Women’s health. It is a digital-first brand with an omnichannel approach, available on its website (D2C), digital marketplaces, and offline stores where its presence is growing. The company has a strong in-house R&D team comprising PhDs, Phyto-chemists and Biotechnologists.
HUL will acquire 51% equity stake through a combination of primary infusion and secondary buyouts. The balance 49% will be acquired at the end of 36 months based on pre-agreed valuation criteria.
They have presence in D2C, digital marketplaces and are expanding in offline retail channels. The current Wellbeing Nutrition team led by Mr. Avnish Chhabria will continue to operate all functions of the business. HUL will be represented on the Board. Both these transactions are expected to be completed in the next 1-3 months, subject to customary closing conditions.
Sanjiv Mehta, CEO and Managing Director, HUL said: “We are delighted to welcome OZiva and Wellbeing Nutrition to the HUL family and our portfolio of purpose-led brands. These strategic investments give us an entry into the fast-growing Health & Wellbeing category. They align strongly with our mission to improve the health and wellbeing of consumers and empower people to take charge of their health through solutions that they can trust. I strongly believe that HUL is well-positioned to support further scale-up of these businesses through our R&D, Market Development, Distribution capabilities and Unilever’s global Health & Wellbeing expertise.”
Wellbeing Nutrition
Founded in 2019, Wellbeing Nutrition has pioneered disruptive formats in science-backed, benefit-led clean products in Health & Wellbeing. Its product range includes Melts (Oral Thin Strips), Slow (Slow-Release capsules) and Marine Collagen powder focused on need spaces such as Beauty, Everyday Health, Gut Health and Sleep.
Ritesh Tiwari, CFO HUL said: “HUL has a successful track record of building categories through market development. We are excited to work with the founders of OZiva and Wellbeing Nutrition to grow the businesses further by leveraging our complementary expertise and capabilities.”
The current OZiva team led by Aarti Gill and Mihir Gadani will continue to operate all functions of the business. HUL will have representation on the Board and will provide necessary capabilities and support to scale up.
Aarti Gill & Mihir Gadani, Founders of OZiva said: “We are glad to partner with HUL to achieve our vision of empowering people to live better and healthier with OZiva. Over the last few years, we have created an innovative portfolio that has helped millions of consumers live a better life. As the next step in this journey, with OZiva's focus on innovation in the space of health & wellbeing and HUL's strong capabilities in category development and distribution, we believe we can together create a stronger purpose led brand that brings us closer to our vision and touch more lives around the world.”
Avnish Chhabria, Founder & CEO, Wellbeing Nutrition said: “We are very excited to welcome onboard Hindustan Unilever as a strategic investor. Wellbeing Nutrition has been on a mission to make clean nutrition accessible to consumers all over the world on the back of innovative products, such as Melts (Oral Thin Strips) and Slow (2-in-1 capsule technology) formulated using highquality and globally-sourced natural ingredients. We believe this partnership will help scale Wellbeing Nutrition by leveraging HUL’s reach and capabilities and become a lifestyle wellness brand of choice,”
