Superplum, an Indian AgTech company, has announced the completion of its $15 million Series A financing.

Superplum said in a statement on Monday that the funds will enable the firm to continue to build out its infrastructure and accelerate its journey to transform produce supply chains in India.

According to the statement, the round was led by the company’s incoming Chairman, Erik Ragatz, former Partner and current Senior Advisor of the global private equity firm Hellman & Friedman.

He joins a strong group of current investors including Mark Siegel, Dan Rose, Steve Jurvetson, Rick Kimball, Binny Bansal, and Kabir Misra.

Started in 2019, Superplum has built a sophisticated direct-from-farm produce supply chain, using proprietary technology and cold-chain infrastructure to fundamentally improve how produce is grown and brought to market.

The result is India’s first premium fruit brand that provides consumers with superior quality and healthier produce—across mangoes, litchis, apples, grapes, cherries, and plums amongst a growing list of products.

The traceability provided by Superplum is unique globally, allowing consumers to view pesticide test reports for each batch and see the fruit’s journey from farm to table.

Superplum’s offering also addresses Indian agriculture’s endemic structural issues.

The company’s unique vertically integrated cold chain technology extends shelf lives and enhances fruit quality, expanding produce availability across the country, reducing food waste and ultimately improving farmer incomes.

This allows the firm to provide delicious south Indian mangoes in Delhi, lychees from Bihar, and cherries from Kashmir seamlessly in Bangalore while supporting the development of India’s critical agricultural sector.

The company also works with farmers across 22 states in India and runs modern sourcing and supply chains for 25 fruits across the year.

“Superplum is a hugely disruptive play in the existing produce markets in India and has the opportunity to create an incredibly valuable enterprise,

“This is also one of those great stories, where positive business success should bring a positive impact to the company’s stakeholders—changing the lives of farmers through increased pay and better terms, reducing food waste across the supply chain, and delivering healthier options to consumers,” Superplum’s new Chairman Erik Ragatz said.

Shobhit Gupta, the company’s Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer, added that the fast-growing Indian consumer market is getting more and more demanding.

While India has made huge strides in different domains, he said fresh produce remains lacking in technology and investments.

Building from the ground up, he said they had the opportunity to reimagine the whole supply chain and get superior, safer produce to consumers.

“We have spent the time, over the last few years to build outsourcing and supply chains for traditionally tough-to-handle fruits such as mangoes, lychees, cherries, and guavas and we get the most appreciative feedback on them. Consumers can really tell the difference.

“There’s no reason that Indian consumers should find it difficult to get their hands on high-quality domestic produce,” he added.

It is noted that Superplum is available online at Amazon Fresh, Zepto, Swiggy, and Blinkit.

The company’s premium fruits are also available at major retailers such as Spar, Metro, Lulu, Modern Bazaar, More, and Trent as well as hundreds of neighborhood stores in NCR and Bengaluru. They will also soon be available in Mumbai.

It is also noted that the company also recently started marketing its branded traceable products globally.

Superplum said it sees great opportunities for premium Indian mangoes, lychees, and many more tropical fruits.

The company said it is building out both India’s brand and its own as it expands globally.

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