In Roald Dahl's famous book, , Grandpa Joe once said, “Mr Willy Wonka can make marshmallows that taste of violets!” How much thought do we put into the ingredients in the candies we munch on frequently? While we know it’s mostly sugar, what other are in it? The question bothered Mahesh Dharam while on a trip to Goa when his son saw a large lollipop at a store and urged him to buy it. After speaking to the shopkeeper, he learnt there was a demand but insufficient supply. For Mahesh, this was a chance to create a healthier alternative for candies.
In 2013, Mahesh and his wife, Anusha Mahesh Dharam, started Kandee Factory to offer , preservative, and chemical-free candies, marshmallows, lollipops, gummies, and hard candies. Like Lay’s, the Chennai startup uses nitrogen to keep its products fresh by controlling moisture levels. “Currently, the products last 12 months, which is important for trade,” Mahesh, Founder and CEO of Kandee Factory, tells .
While in their corporate jobs, the husband-wife duo decided to kickstart their venture. With bootstrapping with Rs 2 lakh, they converted their kitchen into their lab and hired their cook as the first employee. In fact, Mahesh would sometimes be the delivery boy.
Kandee Factory operated as a proprietary till 2019 before it was incorporated and started getting investments. Since then, it has raised Rs 4 crore from Keiretsu Forum Chennai, , Nice Angel Network, Arun Jain family office, and Aprameya Radhakrishna family office. .