Pune Inc: From Shark Tank to Meta pantries, meet the brothers giving snacks a millet makeover
Pranav Korke and his cousin Karan Korke founded The Healthy Binge in 2021. Five years later, their company’s snacks are present in vending machines and pantries of schools and MNCs.
Around 2024, a relatively new company in Pune making millet-based snacks was surprised to suddenly get a lot of enquiries from HR officials and administrative teams of major corporate offices. “When we dug deep, we were informed that employees of these companies did not want the regular snacks. They were saying, ‘Please stock up on some healthy options’. Since we have a pan-India supply and these companies have offices in all six metros, we were able to deliver,” says Pranav Korke, who founded The Healthy Binge with his cousin Karan Korke.
The company’s offerings mimic familiar munchies and savouries, such as cookies and namkeens, but are made using ragi, jowar, and quinoa, baked and with no cholesterol or gluten.
More recently, there was another eye-opening piece of data for the brothers. “Our focus was on Tier-one metro cities and age groups of 25 to 45, so we were humbled to find out that a lot of mothers were buying our product as a tiffin snack. Working mothers don’t have the time to make snacks at home, so our products were going into a lot of tiffins,” says Karan.
The outcome provides validation to the founders whose journey—long before the company was born in 2021—began when Pranav and his Karan planned to supply rice kernels, fortified with iron folic acid and B12, for mid-day meals in schools. Though the project did not reach fruition, it set the tone for The Healthy Binge, a company that featured on the reality television series Shark Tank India last year.
The company’s items are now present in vending machines and pantries of a lot of schools and multinationals, including Netflix and Meta, across India and are exported to around seven countries. Last year, The Healthy Binge did business worth Rs 3.5 crore annually, and aims to increase that by 2027. “Given that unhealthy snacking is widespread and harmful, we will be happy if we can make about a 2 to 5 per cent difference in the way India snacks,” says Karan.
Healthy snacking catching on
The high acceptance of the products indicates that India, which is one of the capitals of lifestyle diseases in the country, is beginning to take steps to change certain aspects of their lifestyle. Snacking is closely knit with everyday habits and lifestyles, especially in urban India – it is a 4 am friend, a must-have during a movie date, a cheerleader through a cricket match on TV, and a bowlful of comfort when life isn’t fair.
According to researchers at IMARC, snacking is becoming healthy in a country that has traditionally enjoyed cholesterol-heavy and deep-fried foods. “The India healthy snacks market size reached $3.13 billion in 2025. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach $4.77 billion by 2034, exhibiting a growth rate (compound annual growth rate) of 4.80 per cent during 2026-2034,” says the report.
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“The market is witnessing remarkable growth, as consumers increasingly turn to healthy foods in response to growing health consciousness and demand for healthy alternatives. Consumers are preferring plant-based, gut-friendly, and clean-label snacks, triggering innovation and launch of a diverse range of functional and convenient snack offerings,” it adds.
Yet, millets are an acquired taste for many Indians. What The Healthy Binge appears to get right, apart from their distribution and logistics network, is manufacturing healthy products that stay close to people’s old tastes.
One of the products, Millet Namkeen Khatta Teekha, is tangy, spicy, and “unapologetically chatpata”, while the assorted millet cookies offer the indulgence of chocolate, fruit, and nuts.
“Since it’s a snacking category, it’s a very impulse-driven category, a fun category. We want to ensure that people are not driven by fear but the comfort of knowing that this is a product that we can give our children. Our healthy snacks tick a lot of boxes. We’ve worked really hard on the taste factor and health benefits and that is how we will take forward the brand,” says Pranav.
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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