Slurrp Farm bets on joy, not fear, to win parents

As the market overflows with idealised images of parenting, Wholsum Foods’ Slurrp Farm has positioned itself by acknowledging a simple reality: mealtime can be messy, and that is perfectly normal. At the same time, the brand has built its portfolio around an ancient grain, millets. Known for its millet-based pasta, pancake mixes, and cereals, Slurrp Farm has benefited from the larger millet revolution in India. The movement gained national momentum in 2023, when the Government of India declared it the International Year of Millets and set an ambitious export target of $100 million by 2025. With India now accounting for more than 40% of the world’s millet production, Slurrp Farm has been well-placed to ride this wave of renewed consumer interest.

The children’s food brand has gained visibility by focusing on authenticity and moving away from marketing that plays on parental guilt. This community-oriented approach, developed through direct conversations with parents, has contributed to its growth. The company has also adapted well to the evolving retail landscape, with quick commerce accounting for around 40% of its sales, and has expanded its presence to more than ten international markets.

To understand the building blocks of its strategy, we spoke with Chief Marketing Officer Ankit Kapoor. With global experience at companies like Nestlé, Kapoor’s move to Slurrp Farm was shaped by a personal interest in issues such as clean food, water, and air. In this conversation, he discusses the insights behind the brand’s real parenting campaigns, the role of community in shaping products, and his outlook for the future of children’s food.

A consumer-first playbook

According to Kapoor, the company’s marketing strategy builds on the approach set by its founders, who relied on direct engagement with consumers rather than formal market research. This consumer-first approach shaped a strategy that intends to avoid tactics commonly used in the industry to trigger parental anxiety. “We have made a conscious decision not to induce fear or anxiety in our marketing. While those may drive revenue, they do not align with what our brand stands for. Food is meant to bring people together and create moments of joy,” Kapoor explained.

He added that feedback for the “Real Food. Really Easy.” campaign highlighted how its portrayal of messy, imperfect mealtimes resonated with consumers as authentic and relatable.

Children-centric content

A key element of Slurrp Farm’s strategy is creating content aimed at children to encourage a positive relationship with food early on. One such initiative, the ‘Kiki Book,’ uses characters and narratives to introduce concepts of healthy eating.

“Storytelling allows us to spark curiosity and joy around food,” Kapoor said. “Through characters, we introduce millets and clean eating into a child’s world in a way that feels engaging rather than forced. This makes healthy food less intimidating and more familiar.”

Kapoor added that this engagement often carries over into the home, making children more open to trying the products. The effectiveness of these initiatives is measured through qualitative observations of child engagement, rather than direct sales attribution.

Community engagement and product innovation

Slurrp Farm’s community-driven approach spans both physical and digital platforms. Its partnership with KLAY Preschools is built on what Kapoor described as a “synergistic value system,” positioning the brand as an expert partner that can deliver nutritional information to children in an engaging way.

On the digital front, the brand launched ‘Slurp It Up,’ a community designed to support parents through what Kapoor called a “very high-anxiety moment”: the transition to solid foods. “When a child is not eating, a parent needs a reliable answer within minutes. Standard internet searches often lack the necessary trust and context, whereas a community of peers and nutritionists provides immense value,” he explained.

Beyond support, the community also feeds directly into product innovation. Kapoor noted that the product team observes organic conversations to identify unmet needs. “It is a very strong community where members share what more they need. By observing these conversations and the questions being asked, we are able to fuel our innovation pipeline in a way that aligns with what the brand stands for,” he said.

Retail and media strategy and approach to international markets

Slurrp Farm operates with a digital-first retail strategy, with quick commerce contributing around 40% of sales and traditional e-commerce another 30%. Kapoor noted that, unlike many brands in the category that saw a slowdown in traditional e-commerce, Slurrp Farm has continued to grow.

On the marketing front, about 25% of the company’s budget is now allocated to brand-building initiatives aimed at expanding reach. Product design for these channels, Kapoor explained, follows a clear hierarchy: “Our approach is always consumer-first, followed by category and then channel considerations.”

As the brand expands into more than ten international markets, its messaging is adapted to cultural contexts. “What the brand stands for is a universal need today. What changes is the context in which food is served,” Kapoor said. He illustrated this with an example: while a chocolate-flavoured malted beverage is viewed as an occasional treat in developed countries, in parts of Africa it is consumed as a child’s breakfast. “It is the same product, but it is essential to understand the local context to drive relevance,” he added.

Market outlook and pricing strategy

Looking ahead, Kapoor highlighted the growth of the snacking category and rising consumer demand for transparency and clean-label products as defining trends. He acknowledged that Slurrp Farm’s pricing is higher than many mass-market alternatives but attributed this to its quality.

“We will consistently be positioned at a premium because we are very particular about our ingredients, and that is something we will not compromise on. Our goal is to help consumers see this not as a high cost, but as an investment in better health for their child,” Kapoor said.

He added that as the brand scales, he anticipates that operational efficiencies will help unlock better price points over a period of time.

Kapoor described Slurrp Farm’s marketing strategy as one rooted in authenticity rather than high-spend advertising. He pointed to the “Real Food. Really Easy.” campaign as an example, where the creative brief emphasised honesty and relatability, and the family featured in the ad was directed to “not act, but be themselves.”

Kapoor characterised the company’s model as an honest form of communication that he views as a more efficient use of resources and a foundation for long-term consumer trust. The focus, he stressed, is not short-term visibility but sustained credibility. As the brand grows, he sees its strength lying in maintaining a consistent ethos of transparency, leveraging community-driven insights, and allocating resources with discipline — qualities he believes will help Slurrp Farm remain resilient in an increasingly competitive children’s food market.