TABP: How Prabhu Gandhikumar is Winning Bharat's Rural Market with ₹10 Beverages

While global beverage giants focus on the "A+ segment" in metros, fighting over premium cold brews and diet sodas, a silent revolution is happening in the rural dusty roads of India. Prabhu Gandhikumar, Founder and CEO of TABP Snacks & Beverages, has unlocked the secret to the Bottom of the Pyramid. By selling high-quality mango and apple juices at just ₹10, Prabhu is winning over 250 million rural consumers. In a market where multinational PET bottles start at ₹30—a price point many laborers simply can't afford—TABP is proving that Bharat’s real appetite is for value, quality, and accessibility.

Prabhu Gandhikumar’s journey is a story of a third-generation entrepreneur who traded a consulting career in the US for the grit of Indian FMCG. An engineer from PSG College of Technology, Prabhu spent years at TCS and The Home Depot before returning to his family’s foundry business in 2015. Alongside his wife Brindha Vijayakumar, he launched TABP (named after their daughter Tanvi, Brindha, and Prabhu) to solve the "Affordability Gap" in packaged foods. Today, the Coimbatore-based powerhouse has hit a staggering **₹212 crore** in revenue and recently secured **$3 million** in funding to scale its vision across 18 states.

The Problem: The 'Unserved' Rural Consumer

Most FMCG startups target the high-margin urban market. This leaves the "Bottom of the Pyramid" empty of quality competition. Rural laborers and farmers, who often need a boost of glucose during intense physical work, were stuck choosing between expensive multinational brands or unbranded, often unhygienic local options. Global brands struggled with rural distribution because their supply chains were optimized for urban retail.

"I saw that carbonated drinks were getting a bad rap in cities, but in the fields, they act as low-cost energy drinks," Prabhu explains. "A laborer earning ₹250 a day can't spend ₹30 on a bottle of Coke. But they will happily spend ₹10 for a high-quality mango drink. We wanted to build a company that prioritized the farmer's pocket."

The Solution: The 'Phygital' Distribution Moat

TABP didn't hire expensive market research firms. Instead, Prabhu went directly to the distributors. He used their local knowledge to tweak product formulations—varying sugar levels and flavor profiles for different regions like Tamil Nadu versus Maharashtra. By utilizing Third Party Units (TPUs) for manufacturing, TABP avoided massive capital expenditure while scaling rapidly.

Scaling Impact: From Tamil Nadu to ₹212 Crore

TABP’s growth is nothing short of phenomenal. Operating across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and beyond, the company sold over **2.5 crore bottles** in a single year. Despite the seasonal nature of beverages (which peak in March-May), Prabhu pivoted into snacks like breakfast cereals and millet-based products to ensure year-round cash flow. This agility allowed the company to survive the pandemic lockdowns and emerge even stronger.

"We are penny-pinchers," Prabhu notes. "In a ₹10 product, every paisa matters. We build our team with freshers who have our same mindset—loyal, frugal, and ready to struggle. That is why our senior leaders today are the same people who joined us five years ago as fresh graduates."

Lessons in Resilience: The 55°C Test

Prabhu shares a critical learning from 2019. During their early R&D, they tested products in 35°C winter environments. However, in the summer, they found that distributors were storing stock under tin roofs where temperatures shot up to **55°C**. This caused a major product recall during their peak season. Rather than giving up, Prabhu turned it into a victory by executing a rapid turnaround and replacement, building immense trust with his distributor network.

"Entrepreneurship is an everyday roller coaster," he reflects. "You have to be a 'Mini Entrepreneur' inside your own job first. Whether I was at TCS or Home Depot, I always thought about what my boss's boss wanted. That mindset is what I look for in my own team now."

The Future: Healthy Snacks for Bharat

Prabhu’s vision for TABP is to move beyond drinks to "Healthy D2C Snacks." With the launch of millet-based breakfast cereals, he is ensuring that the rural consumer doesn't just get affordable calories, but healthy ones. For Prabhu, the goal is simple: to prove that the Bottom of the Pyramid is not a charity case, but the most exciting and loyal market in the world.

TABP is proving that the next generation of FMCG giants won't be from New York or London—they will be from Coimbatore and Aurangabad. By giving the common man a reason to win, Prabhu Gandhikumar and his team are ensuring that for rural India, the future is finally sweet, crispy, and affordable.

About the Guest

Prabhu Gandhikumar is the Founder and CEO of TABP Snacks & Beverages. A third-generation entrepreneur and an alumnus of PSG College of Technology, Prabhu has combined his global consulting experience with a deep understanding of the Indian rural market. Under his leadership, TABP has emerged as a leader in affordable FMCG, hitting multi-crore revenues and securing marquee investments. He is a passionate advocate for Bharat-centric innovation and a mentor to several budding entrepreneurs in the southern Indian startup ecosystem.

TABP Snacks & Beverages is a Coimbatore-based FMCG company specializing in affordable drinks and snacks for the rural market. By focusing on ₹10 and ₹5 price points and leveraging a localized manufacturing model, the company brings high-quality, branded products to underserved consumers across southern and eastern India.