Pet food brand Drools claims unicorn status after minority stake by Nestlé

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Pet food brand Drools claims unicorn status after minority stake by Nestlé Drools Pet Food Private Limited claims it has become India’s first pet food unicorn following a minority investment by Nestlé S.A., the parent company of Nestlé India. Drools has not disclosed the details of the transaction but will continue to operate independently post-investment. The deal gives Nestlé access to India’s growing pet food market, while Drools is expected to continue expanding in both domestic and international markets. Drools, with brands like Pure Pet, Meat Up, Canine Creek, and Kitty Yum, claims to be the top seller in the pet food category on Amazon. The company operates fully online and also sells offline, including vet clinics, pet stores, and general trade retailers. Founded by Fahim Sultan in 2010, Drools operates six production facilities and has a warehousing footprint of 1.6 million square feet. The company distributes its products through 40,000 retail outlets in India and exports to 22 countries. It employs 3,400 people across its operations. Earlier in June 2023, Drools had raised $60 million in funding from private equity firm L Catterton at a valuation of $600 million. The round was one of the largest investments in the pet care industry in India. For the fiscal year ending in March 2024, Drools’ revenue from operations jumped 50% to Rs 714.90 crore from Rs 474.62 crore in FY23. The company however reported a net loss of Rs 14 crore in FY24 against Rs 27.65 crore profit in the previous fiscal year. Drools becomes the fourth startup to enter the unicorn club in 2025. Netradyne and Juspay reached the milestone in January and April, respectively, while Porter recently joined the list after raising $200 million in a Series E round at a valuation exceeding $1 billion.