Wednesday, July 29, 2026
HomeBrands in ConversationSmall-Town India Is Winning the Protein Race: Mohali, Nagpur and Bhopal Outpace...

Small-Town India Is Winning the Protein Race: Mohali, Nagpur and Bhopal Outpace Every Metro, Finds MILLD

- Order data from India's first and fastest-growing high-protein atta brand shows tier-2 and tier-3 cities expanding 6–9X in six months, emerging as the unlikely new capitals of India's protein boom

Bengaluru, India, 29th July 2026 – The fastest-growing protein buyers in India are not in Mumbai or Bengaluru. They are in Mohali, Nagpur, Dehradun and Bhopal. That is the finding of a customer-behaviour analysis by MILLD, India’s first high-protein (46%) atta brand and creator of the category. Since its launch in November 2025, the brand has grown roughly 50% month-on-month for nine consecutive months, reaching nearly 6 lakh homes across more than 1,700 cities and towns.

Delhi remains MILLD’s largest market, followed by Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune, yet these top cities together account for just 38% of all orders. The rest come from towns such as Jamnagar, Thrissur, Hoshiarpur and Muzaffarnagar, markets the protein industry has largely overlooked.

The growth story belongs firmly to smaller India. Between December 2025 and June 2026, MILLD orders from Mohali grew more than 9x. Nagpur grew 7.5x, Dehradun and Bhopal about 7x, and Raipur and Vadodara close to 6x. Pune, up 6x in the same window, was the only large city expanding at that pace. More than 47% of MILLD’s transactions now come from repeat buyers.

“Everyone assumes protein is a metro conversation. Our data says otherwise,” said Sivaram Briyas, co-founder of MILLD and founder of Briyas Tofu. “Mohali, Nagpur, Dehradun and Bhopal are growing faster than any metro we serve. When protein is affordable and fits the food people already cook, India adopts it at scale.”

“Europeans eat almost twice the protein an average Indian does, and expensive supplements will not close that gap,” said Prashant Pitti, co-founder of MILLD. “When we launched in November 2025, this category didn’t exist, we had to invent it, one trial at a time over 6 months. After 281 trials we could finally create a protein rich atta that delivers complete protein, all nine essential amino acids in a roti that puffs like regular atta.” 

“Fitness in India will not come from supplements. It will come from the kitchen,” said Milind Soman, brand ambassador for MILLD. “Roti is the most consistent thing an Indian family eats. Making it a real source of protein, without changing its taste or the ritual around it, is the most practical health decision a household can take.”

MILLD is available on the website milld.com and major quick-commerce platforms across India.

About MILLD

Launched in November 2025, MILLD is India’s first high-protein atta brand and one of the country’s fastest-growing food startups. It was created to help bridge India’s protein gap not through supplements, but by adding more protein to the meals Indians already love making and eating. Founded by Prashant Pitti, co-founder of Optimo Capital and EaseMyTrip (NSE/BSE listed), and Sivaram Briyas, founder of Briyas Tofu, MILLD makes a protein-rich atta that fits into any Indian kitchen with no change in taste, ritual or routine. The brand’s ambassador, Milind Soman, shares the same philosophy: fitness in India starts in the kitchen, not the supplement aisle. 

The science behind MILLD

281 trials to make the roti puff: A high-protein roti that still puffs is a hard food-science problem: load flour with protein and the dough tears, sticks, and refuses to balloon on the tawa. It took MILLD’s food scientist 281 trials over six months to find the blend of whole wheat, wheat protein, soya and peanut fractions that puffs and tastes exactly like regular atta at 46% protein, with all nine essential amino acids. That six-month R&D effort is why MILLD reached the market first and why, nine months on, its 46% formulation remains unmatched.

Author
Authorhttp://www.passionateinmarketing.com
Passionate in Marketing, one of the biggest publishing platforms in India invites industry professionals and academicians to share your thoughts and views on latest marketing trends by contributing articles and get yourself heard.
Read More
- Advertisment -

Latest Posts