Vishaal Natural Food Products is turning its deep food-processing expertise into a new consumer-brand play, spanning global flavours with Entrée and functional hydration with Pickl.d.
Established in 1998, Vishaal Natural Food Products has built its business over more than two and a half decades around farming, processing and exporting gherkins, peppers, pickled vegetables and specialty foods. Over the years, the company developed deep capabilities across contract farming, processing, product development and quality control, while supplying global customers and meeting stringent international food-safety standards. This experience across the food value chain eventually led the company to look beyond manufacturing for global markets and explore opportunities in the Indian consumer space.
The father-son leadership of P. S. Madhusudan, Managing Director, and Pranav Madhusudan, Managing Director, Vishaal Natural Food Products, brings together nearly three decades of food-processing expertise and a new-generation ambition to build consumer-facing brands. The thinking was straightforward: if Vishaal could manufacture products that met the expectations of demanding international customers, Indian consumers should also have access to the same quality under its own brands.
This led to the creation and evolution of Entrée, which began with products closely connected to Vishaal’s core strengths, including gherkins, jalapeños, peppers, relishes and preserves. It has since expanded into a broader premium food portfolio spanning American Dill Gherkins, Sweet & Spicy Gherkins, Hamburger Chips, Jalapeño Slices, Jalapeño Chutney, Banana Peppers, Red Paprika, spice mixes and other specialty products.
The company’s processing expertise has also extended into an entirely different consumer proposition through Pickl.d, a functional hydration brand that transforms pickle juice into an on-the-go hydration shot. Together, Entrée and Pickl.d represent two distinct expressions of Vishaal’s core capabilities—one bringing global flavours and better food to consumers, the other creating a new functional beverage occasion.
In an exclusive interaction with Business of Food, P. S. Madhusudan and Pranav Madhusudan share their views on the brand’s evolution, the growth of Entrée and Pickl.d.
Excerpts:
What is the core proposition of your brands? How do you differentiate the brand in the premium pickles, preserves, condiments and specialty ingredients space?
The biggest differentiator is that we are manufacturers first and brand owners second. Entrée is not a brand that simply sources finished products and puts a label on them. Behind it is Vishaal’s farming, processing, R&D and manufacturing infrastructure, built over more than two and a half decades.
For Entrée, our proposition can be summed up as: global flavours, export-grade quality and products made accessible to the Indian kitchen. Indian consumers are experimenting far more today. Jalapeños are no longer restricted to restaurants; gherkins are entering sandwiches and burgers at home, while sun-dried tomatoes, seasonings, relishes and specialty peppers are becoming pantry ingredients. We want Entrée to be the brand consumers reach for when they want to bring those flavours home.
Our ability to control products from sourcing through processing, formulation and packing also gives us the opportunity to continuously innovate rather than simply trade products. Vishaal’s manufacturing portfolio spans gherkins, jalapeños and specialty peppers, baby corn, relishes, sauces and chutneys, seasonings, tomato products and several other categories.
How has the product portfolio evolved? Which categories and products are currently driving consumer interest, and what new products are you exploring?
The portfolio is evolving from being primarily a pickles-and-preserves portfolio into a broader international pantry and convenience-food proposition. Gherkins and jalapeños remain important anchor categories, but we are seeing considerable potential in Jalapeño Chutney, sun-dried tomatoes, relishes, paprika and specialty peppers, seasonings and products that allow consumers to recreate restaurant-style food at home. Our larger manufacturing platform also gives us room to work across sauces, chutneys, spice mixes and specialty ingredients.
At the same time, Pickl.d represents perhaps our most exciting diversification. Pickl.d is an 80 ml fermented pickle-juice hydration shot. It is sugar-free and caffeine-free and is positioned around electrolyte hydration and muscle-cramp relief. Our ambition is very focused: when someone thinks ‘muscle cramp’, we want them to think ‘Pickl.d.’
Just as people carry an energy bar or an electrolyte drink, we want a small bottle of Pickl.d to become part of the kit. Muscle cramp? Grab a Pickl.d. That is the consumer association we want to build.
How do you work with farmers and manage sourcing, processing and quality control across the supply chain?
For us, quality starts much before the product reaches the factory. Vishaal works through a contract-farming model and supports farmers through different stages of the crop cycle. That gives us much greater involvement in the supply chain, from seed and cultivation through harvesting, processing and packing.
Our manufacturing platform works to international food-safety requirements and carries credentials including BRCGS, IFS, Halal, Kosher and FSSAI, alongside a US FDA-registered facility.
This heritage is important for both brands. When a consumer buys Entrée or Pickl.d, we do not want them to see only attractive packaging. We want them to know there is serious food-processing knowledge, quality control, traceability and manufacturing experience behind that product.
Who is the core consumer today? What changes have you observed in consumer preferences?
Our consumer is increasingly young, urban, experimental and globally aware, but we do not think this trend will remain limited to metros. Food discovery today happens through travel, restaurants, Instagram, YouTube, quick commerce and international cuisines. Consumers who once experienced jalapeños only on restaurant pizzas are now buying jars for their homes.
Convenience is equally important. People want restaurant-style flavour without spending an hour preparing it. That creates an opportunity for Entrée to move beyond being simply a pickle brand and become a global pantry brand for Indian households.
Pickl.d addresses a different but overlapping consumer: active people. That includes runners, cyclists, gym-goers, sportspeople, fitness enthusiasts, outdoor workers and travellers—essentially anyone who wants convenient functional hydration. Our long-term goal is to make Pickl.d an everyday-carry product for active lifestyles.
What role do modern trade, e-commerce and D2C play in the growth of Entrée and Pickl.d?
Digital commerce is fundamental to our strategy because it allows emerging categories to be discovered very quickly. For Entrée, e-commerce gives consumers access to products that may not yet be available in every neighbourhood supermarket. Our own D2C platform also allows us to introduce new products, combinations and formats much faster.
For Pickl.d, digital is even more important because we are effectively building a category. We need to educate consumers about what pickle juice is, why athletes use it, when they can consume it and why it belongs in their gym bag, sports kit or travel bag.
Our growth strategy therefore combines D2C, marketplaces, quick commerce, modern trade, gyms, sporting events, running communities and other channels.
What are your key markets today, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for expansion?
Vishaal’s manufacturing business already has an international footprint across six continents, which gives us an important foundation for taking our consumer brands beyond their current markets.
Within India, the immediate opportunity is to deepen distribution beyond the major metros. Consumers in Tier 2 and 3 cities increasingly have access to the same restaurants, content, e-commerce platforms and international food trends as metropolitan consumers. We therefore see substantial headroom for Entrée outside India’s largest cities.
For Pickl.d, the opportunity is potentially even broader because muscle cramps and dehydration do not have a geography. Sports, fitness and outdoor lifestyles give the product relevance across markets. Over time, we see opportunities in India as well as international markets where pickle juice is already understood within sporting communities.
What are the brands’ priorities for the next 2–3 years?
Our objective is not simply to add more SKUs. It is to build two highly identifiable consumer brands. For Entrée, the priority is to establish it as a leading premium pantry brand across pickles, peppers, preserves, condiments, seasonings and specialty international ingredients.
That means deeper retail penetration, stronger e-commerce and quick-commerce presence, new product formats and selective international expansion. For Pickl.d, the ambition is much sharper. We want Pickl.d to own the muscle-cramp moment. We want it in gyms, at marathons, cycling events, football and cricket kits, trekking bags and sports academies. Ultimately, we want consumers to keep it handy whenever they know cramps or heavy sweating could become an issue.
Our goal is to build the mental association: ‘Muscle Cramps = Pickl.d’. That is the category we intend to own. At the same time, we want to communicate the broader proposition around hydration and recovery without turning Pickl.d into just another sports drink.
