Marmalade: The drinks startup, founded in 2025 by Udit Mediratta and Surojit Bhattacharya, plans to expand distribution and strengthen its operations while targeting an annualised revenue run rate of Rs 15 crore by December 2026.
Alco-bev startup Marmalade has raised Rs 6 crore in a seed funding round, giving the young company fresh capital to widen the reach of its drinks portfolio and build out its commercial operations.
The round saw participation from a group of investors that includes Ashok Chokalingam, Robert Sellares, Ishank Gupta and HomeLane founder Srikanth Iyer, among others named in the funding announcement.
Marmalade plans to deploy the capital across distribution expansion, brand-building, sales and operational capabilities, placing execution and market reach at the heart of its next phase of growth.
Founded in 2025 by Udit Mediratta and Surojit Bhattacharya, Marmalade is building alcoholic beverage brands aimed at a newer generation of Indian consumers. Its approach centres on drinks that the company describes as easier to enjoy and more approachable, with flavour and presentation playing a prominent role in how the products are positioned.
Brightside takes the lead
At the centre of Marmalade’s portfolio is Brightside, an Indian craft whiskey developed in partnership with Amrut master blender Ashok Chokalingam.
Rather than relying only on conventional whiskey positioning, Marmalade is using the product, packaging and branding around Brightside to shape how newer consumers discover the category. The company is now preparing to take the brand into Mumbai and the wider Maharashtra market, making distribution expansion one of the most immediate uses of its seed capital.
Brightside Craft Whiskey combines malts and grain spirits with botanicals, with Marmalade positioning the blend around a smoother drinking experience and reduced harshness, bitterness and strong aftertaste.
The pricing is equally central to the company’s market play. Brightside is priced at Rs 1,750 for a 750 ml bottle in Maharashtra, placing it inside the Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,200 segment that Marmalade believes has relatively limited options.
That Rs 1,750 price point gives Marmalade a clear commercial anchor as it enters a larger market. Instead of treating the seed round simply as capital for wider expansion, the company is pairing distribution growth with a defined product and price positioning.
Marmalade targets Rs 15 crore ARR by December
The company’s near-term revenue ambition is also notable.
Marmalade expects to reach an annualised revenue run rate of Rs 5 crore in September 2026 and is targeting Rs 15 crore ARR by December 2026. That would mean a threefold increase in the stated run rate over the period, as the company expands its presence across two cities.
For a business founded only in 2025, the next few months therefore carry much of the weight of its growth plan. The seed funding will have to support several efforts at once: getting Brightside into more points of sale, building recognition for the brand and strengthening the sales and operational infrastructure needed to support a larger footprint.
Marmalade is entering that expansion phase at a time when newer alcohol brands are experimenting across craft whisky, gin, agave spirits and liqueurs, often combining contemporary branding with smoother flavour profiles and more accessible pricing. The broader category has also continued to attract startup funding, with other emerging spirits companies raising capital to scale their businesses.
For Marmalade, however, the immediate story is more specific: Rs 6 crore in seed capital, a Rs 1,750 flagship whiskey and a stated goal of reaching Rs 15 crore in annualised revenue run rate by December 2026. How effectively it converts those three numbers into distribution and repeat consumer demand will define the company’s next stage.
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