Meet the Founders Who are Building a “Post‑Sugar World” with Arboreal

Vasundhra Tewari

| 2025-07-07 | Founders Corner

India is home to over 101 million people living with diabetes, which makes up 11.4% of the country’s adult population. On top of that, about 136 million more are estimated to be pre-diabetic, putting them at high risk of developing the condition. What’s driving this alarming trend? A combination of sedentary lifestyles, chronic stress, underlying health issues, and, most notably, unhealthy eating habits, especially the excessive consumption of sugar in all its forms.

With the rising health concerns surrounding diabetes, a new wave of problem solvers is stepping forward. Among them are the founders of Arboreal– a homegrown startup working towards creating a “Post-Sugar World.”

Arboreal- The Backstory

Driven by the pain of seeing their parents battling with diabetes for more than 25 years, both Manish Chauhan (London Business School & BITS Pilani Alumni) and Swati Pandey (Imperial College, London & IIT Dhanbad) found a purpose in creating something that replaces sugar in terms of toxicity while maintaining its essence.

They both left their international jobs in London and Singapore and shifted to India to innovate something that replaces sugar and its negative impact on health completely. With intense research, they found better, healthier ways to enjoy sweetness, without the risks that come with regular sugar.

Arboreal- The Mission

In 2015, both Manish and Swati set up Arboreal as a B2B ingredient platform in Lucknow with an aim to create natural, low or zero‑calorie sweeteners that mimic sugar in every sense: sweetness, bulk, viscosity, and mouthfeel.

Farm to Flavour- The Discovery of Stevia

Arboreal’s journey began with the discovery of Stevia, a natural, plant-based sweetener with immense potential. The team partnered with smallholder farmers across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand to cultivate their non-GMO stevia varieties.

However, stevia offered sugar-like sweetness, but it didn’t quite match the texture and functionality of the same. It lacked the bulk, structure, and mouthfeel that many food applications require.

After five years of intensive R&D, the team developed a patent-pending blend of stevia extracts, polyols, plant fibers, and natural texturisers that successfully mimicked the full sensory experience of sugar, minus the calories.

Arboreal- The Bigger Picture

Today, Arboreal’s sugar alternatives are used in a wide range of food and beverage products from baked goods, snacks, chocolates, and ice creams, to traditional Indian sweets, where replicating sugar’s texture is a big challenge, so that people can enjoy sweets guilt-free.

Through research and responsible practices, Arboreal is driving meaningful change in how the world consumes sweetness.