HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Neha Anand, Managing Partner at Kings Group Ventures (KGV), the UAE-based group that manages and advises businesses around the world, is pleased to announce the company’s most recent investment – in Gourmestan, the gluten-free confectionary and boulangerie started by Chef Shivani (an alumna of Le Cordon Blue London) in 2018.
Anand is passionate about food and has spent her professional career finding, funding, and founding food businesses across the globe. She spearheads multiple national and international food businesses under KGV and is also focused on lifting up female founders and guiding them through the male-dominated F&B industry. She is proud to announce that Gourmestan will be joining KGV and is excited to partner with them as they expand across India and the UAE. Both founder-led, built-from-scratch companies join forces to challenge the status quo when it comes to healthy, wholesome food.
Says Anand, ‘As a consummate foodie, I closely follow brands around the world to keep track of new developments and offerings. I’ve known about Gourmestan for a while now, and felt that what they’re doing needs to be amplified, on a bigger platform. I’m excited to work with Chef Shivani and her team, to take the brand global and introduce her unique offerings to new audiences.”
With Gourmestan, Chef Shivani has managed to create healthy foods that don’t compromise on flavor. On a mission to revolutionize the healthy foods space in India, Chef Shivani’s offerings are gluten-free, vegan and preservative-free, while all being millet-based. Both she and Anand are mothers, a key factor that determined their interest in introducing and promoting truly healthy foods to audiences across the globe. What’s more, Gourmestan’s offerings are also ideal for people living with conditions like celiac disease, PCOS, hormonal imbalances, and lactose intolerance among others, enabling them to enjoy tasteful foods that are still good for them.
“I’m delighted to be partnering with Neha and her team at Kings Group Ventures,” says the chef. “This investment allows me to think more creatively about how I’d like to grow Gourmestan, and gives me greater confidence in the fact that there is a rapidly growing market that appreciates and looks for products like what we offer.”
Under the KGV banner, Anand drives the homegrown Circle of Crust and King’s Dairy brands across India along with a more recent investment, We Idliwale, while preparing for the launch of the Fuji Cream frozen dessert line. In Dubai, Neha leads the international expansion of Circle of Crust. In May 2022, Anand also launched the flagship location of their newest brand Jun’s, a Progressive Asian modern dining experience in Downtown Dubai on the famous Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.
Via this investment, Gourmestan will continue expanding across India, as well as focus on its international debut, as it looks to soon launch its first store in Dubai.
