Swiggy signs exclusive licensing deal with Kouzina; exits private label biz

Swiggy has signed an exclusive licensing deal with food service platform Kouzina, handing over operations of its digital-first brands—The Bowl Company, Homely, Soul Rasa, and Istah, the company said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. This marks the official exit of the food delivery giant from the private label space.

A private label business involves a retailer or brand creating its own branded product that is manufactured by a third-party company.

“Kouzina Food Tech, one of India’s fastest-growing food services platforms, has entered into a strategic agreement with Swiggy for the exclusive licence of its digital-first food brands: The Bowl Company (TBC), Homely, Soul Rasa, and Istah,” the food delivery major said in a statement.

As part of the agreement, Kouzina will take over the end-to-end operations, innovation, and expansion of Swiggy’s digital-first brands. Full ownership of the brands will be transferred to Kouzina once certain undisclosed conditions are met.

The move follows the recent shutdown of Swiggy Genie, its hyperlocal delivery service, as the company shifts focus to core areas like food delivery and scaling up Instamart to better compete with quick commerce players such as Blinkit and Zepto.

“Swiggy’s food brands, including The Bowl Company, Homely, and others, were launched to address gaps in restaurant supply and meet the demand for variety and convenience in food delivery. These brands have filled key market whitespaces and inspired restaurant partners to innovate, ultimately benefiting consumers. With its expansive digital-first F&B platform and asset-light business model, Kouzina is well-positioned to scale these brands to new heights,” said Arpit Mathur, VP at Swiggy.

“Under Kouzina, we’ll scale these brands even faster, expanding into new markets through our asset-light expansion model. Homely is live in select Bangalore locations, with The Bowl Company launching later this week. We're also preparing to expand to more cities soon,” said Gautam Balijepalli, co-founder & CEO, Kouzina.

Founded byof IIT and IIM alumni, along with former executives from Ola, Flipkart, and Amazon, Kouzina is a food service company building a portfolio of food brands across categories. Backed by institutional investors, the company operates through cloud kitchens, QSRs, and quick commerce formats. Kouzina recently expanded by acquiring the South Indian brand Vasudev Adiga’s and investing in Shark Tank-featured MOPP Foods. The company is currently seeking franchise partners to grow its brands via its cloud kitchen network, which has seen strong interest.

The partnership comes at a time of strong growth in India’s food delivery, QSR, and cloud kitchen segments, fuelled by evolving consumer behaviour and rising demand for online food orders. Kouzina has plans to pursue a public listing within the next five years.