Fragaria Fruits, an Indian agrotech company that specalises in growing premium berries year-round using controlled-environment and vertical farming technology, has secured $2 million in seed funding led by WEH Ventures and Rainmatter.
The funding round also saw participation Spiral Ventures, Perpetual Capital, and prominent angel investors including Sashi Kumar, CEO of Akshayakalpa Organic.
The latest funding round will support Fragaria in expanding its operations in Bengaluru and develop new fruit lines like blueberries and raspberries. It will be used to scale Fragaria’s indoor vertical farming operations, strengthen supply chain infrastructure, and support its premium brand, Oh! Fruits.
Conceptualisation to Cultivation
Founded in 2024 by Harish Varadharajan, Timothy van Niekerk, and Damián López-Salazar, Fragaria established its first indoor strawberry farm in Chennai to showcase that high-value crops can be successfully cultivated under tropical conditions using controlled environment agriculture. The company integrates controlled environment systems with AI-driven monitoring and precision growing techniques to produce berries with consistent flavor, freshness, and quality.
We invested our own money, added some angel funding, and set up a 500-square-meter facility capable of producing three kilos per day. In the last six months, we’ve sold to over 200 customers across India, and the response has been incredible.
Co-founder Harish Varadharajan stated that investor skepticism was one of the early challenges the team faced. He noted that initial reactions to the concept were hesitant, prompting him to suggest to co-founders Timothy van Niekerk and Damián López-Salazar that building a working strawberry farm could shift perceptions. He further added that returning to those same investors with a box of strawberries changed the conversation.
Scaling Quality and Sustainable Operations
Fragaria Fruits sells its produce under the brand Oh! Fruits, which aims to offer fresh and flavorful berries grown responsibly in India. It produces European strawberries in a vertical system that combines hydroponics, LED lighting, and environmental control. According to the company, the strawberries have a longer shelf life and a sweeter flavor compared to field-grown strawberries, without any need of pesticides.
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The company is focused on making high-quality fruit more available to local consumers, in a market that has often relied on imports. With the new funding, Fragaria plans to improve its storage and delivery systems across southern India, and continue developing growing methods suited to local climates.
This funding will help us scale our operations faster and reach more consumers with consistently high-quality fruits. It marks a significant milestone in our mission to create India’s most trusted and beloved fruit brand.
Once the Bengaluru facility becomes operational, Fragaria expects to increase its daily production from the current 2 and 3 kilograms to between 120 and 150 kilograms. The company is also incorporating solar energy and water recycling into its operations to reduce environmental impact and support a consistent supply of high-quality fruit.
Investor Perspective
For WEH Ventures, the investment represents an opportunity to support local innovation while addressing key inefficiencies in India’s fruit supply chain. The early-stage venture capital firm focuses on backing startups that develop India-first solutions, and Fragaria’s operations align closely with this mission by offering locally grown, high-quality fruit through sustainable practices.
At WEH Ventures, we are dedicated to backing category-creating companies that solve problems with a focus on India. We are incredibly excited to announce our investment in Fragaria Fruits, a full-stack agritech company that aims to become a global leader in premium fruits.
Rohit Krishna, Partner at WEH Ventures, noted that Fragaria’s model stands out for its combination of advanced agricultural technology and sustainable practices, an approach he sees as transformative for India’s premium fruit market. He further stated that WEH Ventures is committed to supporting the company in its goal of delivering fresh, high-quality fruit to consumers year-round without compromising on sustainability.
Fragaria Future Outlook
Fragaria Fruits aims to meet the Indian market’s growing demand for organic and traceable food products, particularly among younger consumers. The company not only addresses this need but also seeks to offer farm-to-fork transparency to help build consumer trust. The startup is focused on making high-quality, sustainable produce more accessible to Indian households, with an emphasis on health, transparency, and environmental responsibility.
Its Oh! Fruits brand combines premium packaging, exceptional taste, and eco-friendly farming practices, positioning it as a strong contender in the premium fresh produce category. Fragaria has the potential to establish itself as a leading player in India’s emerging controlled-environment agriculture sector.
