In India’s crowded consumer goods landscape, few categories look as deceptively simple as lunchboxes. For decades, brands like Milton and Cello have dominated the shelves, selling practical products designed largely with adults in mind.
But when Harini Rajagopalan and Mahesh Muraleedharan, co-founders of kids brand Basil, began looking for products for their own children, they noticed something curious.
The market had plenty of brands for babies. It had countless brands for adults. But there was surprisingly little built specifically for children aged four to twelve.
“We believed there was a very large white space for kids’ products,” says Mahesh. “There are a lot of brands for babies and a lot of brands for adults, but for kids between four and twelve, we thought there was a lack of really lovable brands."
That observation eventually turned into Basil, a design-led brand focused on building everyday essentials for children from lunchboxes to bottles and school gear. In less than two years, the company has grown to ₹36 crore in annual recurring revenue, carving out a niche in what the founders estimate is a ₹60,000-crore school kids essentials market.
When millennial parents became the market
The founders’ insight into the opportunity came from observing a generational shift in parenting behaviour.
“The fundamental thing is that millennials became parents,” explains Harini. “This was the generation that was very different from the previous one with access to more money, more exposure, and a willingness to spend more on their children."
For many millennial parents, buying products for their kids isn’t just about functionality. It’s also about experiences they themselves missed growing up.
“There is a psychological aspect,” Harini says.“Parents are living through their kids. Whatever they didn’t have access to, they want to give it to their children.”
That shift in consumer psychology opened the door for Basil where customers focus on design, storytelling, and emotional connection.
A design-first approach
While many established players optimise for manufacturing scale and cost efficiency, Basil chose a different path.
“We are not a manufacturing-first company,” Harini says. “We are a design-first company.”
That philosophy shapes everything from the structure of a lunchbox to the visual language of the product. Basil’s products combine functional industrial design with imaginative visual design, creating items that appeal to both parents and children.
Parents focus on practical elements like leak-proof compartments, durability, and ease of cleaning. Kids, meanwhile, respond to the design and storytelling.
“We look at every product as a canvas through which children can imagine and tell stories,” says Harini. “It’s an opportunity to ignite imagination.”
Interestingly, Basil’s research extends beyond traditional consumer surveys. The team speaks not only to parents and children but also to cooks and domestic helpers who clean the products daily.
“A lot of design insights actually come from people who clean the products,” notes Mahesh.
Early validation: 1,000 orders in seven days
Like many hardware startups, Basil’s early months were filled with uncertainty. The team spent nearly eight months refining the first product before launching it.
“There were moments where we questioned ourselves,” admits Harini. “The product wasn’t out yet, there was no revenue, and we were iterating endlessly.”
But once the product hit the market, the response was immediate.
“We sold about 1,000 units in seven days,” she recalls. “And then we went out of stock.”
That early traction revealed something surprising: Indian parents were willing to pay significantly more for well-designed kids’ products.
At the time, the average lunchbox in the market sold for around ₹400. Basil entered at a much higher price point.
“We underestimated the willingness of millennial parents to pay,” says Harini. “When they spend on their children, they’re willing to spend for quality and design.”
Building a brand, not just a product
Even as Basil’s products gained traction, the founders were mindful of a deeper challenge creating a brand that could endure beyond a single product category.
“Anybody can copy your product,” says Harini. “But they cannot copy what you stand for.”
This distinction between product and brand guides many of Basil’s strategic decisions.
For instance, the team once debated launching an electric lunchbox, a product that could potentially double revenue quickly. But after research, they decided against it.
“I know we could double our revenue overnight with an electric lunchbox,” explains Harini. “But it doesn’t add value to the brand because the primary audience would be office-goers, not children."
That discipline reflects the founders’ long-term approach to building Basil.
“You should not chase revenue,” she says. “As long as every revenue piece adds to the brand, then you should grow fast.”
Scaling through categories
Today, Basil’s ambitions extend far beyond lunchboxes.
The founders see the brand evolving into a comprehensive destination for children’s essentials starting with school-related products such as bottles, bags, and stationery, before expanding into adjacent categories.
“Our goal is to build an iconic destination for kids aged four to twelve,” says Harini. “Anything that children interact with in their daily lives, we want Basil to be part of that.”
Mahesh believes the underlying demand will only continue to grow.
“I don’t see any reversal of the fact that parents want the best products for their children,” he says. “Parents want to feel good about the choices they make for their kids.”
And children, he adds with a smile, have simpler expectations. “Kids just want the coolest products in town.”
The long game
For Basil’s founders, the opportunity is ultimately defined less by the market size and more by the ambition to build something meaningful.
“Total addressable market is strongly linked to the founder’s ambition,” says Mahesh.
With a rapidly evolving consumer landscape, growing premiumisation in kids’ products, and a design-led approach at its core, Basil is betting that the next generation of consumer brands in India will be built not just on scale but on love from their customers.
And if their early traction is any indication, Basil may already be on that path.
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)
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