Sharma and Kohli invest in plant-based company

Mumbai - A Bollywood star and a test cricketer have revealed their partnership with Blue Tribe Foods to their collective 240 million Instagram followers.

Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma and her husband, Indian cricket star Virat Kholi, have joined forces with plant-based startup Blue Tribe Foods as investors and brand ambassadors.

The Mumbai-based startup, founded by Sandeep Singh and Nikki Arora Singh, is among the leaders in the plant-based meat category in India, offering consumers a wide range of regional plant-based delights including dumpling, keemas and sausages.

The celebrity couple are vocal advocates of a cruelty-free and planet-friendly lifestyle, and they were quick to reveal the news of the partnership to their collective 240 million Instagram followers.

In a joint Instagram video, Sharma and Kholi said the world’s people has all have the power to protect the planet and that Blue Tribe Foods offers a “great way to relish the experience of eating meat, all without leaving an impact on the planet.”

Sharma explained that she and her husband are always looking for ways to lower their impact on the planet, to ultimately help make it a better place for future generations. 

“We believe that all of us have the power to protect our planet. And every little choice we make matters. Being total foodies, we love the fact that @bluetribeofficial's Plant-based Meat lets us relish the experience of eating products that taste like meat, without the impact on the environment. Making it a palate-friendly as well as a planet-friendly alternative.”

The duo shared that they decided to adopt a meat-free lifestyle, not only because they are animal lovers, but also because they recognise the impact that meat consumption has on the planet.

To highlight the taste factor that partly contributed to their decision to partner with Blue Tribe, Kholi said they are both foodies and that they occasionally miss the taste of meat.

Blue Tribe is among a cohort of companies in India working vigorously to reinvent meat altogether. These include GoodDot, Veggie Camp, and Imagine Meats – a plant-based food venture launched by Bollywood couple Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh.

People like Kohli and Sharma will influence the next generation of sustainable food start-ups. India is ranked the #1 non-meat eating country in the world.

With India’s plant-based sector on the rise, alternative proteins are a growing segment that is expected to show strong momentum over the coming years.