National, October 15, 2025: Fragaria Fruits, a high-tech farming company, has raised $2 million in seed funding and project finance to expand its vision of revolutionising the fruit-eating experience in India. The funding round was led by WEH Ventures, with participation from Rainmatter, Spiral Ventures, and angel investors such as  Sashi Kumar, CEO of Akshayakalpa Organic. 

Fragaria Fruits was founded in 2024 by Harish Varadharajan, Damian Lopez-Salazar, and Timothy Van Niekerk,  who collectively bring 25 years of agriculture experience across six countries, with the aim of solving a critical problem in India’s fruit industry. Despite being one of the largest producers of fruits in the world, India faces a serious gap in delivering premium-quality, consistent fruit to consumers year-round. Fragaria was created to address this gap by offering world-class, fresh berries throughout the year, using sustainable farming techniques. The company’s flagship brand, Oh! Fruits offer European strawberries that are 2x sweeter than Indian varieties and have a shelf life three 3x longer than conventional options.

India produces 14.8 million tonnes of fruit annually and is the second-largest fruit producer in the world. However, except for a few crops like mangoes, pomegranates, papaya, and bananas, most fruits fail to meet global class-one quality standards. Consumers face inconsistent quality, limited variety, and seasonal availability, creating a significant gap in the market. Fragaria was started to bridge this gap, producing premium-quality, sustainably grown fruits year-round under its Oh! Fruits brand.

By using Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) and vertical farming, Fragaria has built a sustainable and scalable model to grow premium strawberries year-round. Their pilot farm in Chennai demonstrated that it was possible to grow world-class produce, even in a tropical country like India, where traditional farming methods struggle with seasonality. With the investment, Fragaria is set to expand production in Bengaluru, increasing daily output from 2-3 kg to 120-150 kg.

Timothy Van Niekerk, Co-founder, Fragaria Fruits, said: “This funding will allow us to scale our operations and reach a larger consumer base with consistently high-quality fruit. It’s a key step forward in our mission to build India’s most trusted and beloved fruit brand, providing fresh, year-round produce to millions of people across the country.”

Rohit Krishna, Partner, WEH Ventures, said: “We believe Fragaria is addressing a critical inefficiency in India’s fruit supply chain. Their model blends cutting-edge farming technology with sustainable practices, which is a game-changer for India’s premium fruit market. We are supporting them in providing consumers with fresh, year-round fruit, without compromising on quality or sustainability.”

The funding will help Fragaria to scale its operations in Bengaluru, expand its premium fruit portfolio to blueberries and raspberries, and provide a year-round supply of high-quality, sustainable produce to the Indian market. The company’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in its water recycling systems, solar power integration, and efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of farming while maintaining affordability. This capital will support Fragaria in providing a year-round supply of high-quality, sustainable produce to the Indian market.

About Fragaria Fruits Pvt. Ltd.

Fragaria Fruits Pvt. Ltd. was founded in 2024 by Harish Varadharajan, Timothy Chad Van Niekerk, and Damian López-Salazar—three founders from three continents, combining 25 years of agricultural experience across six countries. The company was established to address a critical gap in India’s fruit industry: the lack of consistently high-quality, fresh fruit available year-round. Fragaria’s mission is to redefine the fruit-eating experience for Indian consumers by delivering premium, sustainably grown produce using world-class farming techniques. Its flagship brand, Oh! Fruits offers European strawberries grown in Chennai with advanced vertical farming technology, which are twice as sweet as conventional Indian varieties, pesticide-free, and have a shelf life up to three times longer than typical market options. Fragaria Fruits continues to innovate in berry and climate-resilient crop production to bring fresh, high-quality fruit to consumers across India. 

For more information, visit https://www.thefragaria.com/

About WEH Ventures

WEH Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in India-centric opportunities. The fund backs founders at inception and focuses on ideas that are often non-obvious or overlooked. Since 2017, it has invested in over 25 companies across sectors, including fintech, consumer products, and digital media. Portfolio companies include Smallcase, Jar, Pratilipi, MasterChow, AppsforBharat and Animall.

For more information, visit www.wehventures.com|https://www.wehventures.com/portfolio

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