- The new food retail brand introduces an uncompromising, curation-led store format where every product on the shelf is ruthlessly vetted for quality and freshness.
24th July 2026| National: After a distinguished three-decade career leading and scaling some of the world’s most prominent consumer and retail businesses, industry veteran Arvind Mediratta has embarked on his entrepreneurial journey with the launch of FreshTerra, the Fresh, Wholesome and Gourmet destination owned by Elixiir Foods.
Founded by Arvind Mediratta and Ambuj Narayan, Elixiir Foods is building the new standard for food stores driven by a simple, uncompromising principle: What’s on the shelf has earned its place. The launch of FreshTerra’s flagship store in Gurugram marks the brand’s debut in consumer-facing retail, setting a new benchmark for food curation in urban India. Designed for urban consumers seeking uncompromising freshness, the brand is simultaneously also launching its mobile app, giving households the choice to explore the store in person or have the entire vetted range delivered directly to their doorstep.
As Founder & CEO of Elixiir Foods, Mediratta brings leadership experience across both emerging and developed global markets. He previously led a historic turnaround as Managing Director & CEO of Metro Cash & Carry India – transforming a business that had been in the red for 14 consecutive years into a profitable, ~$1B enterprise. He previously built the $600M “Best Price” cash-and-carry business being Chief Operating Officer of Walmart India and then moved onto lead Walmart USA’s $52 billion Fresh division. He played a pivotal role in reviving KFC in India as CMO of Yum! South Asia and has previously held key executive roles at Procter & Gamble, Whirlpool, and Marico.
Co-founding the venture alongside him as Co-founder & COO is Ambuj Narayan. Ambuj brings over two decades of operational depth across Titan Company (former CEO of Taneira), Metro Cash & Carry, and Walmart India. A recognized industry leader, he specializes in steering complex organizational transformations to deliver sustainable growth and customer-centric retail innovation.
The enterprise is supported by $9 Million in seed funding secured in February 2026, led by 3one4 Capital with participation from Incubate Fund Asia.
Designed as a trusted neighborhood destination, FreshTerra centers its in-store experience around a simple proposition: Fresh, Wholesome & Gourmet. The Gurugram flagship food store brings complete transparency back to daily food shopping through three dedicated live preparation rooms where customers can witness purity and real-time processing firsthand. Shoppers can:
● Witness live flour milling room to watch whole grains being milled into fresh flour on demand,
● See unadulterated turmeric, red chilli, coriander, and custom garam masala blends ground live in the fresh spices room,
● Observe yellow and black mustard seeds freshly extracted in a dedicated cold-pressed oil room.
Anchoring the gourmet experience is an in-house cafe featuring chef-curated meals, artisanal coffee, and wholesome ready-to-eat options made using store-fresh ingredients. Surrounding the cafe and preparation rooms is a meticulously vetted grocery ecosystem: direct farm-sourced fruits and vegetables, farm-fresh dairy, antibiotic and chemical-free meat, poultry, and seafood, Certified Organic staples, condiments, and an exclusive private-label range of FreshTerra products – where every batch passes stringent quality checks before earning its place on the floor.
FreshTerra will begin its rollout in Delhi NCR with its Gurugram debut, followed by key locations across Delhi and Noida. The company plans to establish a dominant position in Delhi NCR with 12-15 high-performing stores along with online presence across the region by FY28. This cluster-led model is backed by a tight farm-to-store sourcing setup and a technology-driven supply chain built to maintain freshness end-to-end.
