Zea Maize

Name

Zea Maize

Legal name

Zea Maize Private Ltd

Website

https://4700bcpopcorn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Packaged Snacks

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Popcorn Manufacturing (AFAKAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Popcorn & Puffed Snacks (CRADABAH), Gourmet Popcorn & Caramel Corn Shops (THAFAGAM)

Keywords

• Premium packaged snacks
• Gourmet popcorn
• Healthy snacking
• Snack foods manufacturing
• Branded snack products

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Premium Snacking Products: Zea Maize generates revenue through sale of premium snacking products including gourmet popcorn, makhana, nachos, popped chips, and crunchy corn. Products are sold across cinema multiplexes, modern trade, e-commerce, and quick commerce channels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Zea Maize manufactures and markets premium gourmet popcorn under the 4700BC brand in flavors including cheese, caramel, chocolate, and potpourri. The portfolio has expanded beyond popcorn to include popped chips, makhana (fox nuts), crunchy corn, and nachos. Products are sold through cinema multiplexes, modern trade outlets, e-commerce platforms, and quick commerce channels across more than ten markets in India.

Product overview

Zea Maize Private Limited (ZMPL) is a premium snacking company that operates as the parent of the 4700BC gourmet snacking brand. The company offers a portfolio of premium snack products including popcorn, popped chips, makhana (fox nuts), crunchy corn, and nachos. The 4700BC brand originated within cinema exhibition environments and expanded beyond into multi-channel distribution spanning modern trade, e-commerce, and quick commerce platforms. In January 2026, Marico acquired a 93.27% stake in Zea Maize from PVR INOX, making it a subsidiary of the FMCG major while the brand founder retained a minority stake.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 4700BC: Premium gourmet snacking brand offering popcorn, popped chips, makhana, crunchy corn, and nachos. Originally a cinema-based popcorn brand that expanded into multi-channel premium snacking.

Products and services

• 4700BC Gourmet Popcorn Premium gourmet popcorn in cheese, caramel, chocolate, and potpourri flavors, originally designed for cinema consumption and expanded to retail and e-commerce channels. Targeted at urban premium snacking consumers seeking differentiated flavors.
• 4700BC Makhana Premium makhana (fox nuts) product under the 4700BC brand, positioned as a healthy snacking alternative to traditional popcorn and chips.
• 4700BC Popped Chips Popped chips product under the 4700BC brand, extending the portfolio beyond popcorn into crispy snack formats.
• 4700BC Crunchy Corn Crunchy corn snacks under the 4700BC brand, diversifying the portfolio within the premium snacking segment.
• 4700BC Nachos Premium nachos product under the 4700BC brand, rounding out the multi-category snacking portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue of Rs 752.9m in FY 2023-24
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Marico LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2026Marico acquired 93.27% stake in Zea Maize for Rs 226.8 crore. The acquisition enables Marico to expand into the premium snacking segment with a nationally recognized brand. The deal includes an option for Marico to acquire the remaining 7.73% stake after three years. The brand founder Chirag Gupta retains minority stake and continues leading operations.
• Chirag Gupta (Founder)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2026Founder Chirag Gupta retained minority stake and continues to lead Zea Maize operations following Marico's acquisition. The founder's continued involvement ensures brand continuity and operational expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bikaji Foods International: Bikaji is a leading Indian branded snacks manufacturer offering namkeen, bhujia, sweets, and extruded snacks. It is a direct peer as a similar-scale Indian CPG snacking brand competing for the same modern trade shelf space and consumer wallet share as 4700BC.
• Prataap Snacks (Yellow Diamond): Prataap Snacks owns the Yellow Diamond brand and is a publicly listed Indian savory snacks manufacturer. It is a direct peer competing in chips and extruded snacks categories within Indian modern trade, with similar distribution and consumer targeting as 4700BC.
• DFM Foods (Crax): DFM Foods markets Crax and other branded Indian snacks and is a direct peer competing in the same organized Indian snacks category as 4700BC, including modern trade, e-commerce, and general trade channels.
• Balaji Wafers: Balaji Wafers is one of India's largest regional chips and savory snacks manufacturers, with strong Western India distribution. It is a direct peer in the Indian branded savory snacks category where 4700BC also competes.

Broad incumbents

• Haldiram's: Haldiram's is India's largest branded snacks manufacturer and a broad incumbent with namkeen, sweets, and packaged snack offerings. It competes with 4700BC in the Indian organized snacking category and dominates the channels where 4700BC seeks expansion.
• ITC Foods: ITC's Foods business includes Bingo (chips), Sunfeast, and Aashirvaad and competes broadly in Indian branded snacking. It is a broad incumbent that dwarfs 4700BC's scale but competes for the same Indian consumer snack occasions.
• PepsiCo India (Kurkure / Lay's): PepsiCo India markets Lay's, Kurkure, and Quaker and is a broad incumbent dominating Indian organized salty snacks. It competes directly with 4700BC for Indian snacking occasions and modern trade shelf space.
• Conagra Brands (ACT II / Popcorn): Conagra's ACT II is one of the world's largest microwave popcorn brands. It is a broad incumbent in popcorn, the core category of 4700BC, providing international category context and potential competitive pressure as the brand scales.

Emerging players

• Cornitos: Cornitos is an emerging Indian snack brand specializing in nachos and tortilla chips. It is an emerging peer with partial overlap to 4700BC's nachos and popcorn range, targeting similar urban snacking consumers via modern trade and e-commerce.
• Intergrow Brands (Too Yumm): Intergrow Brands operates the Too Yumm brand in Indian better-for-you snacking, including popped chips. It is an emerging player in premium positioning overlapping with 4700BC's healthier snacking angle.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zea Maize