Yakult Danone India Private Limited

What Yakult Danone India Private Limited does

Yakult Danone India Private Limited is a 50:50 joint venture between Japan's Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. and France's Groupe Danone, incorporated and headquartered in New Delhi with manufacturing in Sonipat, Haryana. The company manufactures and markets probiotic fermented milk drinks in India under three SKUs — Yakult Original, Yakult Light (reduced sugar with added Vitamins D and E), and Yakult Light Mango Flavour — each containing 6.5 billion live cells of the proprietary Lactobacillus casei Shirota (SHIROTA strain) per 65ml bottle. The SHIROTA strain, developed through more than 80 years of research at Yakult Honsha, is documented to be resistant to gastric juices and bile, enabling delivery to the gut alive when the product is kept below 10°C.

Operations center on a single ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, and HACCP-certified facility in Sonipat, with phased capacity of 1 million bottles per day under a fully automated, no-human-touch production process. Distribution combines a proprietary chilled cold chain across 35 distribution centers, the direct-to-consumer Yakult Lady home delivery system in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, and Jaipur, organized and unorganized retail presence in 15,000+ outlets across 30+ states, and e-commerce/quick-commerce partnerships with Amazon, BigBasket, Blinkit, Flipkart, JioMart, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Dunzo, Supr Daily, and MilkBasket.

The business is purely consumer-facing B2C, monetized through unit-priced 5-bottle packs (Rs 90-100 at retail; Rs 84-94 via home delivery) and a Rs 36 two-bottle mini pack introduced for tier 2/3 city expansion. FY25 revenue was approximately Rs 126 crore, against an Indian probiotics market of Rs 2,070 crore growing at ~22% annually. The company is led by Managing Director Eiji Amano, with an explicit pursuit of double-digit revenue growth through marketing and distribution overhaul, including a 25-30% increase in influencer spending and a shift from TV to digital budgets.

Name

Yakult Danone India Private Limited

Legal name

Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd.

Website

https://yakult.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Yakult Danone India is a 50:50 joint venture between Japan's Yakult Honsha and France's Groupe Danone that manufactures and markets probiotic fermented milk drinks containing the proprietary L. casei Shirota strain across India via retail, e-commerce, and Yakult Lady home delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probiotic Dairy Beverages

NAICS

Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Drinkable Yogurt & Cultured Dairy Beverages (Lassi, Ayran, Probiotic Dairy) (AFAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drinkable Yogurt & Kefir Beverages (Probiotic Shots, Smoothie-Style) (AFAHAIAC), Fermented Drinkable Dairy (Lassi, Ayran, Doogh, Chaas/Buttermilk Drinks) (AFAHAIAB), Dairy-Based Beverage Production (Milk Drinks, Yogurt Drinks, Lassi) (AFAFABAJ), Drinkable Yogurt & Kefir Manufacturing (AFAHADAC)

Keywords

• Probiotic fermented milk
• Probiotic dairy drinks
• Functional beverages
• Digestive health products
• Probiotic supplements

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Probiotic Drink Sales: Direct product sales of Yakult probiotic fermented milk drinks (Yakult Original, Yakult Light, Yakult Light Mango Flavour) through multiple channels including home delivery, retail stores, and e-commerce platforms. Revenue of approximately Rs 126 crore in FY25.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yakult Danone India manufactures and markets probiotic fermented milk drinks containing the proprietary Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, with 6.5 billion live bacteria per 65ml bottle. The company produces three variants (Yakult Original, Yakult Light, and Yakult Light Mango Flavour) at its Sonipat manufacturing facility and distributes them across India through retail outlets, e-commerce platforms, and a Yakult Lady home delivery system spanning 35 distribution centers.

Product overview

Yakult Danone India Private Limited is a 50:50 joint venture between Japan's Yakult Honsha and France's Groupe Danone, offering probiotic fermented milk drinks. The product portfolio consists of three variants: Yakult Original (the signature probiotic drink with L. casei Shirota strain), Yakult Light (reduced sugar variant with added vitamins D and E), and Yakult Light Mango Flavour (mango-flavored reduced sugar variant). All products contain the proprietary Shirota strain and are distributed through a combination of retail stores, e-commerce platforms, and the Yakult Lady door-to-door home delivery system spanning 35 distribution centers across India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yakult Light Mango Flavour: Probiotic fermented milk drink with mango flavor, contains 650 crore L. casei Shirota (SHIROTA strain) per bottle to support digestive health and build immunity.
• Yakult Light
• Yakult Original

Products and services

• Yakult Original Probiotic fermented milk drink containing L. casei Shirota (SHIROTA strain) with 650 crore (6.5 billion) live bacteria per 65ml bottle. It increases good bacteria in the gut and supports digestion and immunity for individual consumers.
• Yakult Light Reduced-sugar probiotic fermented milk drink containing the same L. casei Shirota strain with 650 crore bacteria per 65ml bottle. Contains added vitamins D and E and uses the non-caloric sweetener Steviol Glycoside, with less than 50% calories compared to Yakult Original.
• Yakult Light Mango Flavour Mango-flavored variant of Yakult Light with 650 crore live L. casei Shirota bacteria per 65ml bottle, offering a refreshing mango taste while supporting digestive health and immunity.
• Yakult 2-Bottle Mini Pack Smaller 2-bottle pack format of the Yakult probiotic drink priced at Rs 36, designed to expand distribution into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and make the product accessible to price-sensitive consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 650 crore (6.5 billion) live beneficial bacteria guaranteed per 65ml bottle until expiry date when stored below 10°C
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yakult Honsha (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner50:50 joint venture between Japan's Yakult Honsha and France's Groupe Danone. Yakult Honsha brings 80+ years of probiotic research expertise and the proprietary Shirota strain technology, while the joint venture operates manufacturing and distribution in India.
• Groupe Danone (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner50:50 joint venture between Japan's Yakult Honsha and France's Groupe Danone. Groupe Danone contributes global food and beverage expertise, brand building capabilities, and operational excellence frameworks to the Indian joint venture.
• Licensed RecyclersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with licensed recyclers for plastic bottle recycling in compliance with India's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy. Supports Yakult's Environmental Vision 2050 for carbon emission reduction and sustainability.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Epigamia: India's leading probiotic Greek yogurt and dahi brand, directly targeting health-conscious urban consumers with flavored probiotic cultured dairy products at premium price points.
• Amul: India's largest dairy cooperative with extensive probiotic buttermilk, dahi, and yogurt offerings. Directly competes with Yakult on retail shelf space using its pan-India refrigerated distribution and aggressive pricing.
• Mother Dairy: Major Indian dairy player with probiotic dahi and probiotic beverage products. Competes directly with Yakult in Delhi NCR and northern India markets using similar retail and traditional trade channels.

Broad incumbents

• Britannia Industries: Leading Indian FMCG with growing dairy portfolio including yogurt, cheese, and probiotic products. Has pan-India distribution and brand recognition that competes with Yakult on health-and-wellness positioning.
• Yakult Honsha: Japanese parent of Yakult India and originator of the Shirota strain, operating in 40+ countries globally with the full Yakult probiotic beverage portfolio. Source of proprietary technology and product innovation.
• Danone: Global dairy and plant-based food major and 50% parent of Yakult India. Operates Activia, Danone yogurt, and other probiotic dairy brands globally with deep R&D and category management expertise.
• Nestlé India: Large Indian FMCG player with dairy and nutrition portfolio including probiotic offerings, milk products, and health-focused beverages. Competes for probiotic health-conscious consumer wallet share.

Emerging players

• Raw Pressery: Indian health-focused cold-pressed beverage brand targeting similar health-conscious urban consumers with functional beverages. Adjacent category but competes for the same daily health-and-wellness consumption occasions.
• Heritage Foods: Indian dairy company expanding into probiotic and value-added dairy categories including yogurt and curd. Regional player with growing presence in South and select North Indian markets.
• Hatsun Agro Product: Leading Indian private-sector dairy company with growing portfolio of value-added products including curd and yogurt, expanding its probiotic and functional dairy offerings across South India.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YakultIndia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@yakultindia/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yakult-danone-india-private-limited

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Yakult Danone India Private Limited