Marking the third partnership of 2022, Mensa Brands has invested in a homegrown online gardening solutions brand, TrustBasket. TrustBasket offers a range of gardening solutions catering to different consumer segments – from gardening kits for hobbyists to compost makers and specialized soils for professionals. Founded in 2015 by Santhosh Appaji, Santhosh Kumar N and Shekar N, the brand has served over 1.2 million customers in the last 6 years. TrustBasket’s products are available on its D2C website and Amazon and other e-commerce platforms.
Interest in home-gardening has witnessed rapid growth in recent times, particularly among millennial consumers. Realizing a demand for gardening kits and other related solutions among this cohort, a team of engineering graduates set up TrustBasket to offer gardening kits, composters, pots, seeds, gardening supplies, fertilizers, and pesticides. For environmentally conscious consumers, the brand offers Japanese technology-based ‘Trust Bin’ composters to make compost at home using vegetable and kitchen waste. It also offers support and guidance for those setting up their first kitchen- or home gardens in addition to offering customized solutions.
Speaking on the association, Ananth Narayanan, Founder and CEO of Mensa Brands said, “As a unique, consumer-centric brand, TrustBasket is an exciting new addition to our digital-first portfolio of brands and marks our first investment in the home gardening space. We believe this partnership has immense potential – together we will cater to the end-to-end needs of new-age gardeners to help them experience the joy of gardening. We have charted out a 5-year strategic plan for the brand and with our expertise in building digital first brands, I am confident that TrustBasket will be a household name, known for its strong community and customer experience.”
Speaking on the association with Mensa, Santhosh Appaji stated, “TrustBasket’s journey started with a few friends coming together and working towards filling a gap in the market. In the last 6 years, we have witnessed rapid growth, serving more than a million consumers with our high-quality products. With Mensa team’s support, TrustBasket will be able to consolidate the domestic market and expand our reach to international markets.”
Mensa Brands is building a tech-led house of brands by investing in and scaling up digital first brands across diverse categories including fashion and apparel, home and garden, beauty and personal care. In terms of taking homegrown brands to international markets, Mensa has truly embodied the ‘India for the world’ philosophy.
