Bengaluru entrepreneur urges support for South brands, offers to serve filter coffee aboard Vande Bharat

A man named GD Prasad, who is the founder of VS Mani & Co, a coffee brand based in Bengaluru, urged the Indian Railway to include South Indian brands aboard the Vande Bharat Express trains in the region.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Prasad wrote a tweet addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Ministry of Railways. He shared a picture of the snack tray served aboard Vande Bharat and sought the government’s support for southern brands. He also offered to serve South Indian snacks and filter coffee from his own brand.

Lauding the service provided on the Vande Bharat Express, he wrote, “We’re delighted by the world class Vande Bharat in the South. Request your support w/ more brands from our region represented in the snack tray. We’d be honoured to serve filter coffee & South Indian snacks if you give us an opportunity.”

The snack tray consisted of items such as bhujia, peanut brittle, masala chai and a tetra pack of juice, among other items.

According to Forbes, VS Mani & Co is founded by GD Prasad, Rahul Bajaj and Yashas Alur. The Bengaluru-based brand’s founders appeared on popular reality show “Shark Tank India” too. Prasad noted that the brand aspires to become “The Haldiram’s of South India”.