Palash Arneja appointed CEO of zero-sugar beverage brand Sorry Sugar

What happened?

Gurugram-based beverage startup Sorry Sugar has appointed Palash Arneja as its founder and chief executive officer. The leadership announcement follows a $1 million seed funding round raised by the company last month.

Arneja, who previously helped incubate the brand alongside the venture studio Wolfpack Labs, will now take full charge of product development, distribution, and the startup's overall growth strategy.

The leadership transition comes at a busy time for the young consumer brand. The $1 million funding round, closed in September, was led by the Dhanuka family and Amishi London. The company plans to use this capital to develop new products and scale up its distribution network across North India.

Who is Palash Arneja?

Arneja has a background in scaling young consumer businesses. He previously founded the fragrance brand BLA BLI BLU, which Sorry Sugar claims grew to a Rs 1,000 crore brand in under a year. His career also includes co-founding the platform Unikon.ai, alongside consulting and financial roles at multinational firms Deloitte and HSBC.

While Arneja has now taken on the title of founder and CEO, the company's corporate structure is somewhat unusual. In its funding announcement last month, Sorry Sugar identified Deepak Pathak, Kunal Verma, Shashank Sehrawat, and Saiyam Malik as its original founders.

What does Sorry Sugar do?

Sorry Sugar operates in the rapidly growing "better-for-you" food and beverage market in India. The startup's core philosophy is to replace refined sugars with monk fruit, a naturally derived sweetener, combined with prebiotic fibre.

Currently, the brand operates in the flavoured coffee segment. Its product range includes hazelnut almond lattes, silk chocolate mochas, sea salt caramel, French vanilla cloud, and butter gooey toffee. All of its drinks are marketed as zero-added-sugar, prebiotic, and rich in fibre.

The company reports strong early traction, stating that it generated more than Rs 1 crore in revenue during its very first month of operations. It currently runs three physical retail outlets across Delhi and Gurugram.

What happens next?

With Arneja at the helm, the company plans to move beyond its physical footprint and build a multi-channel retail business. The expansion plan involves growing its presence on quick-commerce platforms, direct-to-consumer websites, and physical retail stores.

Sorry Sugar also intends to take its zero-sugar philosophy beyond the coffee cup. The startup plans to launch a wider portfolio of everyday foods and drinks, starting with a planned range of zero-added-sugar gelatos sweetened with monk fruit.

"Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between health and taste," Arneja said of the brand's mission. "We want to make zero-added-sugar choices accessible, mainstream, and genuinely enjoyable."