Instant foods brand Yu announced Hardik Pandya as its investor and brand ambassador. Pandya and Yu have entered into a long-term association to promote the brand in India as well as overseas.

Founded by Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur, Yu aims to make packaged foods healthier by providing consumers with easy meals that are made using natural ingredients. The brand offers 14 SKUs across pasta, cup noodles, hakka noodles, oats and halwa categories.. The homegrown brand recently closed its Series A fundraiser, led by Ashish Kacholia and Asian Paints Family in October 2022.

Yu plans to launch its maiden brand campaign during the IPL 2023 season spearheaded by Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya.

“What Bharat (Bhalla) and Varun (Kapur) have done at Yu is truly exceptional! To make packaged foods without any chemicals or preservatives that still taste as good as fresh is remarkable. Yu is a highly purpose driven brand that is bringing a revolution in the packaged food space through its diversified product categories. I am extremely pleased to associate with Yu and spread awareness around its wholesome and nutritious easy meals that are healthy as well,” said Hardik Pandya.

“We are excited to partner with Hardik in our endeavour to build a disruptive consumer brand in the instant food category. Hardik is a youth icon, and as the face of Yu, he will help drive awareness among consumers enabling a switch in consumption patterns from currently available products that contain chemicals and preservatives. Hardik Pandya's passion for health and wellness aligns perfectly with our brand's core values and mission. We are  confident that Hardik’s association will allow Yu to significantly scale its business across all channels and target groups,” said Bharat Bhalla and Varun Kapur.