Can Better Protein Habits Power India’s Next Leap?MillD Takes the Question Outdoors in its thought-provoking campaign

National : As conversations around protein become increasingly mainstream in India, high-protein atta brand MillD has launched a new outdoor campaign that asks a larger question: does getting more protein need to mean adding an expensive new product to your routine, or can it begin with the food already on your plate?

The campaign draws attention to differences between India and China in protein availability, average height and sporting performance, with the message: “Protein should not be a luxury. It should be on every Indian plate.” At its centre is MillD’s proposition of approximately 15g of protein at ₹7 per roti, bringing the conversation back to affordability, access and everyday consumption.

According to a 2020 study published in The Lancet, the average height of 19-year-old males in China was 175.7 cm in 2019, compared with 166.5 cm in India. FAO-attributed 2023 data indicates daily protein availability of approximately 131g per person in China, against 75g in India. At the 2026 Asian Games, China won 169 gold medals compared with India’s 21. While these outcomes are influenced by multiple factors beyond nutrition, the campaign uses the comparisons to highlight the importance of everyday nutrition in India’s long-term development.

The initiative will run across five outdoor sites in two cities, alongside digital platforms, with actors Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza supporting the campaign through social media content.

Please click here to watch the campaign video content.

For MillD, the campaign reflects a larger shift it wants to see in India’s protein category. While growing awareness has brought protein supplements, shakes and bars into focus, the brand believes wider adoption will depend on making protein more accessible through familiar foods that are already part of household diets.

Prashant Pitti, Investor, MillD, said, “If India wants to become a stronger and healthier nation, we need to pay more attention to what people eat every day. The progress countries like China have made over the decades shows why nutrition deserves to be part of that conversation. But in a country as large and diverse as ours, we cannot expect everyone to depend on expensive protein supplements or change their eating habits. We need affordable solutions built around foods Indian families already consume. With MillD, our aim is to make protein accessible through something as familiar as a roti, at approximately ₹7 per roti.”

The campaign also uses its visual comparisons to prompt discussion around the broader role nutrition plays in long-term health and development. It does not seek to suggest that protein alone determines outcomes such as height or sporting performance, both of which are shaped by multiple factors including genetics, overall nutrition, health, socioeconomic conditions, training and sporting infrastructure.

Instead, the question MillD is putting forward is a more immediate one: if protein is important to everyday nutrition, why should consuming more of it require an entirely new habit?

Sivaram Briyas, Co-founder, MillD, said, “The opportunity we see is much larger than building another protein product. We are looking at whether high-protein staples can become part of regular household consumption. Atta gives us that opportunity because the behaviour already exists. Consumers do not need to create a separate nutrition routine or fundamentally change the way they eat. If the everyday meal itself can deliver more, that is where we believe the category can become significantly larger.”

The idea behind MillD originated from Co-founder Prashant Pitti’s effort to increase his protein intake without giving up rotis. After 281 trials over six months, the founders developed an atta containing 46g of protein per 100g while retaining the familiar taste, softness and cooking experience of regular atta.

Since its launch in November 2025, MillD has reached approximately six lakh homes across more than 1,700 cities, with 47% repeat transactions. The company currently sells approximately 12,000 kg of atta daily and reports an annualised revenue run rate of around ₹100 crore. Growing demand from cities such as Mohali, Nagpur, Dehradun and Bhopal also indicates interest beyond traditional metro and fitness-focused consumers.

The campaign will be amplified across social media platforms through participation from creators in nutrition, fitness, food, parenting and lifestyle, encouraging a wider conversation around making protein an affordable part of everyday Indian diets.

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