As India Moves To Make The Supplements It Imports, Contract Manufacturers Like Nutro Life Science Play Big Role

For years, a large share of the dietary supplements and sports-nutrition products consumed in India — and many of the raw ingredients behind them — have arrived from abroad. That dependence is now narrowing, as a wave of domestic contract manufacturers builds the certified capacity to make at home what the country once bought from overseas. Among them is Nutro Life Science, a Chandigarh-region manufacturer that says it produces for more than 500 wellness and fitness brands.

The backdrop is a market growing at speed. India's nutraceutical market is valued at roughly USD 15 billion, driven by rising preventive-healthcare awareness and a shift toward dietary supplements and functional foods, with most estimates projecting double-digit annual growth through the end of the decade. Yet the country has historically leaned on imports to meet that demand, even as the government has opened the manufacturing sector to 100 percent foreign direct investment under the automatic route.

Two forces are now pulling production inward. The first is policy: government initiatives such as Make in India and Ayushman Bharat, alongside rising health awareness and growing incomes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, are cited as core drivers of the market's growth. The second is a global supply-chain reshuffle. Brands in the United States and Europe have been re-evaluating their supplier networks in response to geopolitical pressure and pandemic-era vulnerabilities, with India emerging as a strategic sourcing destination as companies look to diversify away from China's long-standing dominance of ingredient supply.

That combination has turned contract manufacturing into one of the sector's clearest opportunities. India already hosts some of the world's largest FDA-approved contract manufacturing facilities, positioning the country to become a major hub for outsourced nutraceutical production. Global players are voting with their capital, with several multinational nutrition firms recently committing fresh investment to Indian manufacturing capacity and eyeing the country as an export base.

It is in this gap — between surging domestic demand and the push to localise supply — that firms like Nutro Life Science have positioned themselves. Operated by Livo Universal Health Care Pvt. Ltd and founded by entrepreneurs Tanishq Dhingra and Tejasvi Dhingra, the company says its facilities carry certifications including GMP, WHO-GMP, FDA compliance, HACCP, FSSAI and a range of ISO standards — credentials that matter most for manufacturers hoping to win work from export-focused and international brands. According to the firm, its client roster includes overseas names such as BPI Sports, ANS Performance, Cutler Nutrition & many more. 

"Our vision has always been to build a manufacturing ecosystem that combines quality, transparency, and innovation," said Tanishq Dhingra, the company's Director of Business and Strategy, adding that the firm aims to help brands scale with science-backed manufacturing as the industry expands.

Though there is still time for India to become a pioneer in this domain but the direction of travel is clear, and the certified capacity like Nutro Life Science suggests the "Make in India" ambition is, in nutraceuticals at least, beginning to take physical shape.