Himalayas to Harvard: How Healthier Tastier Foods CEO is reshaping health food in Australia

Neeraj Sharma turned personal adversity into a multimillion-dollar wellness food empire and took his journey all the way to Harvard.  

Neeraj Sharma stands at the helm of a growing health food empire spanning three innovative brands — Coco Earth, Frisp, and Coco Health – with national distribution through retailers including Woolworths, Coles, ALDI, Metcash, IGAs, 7-11 and Costco. It’s a long way from where he started, but the heights certainly don’t intimidate him.  

Sharma’s roots trace back to Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous state in Northern India often referred to as the gateway to the Himalayas. “It’s very clean and very green,” Sharma recalls. “We lived off the land. Everything we ate was farm-to-table, with minimal fertilisers and no packaging. It was food in its purest form.” 

Still, his early life wasn’t without hardship. At age 13, Sharma lost his father in a violent military terrorist attack. The tragedy became a defining moment and one that forged an unnerved determination that would shape his path forward. 

Sharma later relocated to Mumbai, where he rose quickly through the corporate ranks, eventually becoming Vice President at the Reliance Group, one of South-East Asia’s largest and most influential conglomerates. But the 2008 Global Financial Crisis marked a turning point. 

“After the GFC, I saw an opportunity to reset,” Sharma says. “I moved to Sydney, looking for a new challenge, but quickly realised that the local job market didn’t recognise my skill set or experience.” 

Finding purpose: Sharma spots a “major gap in the market” 

A refocused Sharma looked to solve a deeply personal family need. His mother’s dietary restrictions, shaped by health conditions including diabetes, arthritis and heart disease, made access to clean, organic foods essential. When she visited him in Australia, he found that her options were limited. 

“I remember walking through supermarket aisles and finding nothing suitable,” he says. “That’s when it hit me, there was a major gap in the market.” 

Sharma learned that a supplier for Woolworths was struggling to source organic basmati rice. He had the sourcing expertise and the network. He made a few calls. A door opened. That single shipment of organic rice was the start of something far bigger. 

Today, Healthier Tastier Foods operates across three brands: 

• Coco Earth offers premium pantry essentials such as MCT oil, liquid coconut oil, organic coconut oil, ghee, and specialty flours. 
   

• Frisp creates real-fruit freeze-dried snacks that retain up to 90% of their nutrients. Healthy Lunchbox snacks from real fruits.  

• Coco Health delivers nature-powered supplements that blend ancient wisdom with modern science, such as Nootropics, adaptogens, nutraceuticals, Ayurvedic and botanical supplements.  
   

What began as a lightning-bulb idea in a local supermarket has grown into a business serving thousands of households and some of Australia’s biggest supermarket chains. “I’m involved in every step, [including] product development, sourcing, quality control,” says Sharma. “We don’t compromise on taste, and we never cut corners on quality.” 

“It has to be perfect”: Navigating high-demand supply chains 

The transition from entrepreneur to trusted supermarket supplier wasn’t easy. “There’s no room for error with retailers like Woolworths or Coles,” he says. “Every product, every shipment, every time. It has to be perfect.” 

The company’s rapid growth tested Sharma’s supply chain resilience, but his high standards and lean operations allowed him to scale without sacrificing quality. The Coco Earth, Frisp, and Coco Health form offer clean-label pantry staples, premium supplements, and nutrient-rich snacks.  

The freeze-drying process behind Frisp, for example, locks in colour, texture, and flavour while preserving key nutrients, appealing to both health-conscious parents and busy professionals looking for wholesome snacks. 

Health of mind: The “strategic clarity” of Harvard Business School 

As Sharma’s business expanded, he sought higher education to get in front of Healthier Tastier Foods’  challenges. He enrolled in the Harvard Business School Presidents’ Program, an elite executive leadership course for global CEOs. 

“Harvard gave me strategic clarity,” says Sharma. “It taught me to think beyond operations, and to think in ecosystems. It broadened my global perspective and sharpened my leadership philosophy.” 

A daily practitioner of Vipassana meditation, Sharma attributes his focus and emotional resilience to mindfulness and discipline. “Staying present is crucial when you’re scaling a mission-driven company,” he says. “Every decision impacts thousands of households.” 

He is a member of the Young Presidents Organisation, the CEO group and Forbes Club. 

Sharma’s mission goes beyond profit, and says it is personal. “Healthier eating is the foundation for bigger goals; physical, mental, even spiritual,” he says. “I want to help everyday Australians feel empowered by the choices they make.”