Bengaluru. Outdoor gear and trek-travel apparel firm Wildcraft India, based here having investors like Sequoia Capital and Flipkart Group has bagged an order from the defence ministry to make rucksacks for the Indian Army.

The company had been in talks with the ministry for the last five years.

“We have bagged a multi-million dollar order from the Ministry of Defence to make rucksacks for the Indian army. It is an unchartered territory but creating an ideal rucksack for an Indian jawan who spends maximum time outdoors in challenging terrain will be good learning. The order will be executed next year,” said Siddharth Sood, co-founder of Wildcraft India.

The outdoor gear firm started its operations 12 years ago with a line of rucksacks and bagpacks which continues to account for the majority of its earnings. Four years ago, the brand introduced clothing and specialised footwear which it retails through an omni-channel format.

Wildcraft clocked Rs 650 crore sales by growing 15% during the year ended March 2019. Tepid demand in certain markets and liquidity issues on the distribution side were cited as reasons as the company failed to meet the expected 20% growth.