The quality of our lives depends, to a great extent, on our physical well-being, which in turn depends on what we eat. As the world is waking up to the importance of eating right, startups that focus on quality food products are mushrooming all over the country. Launched in 2019 by two promising entrepreneurs Saakshi Gupta and Harshita Gupta, Vedic Nuts has established itself as a renowned and reliable brand that provides the finest gourmet products along with unique and customized packaging.

How the ball started rolling

The two pillars of Vedic Nuts, Saakshi and Harshita used all their skills, expertise and experience to establish Vedic Nuts. Thankfully, they received unflinching support and guidance from family and friends during the initial period.

Being fascinated by the Food & Beverage Industry, Saakshi and Harshita noticed a dearth of premium gourmet products in most parts of India. During this time, the wedding industry in India, despite being one of the biggest markets for gourmet products, was lacking in quality of production. On this realization, the talented duo commenced their search for something unique & exquisite and thus, formulated the idea of their enterprise, Vedic Nuts.

Both the founders had gained solid professional experience before plunging into the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship. Saakshi had worked at Aditya Birla Finance & Housing Finance Limited as a part of their Talent Management team. With experience in Business Planning and Development, she became the driving force behind the conceptualization & sustenance of this enterprise. As the Creative & Operations Director of Vedic Nuts, she’s focused on pushing the brand forward while constantly innovating & planning their way ahead.

Since Harshita has a strong background in finance, she’s focused on the finance & investment section of Vedic Nuts, utilizing her knowledge and expertise to strengthen the brand’s foothold via Relationship Management & Business Development.

Vedic Nuts: Packing in an abundance of goodness

Vedic Nuts presents an exclusive range of premium flavored dry fruits & luxurious gifting range complimenting its products. They have a team of expert chefs spread across India, who specialize in their particular gourmet flavor thus contributing to a client’s exceptional gourmet experience.

The brand’s USP lies in its quality and varied range of Silver & Gold coated nuts. What sets it apart is its completely natural, preservatives-free flavors. Additionally, it’s superior packaging adds a refined touch to the entire range.

In 2019, the startup opened in Mumbai. Soon it started delivering to other parts of India ensuring that the clients received their products in mint condition. Its client base includes corporates (VIVO Royal Club, The Future Group, Wellknow Polyester Private Limited), event managers, wedding clients & baby announcements. Vedic Nuts now plans to strengthen its brands footprint across India via online retail.

Blueprint for the future

With increasing sales and encouraging customer feedback coming its way, the future looks all bright and beautiful for Team Vedic Nuts. They’re aiming to increase their hold in India by expanding the brand in both major cities and smaller regions. Also, they’re striving hard to make their presence felt in India as well as abroad. Here’s hoping that the brand keeps reaching new milestones and keeps making India proud.

To know more, visit: www.vedicnuts.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vedicnuts/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vedicnuts
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vedic-nuts

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/

1. Anupama Kumar Vijayanand
Founder – VRIKSHAM

Starting up something on your own is never easy. As a woman, coming from a city of dreams like Tirupur, Anupama’s story of starting Vriksham wasn’t easy too. 9 years ago, when Anupama wanted to start pregnancy education classes, a lot of eyebrows were raised. Because they had their Ammachis and Aayas in every house who had the wisdom to guide through. But with changing times, and lifestyles, our body, and wellness needed extra care. In spite of Anupama’s own happy pregnancy with all the support and love from her husband & family, she still felt so many self-doubts and second thoughts inside. success stories of entrepreneurs

She wanted to address this. And not to mention the societal pressure from our closely knitted communities and judgmental society. ‘Why is she toiling when she is already married and settled?’ whispered the society, loudly. Often our degrees end up in the wedding invitations, and our dreams are drained in the kitchen sinks. However, Anupama decided to make a change.

With first-hand experience and adequate education, she started Vriksham to educate carrying mothers on a healthy pregnancy. Abundant information is available on books/the internet, but the right knowledge from the right source matters. And it clicked. Moms-to-be slowly started coming. No advertisements or solid social media handles back then, but the sheer word of mouth. Vriksham became a symbol of trust. She did continue to face her internal fears. But the moment a mother would come and land her baby in her arms with a smile, and say ‘Thank you’, all the fears stood shattered in the smiles and the tears.

Anupama says “Every woman should be educated about the world of motherhood right from her learning roots. I don’t know if there is anything more important than gifting happy & healthy children to the next generation. It starts with the right knowledge. Knowledge gives confidence. A confident pregnancy yields a confident child, who goes on to build a confident society, and nation. It all adds up, doesn’t it? This is important.”

Anupama’s first pregnancy was at 26 and her second pregnancy was at 36, she had a vaginal birth after c section at 37 and is breastfeeding her 8-month-old at 38. “I am proud of who I am. I am prouder of what I am doing. I am Anupama, and I am here to make a difference”

To know more visit – https://www.instagram.com/anupama.vriksham/?hl=en

2. Veronna Damani (success stories of entrepreneurs)
Founder – veronna

“I think that we all reach that point in our lives where we are faced with a simple question, what next? I too faced the same. The answer, my little label for little humans, ‘veronna’”.

Veronna Damani is an advertising major with a love for fashion – a love affair that has led to her making it her career. She started out as an intern at ELLE India and rose to Fashion stylist and writer for the magazine in a few years. In 2017, she decided to get married and when she and her husband decided to move to Delhi for a while, she quit her job and took on free-lance styling projects instead. This was great for a while but slowly she started to question whether this is what she wanted to do long-term. During this time her beautiful niece, Sitara, was born. She used to hate shopping for her locally. There were very few homegrown labels that matched her aesthetic and so she began custom designing clothes for her. The appreciation from people around gave her the idea that there is a demand. But it was still just an idea. She decided anyway to enroll into fashion school.

So in 2018, she enrolled at Istituto Marangoni in Mumbai, for a short diploma course in Fashion Business. Her final assignment needed her to present a completely viable business plan for a business of her choice and she chose to create a kids-wear label because she thought it would be an interesting topic especially since she was more and more fascinated by kids-fashion thanks to her niece.

The business model eventually proved to be a first draft for the actual business plan she made for ‘veronna’ the label.“I got pregnant in November 2019 and this was definitely not part of my plan. But then neither was having to run a business and deliver a baby all in the midst of a global pandemic. But we got through it. The business is still here and my baby is almost 10 months old.” Veronna considers that her role as a mompreneur began when she found out that she was pregnant. Managing a start-up is a demanding job, and doing that while heavily pregnant in the middle of a global lockdown taught her a lot. It taught her to be patient most of all.

“Being a mom-preneur is chaotic – but there is beauty in this chaos, and I’ve found my calm. I am finding my groove and making sense of things everyday. Each day is a new day and no two days in my life are the same.”

Veronna says “As a mother, I simply have learnt to go easy on myself and not try to live up to the absurd standards that society sets. Mom guilt creeps in whether I like it or not but that is okay. Being a mother and running a business no longer reminds me of my shortcomings – or make me feel like I am not there enough for my baby or not giving my all to my business.

It empowers me and reminds me that I can have it all. It reminds me of all the roles I play in a day and it makes me value the time I spend with my baby and the time I spend at work. Both roles make me, me! My 10-month-old has been my biggest strength. He has redefined what I want out of my life. He is the reason I want to be the best version of myself. “

“An affirmation I repeat every day:
I AM A WOMAN
I AM A MOM
I AM STRONG
I AM BEAUTIFUL
I AM AMBITIOUS
I AM PATIENT
I AM DOING MY BEST”

To know more visit – www.veronna.in
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/veronna.in/?hl=en

3. Vaitika Advani (success stories of entrepreneurs)
Founder – MINDMATTERS

Nothing motivates a parent more than wanting to help their child. Vaitika started her journey into mental and emotional health 3 years ago. Her son at that point was going through some challenges in school and she was looking for ways in which she could support him. She enrolled herself to become a Bach Remedies Practitioner with the Bach Centre in the UK as well took a course on mental health counselling and also became a certified sex educator.

Vaitika  says “I firmly believe that one needs to balance emotional and mental health to be able to live your best life. Luckily for me, I was able to achieve this by combining the Bach Remedies which are an all-natural alternative form of healing with the practices of mental health counseling. Often people don’t have clarity about their inner thoughts, feelings, and behavioral patterns. I help them navigate through their concerns and overcome them with different healing modalities.”

Vaitika had her fair share of struggles which included getting the word out there as she had changed careers quite late in life. She had to learn her way around social media as that was the way forward and not something she was very familiar with. Then of course comes the eternal struggle of balancing your time, needs and commitments with those of everyone at home, especially those of your child.

“The great thing about going through this journey as a mompreneur is that you learn invaluable tools that help you manage chaos which means you get mentally tougher, you execute better and you learn to prioritize effectively.” She gives credit where credit is due and that goes to her son who has been her sounding board on numerous occasions while she was studying as well as her strength. She was fortunate enough to understand that your child is not just an extension of you but an individual in their own right and that is why working with kids, teens and young adults hold a special place in Vaitika’s heart.

To know more visit – https://www.instagram.com/mindmatterswithvaitika/

4. Pooja Arora (success stories of entrepreneurs)
Founder – Less is more living

Pooja Arora is a NIFT alumni and a retail professional by degree but a home decor blogger and product stylist by passion. Her platform “Less is more Living” is all about interiors and living in a 650 sq. ft. apartment in Mumbai suburbs. She is trying to influence those attached to her profile, for clean, simple, and sustainable living, without compromising on their home decor dreams. Her platform brings together design, craft, and home decor ideas inspired by minimalism in an urban landscape.

Pooja says “As a mother, it is a challenging task to manage work along with children as they always have to be prioritized. So to handle this I have kind of amalgamated my work and the upbringing that I am providing to my children on a single platter.

I’m trying to imbibe simple living habits in my children as well as influencing a similar mindset to my followers. As a family, we are very mindful and plentiful which makes it easier for me to manage both the fronts.“

Pooja’s children are very supportive when it comes to her work and they understand mamma loves to keep things in a certain way and they follow that. Pooja has a lot of fun making content together. Though she is not putting them at the forefront of her platform but behind the scenes, they are very much a part of every single shot that she takes or every single video that she makes.

To know more visit – https://www.instagram.com/lessismore.living/?hl=en

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/

success stories of entrepreneurs

Our life, in more ways than one, revolves around food. But Mallika Roy a new age “foodprenuer”,
has crafted a recipe that perhaps promises to make our lives revolve only “Around Good Food”.

Around Good Food is Mallika’s maiden food centric venture and it is in her very own words
“An honest attempt to first impact prevailing mindsets and then, make palates more receptive to the concept of conscious cooking and serving.”

With her flagship venture Mallika wants to clear a fundamental misconception – that a Vegan / Plant based diet is not about simply declining certain foods on your plate. It is instead a valid acknowledgement about creating space on your plate for a wholesome variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.

Nourishment that feeds the body and touches the soul

A marketing and branding professional, social activist and now also a Chef, Mallika, motivated by her own personal life experience plus her deep reading of ancient Indian texts on food and food habits, curates appetizing menus that invites people to experience how delicious and energetic compassionate eating can be.

Around Good Food to begin with, is a Pune based “subscription only”, food ordering platform. With a steady stream of sign ups, it is quickly evolving to be recognised for creating a heightened awareness about the fact that Food needs to be looked at differently.

Mallika very subtly, through a healthy and flavoursome mix is gently changing perspectives about plant based whole food diet. Her definition of food goes beyond being a necessity for the body. Instead, it instils into the person consuming the food that it is nourishment for the soul too!

Food Transforms. Food Heals

 “Changing Lives through Healthy Eating” is the single-minded purpose of “Around Good Food”. Mallika however acknowledges, the larger “transformational” challenge is to convert people having easy access to junk food.

With multiple lifestyle health concerns on the rise, Mallika with her health and wellness focus food offerings is aiming for a higher goal than simply satisfying appetites. 

She quotes that “My goal is to reset our bodies, heal from emotional pain, transform into our best selves yet, resurface as powerful beings, and experience incredible joy.” This she says is possible by the healing and restorative powers of whole plant foods, which have proven to positively impact the body and the brain and help combat depression, mood swings, anxiety and other ailments.

Gourmet goes affordable

Around Good Food offers a selection of Raw, Cooked and Fermented food at an incredibly affordable price. Subscription plans are available for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Breakfast is a healthy basket of homemade vegan spreads and jams. Lunch and dinner are a nutritious balance of meals, salads, soups and desserts. Also on the menu are handmade sauces, homemade granola, Kimchi and sauerkraut.

With a long term plan of opening her own restaurant, Mallika for now is content of letting people be Around Good Food and building a lifestyle defined by health!


To know more, visit-
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/aroundgoodfood/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/aroundgoodfood

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/

“We shape our homes and then our homes shape us.” ~ Sir. Winston Churchill

Our homes are the truest reflection of ourselves. They are a physical manifestation of our thoughts, habits, lifestyle and relationships. Home decor is not just about adding luxuriant items to the mantelpiece but it’s about adding beauty and character to each corner of the house so that your lovely abode stands out as an extension of your personality. Over the years, several home-decor startups have flooded the market, making the consumer spoilt for choice.

Launched in 2015 by the prolific power couple Varsha and Aditya Porwal, Barish Handcrafted Decor has firmly established itself as a trusted interior decor brand that houses products carefully designed and crafted with loving hands and imaginative minds. It is presently focused on three distinct crafts – woodworking, glass mosaic, and macrame, all of which are available for customization.

Creative spark ignited and a story began

Varsha had an educational background in designing which made her adept at designing clothes and Glass T Light Holders.

Armed with an MBA in finance, Aditya was running a Circular Knitting Unit, making Griege (Unprocessed Hosiery Cloth) for garment manufacturers for the past 12 years.

When Varsha joined a Glass mosaic class as a hobby, everything changed. She soon realized her newfound love for the artistry. Around the same time, Aditya was dabbling in carpentry. Both realized that combination of glass and wood is quite effective in creating home-decor articles. It was a niche market and they were up for the challenge. Thus Barish was born to satiate the thirst for creativity and craftsmanship and usher in beauty and joy into people’s homes.

Barish Handcrafted Décor: Enriching the ordinary with creativity and craftsmanship

Barish is a one-stop destination for quirky, attractive, pocket-friendly decorative pieces that seamlessly camouflage into your domicile and enhance its beauty, without compromising on the quality.

Run-of-the-mill designs are a rarity in Barish as each piece is customized with minute intricacies depending on what clients want.  However, their off-the-shelf designs are as popular, catering to customers who prefer buying products without investing time in customization. Since creativity and commerce are always at loggerheads, there is a constant conflict in keeping the venture commercially viable while staying true to creative instincts. To maintain a fine balance between the two, the brand deliberately targets a niche market that doesn’t require mass production. As the founders explain “We have therefore adopted a zero-inventory approach, wherein we only make the product once we receive the order. Which helps us save on working capital and helps us manage our finances more efficiently.”

Carving out a glorious future beating all odds

Cheesy as it may sound, the fact is Barish has been flooded with orders from repeat buyers since the last six months. The brand has catered to a whopping 2000+ customers till date. Prior to lockdown, business was soaring higher. However, Covid-19 has slowed down the pace. Since Team Barish is equipped to deal with all kinds of challenges, it has come up with a plan to revamp the website, hire an ad agency and invest in branding. In terms of revenue, the aim is to reach from 14 lakhs to 60 lakhs in the next 2 years and 2 crores by end of 5 years.

To know more, visit: https://barishonline.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barishinsta/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barishwebpage

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit- https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/