Jammu Girl Quit High-Paying Job For Ayurveda Startup, Aims 1 Cr Business

Getting a clean bill of health can be expensive – it’s better if we need not do that firstly. Jammu girl Ridhima Arora figured out a major flaw in the existing healthcare system during her frequent visits to hospitals for her father’s treatment. She observed that the medical industry is a parallel world and there is no mention of foods in preventing and curing diseases. Hustle between her home and the hospital triggered the entrepreneurial fascination. That was a turning point of her life and she decided to transform the way we eat through her healthcare startup.

Today, Ridhima owns Namhya foods – a company aiming at developing a habit of consuming healthy food. Namhya’s Snacks, Breakfast, Ayurvedic Teas, every product has ayurvedic herbs like Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Tulsi, Arjuna-Chhal, etc – making them a healthy inclusion in our everyday diet.

“Every 90’s kid was brought up with a mindset of two professions to choose from, Engineer, or a Doctor. I also had the same mindset and pursued B.Tech and MBA” – Ridhima told KenFolios.

The Days That Shaped Her for A Bright Future

A good scorer at school, Ridhima did B.tech and pursued an MBA. After completing her MBA, she worked as a brand-manager for various brands.

“Working under someone with a lot of experience always adds a lot of perspective to your thinking and personality. Gladly that happened to me pretty early in my brand management career” – Says Ridhima.

The Biggest Challenge

According to Ridhima, the biggest challenge was to switch the habits of people towards healthy options since behavioral changes are slow to come in individuals. For this, she worked a lot behind the taste of the products sold by Namhya foods. Their Instant Breakfast Sattu cereal has nuts and oats with a blend of jaggery to make it yummy, yet healthy, and a no preservatives option in a market full of sugary cereals.

‘‘Understanding the buyer’s culinary preferences was the most crucial part of the business. Now that the products are getting appreciated by the consumers, I feel accomplished.’’ – Ridhima said with a gleeful smile.

The company offers varied categories of food products, from instant breakfast cereals to snacks, and ayurvedic teas with ingredients like Ashwagandha, Brahmi, and Moringa. All the products are induced using 

Ayurvedic practices and made to biologically friendly for the human body.

The Mindset That She Preserves

Ridhima feels that it is never a one-single-shortcut for everyone. It is only after putting hands in several things we find the true goal-of-life – a goal that can infuse quintessential energy in us throughout our life.

“It is all about your true calling, but to find that true-calling you need to dive in many seas. I love doing what I do every day and it took some years and experiences to reach that point.” – said Ridhima

Because we were one of the few categories which were still in the business, we thought that maybe we could help people in some way, especially the ones who lost their jobs and businesses completely. We are now running a program called Namhya Saathi program where individuals can become the distribution arms of the company at retailer margins without any large minimum order quantities. A lot of them have found a way of extra income through their already set network of WhatsApp groups. We are happy to see house-wives also getting involved in the program, Ridhima said about her plans given the Covid-19 pandemic.

The future of Namhya Food

While the focus stays online business and international markets, Ridhima strongly believes that there will be a shift in the market towards Indian local ingredients based foods. #BackToTheRoots will become a wave, and hopefully, people will take care of themselves more than ever, both mentally and physically

Currently, Ridhima is aiming for a revenue of 1 crore in the next one year. The major aim is to help everyone adapt to a healthy lifestyle by changing what they eat. The speed of her progression does not leave a doubt in our minds that her aim is achievable.

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