Meet Pooja D. Bhatia

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Pooja D. Bhatia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Pooja D., we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

My passion for healthy eating, combined with frequently receiving sugary gifts that I would often have to regift, inspired me to start my company. I created a range of gourmet treats made with minimal ingredients, free of gluten and dairy, and packaged them beautifully. This way, I could offer delicious, health-conscious alternatives that people could enjoy and gift without compromising on quality or health.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was born in India, but raised in Dubai. Our family migrated to the Middle East generations ago, yet we have always maintained our Indian roots.
Food has always been a significant part of my life, not just culturally but also literally – my family ran a food import business in the UAE for around 100 years; this likely influenced my attraction to a food-based business.

My desire to get in shape and teach my children how to lead a healthy lifestyle made me very conscious of what I eat, what I cook, and what I stock in my pantry. I emphasize portion control and exercise. What started as an effort to influence my kids and family members grew into a passion for spreading awareness more broadly.

My business – Varah Gourmet Luxuries – was born from this desire. Varah is a food gifting business that transforms the way people experience gourmet gifting. Our mission is to change the common notion that food-based gifts are a choice between good looks and good health. Our products include sweet and savory treats made with nuts, sweetened with natural sugars, and flavored with minimal ingredients. We take pride in our South Asian-inspired, all-vegetarian menu, catering to various dietary restrictions.

At Varah, we don’t focus on just the food, but the entire experience, from the visual appeal of the packaging to the delightful and healthy treats inside. Some of our popular products are Premium Stuffed Dates, our famous Paan Bites, savory and sweet snack jars, and our tea blends. Our efforts have been recognized in Food Network’s Ramadan and Diwali gift guides.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Resilience: Never giving up has been crucial. I founded my business in Dubai in 2016. In 2019, just when things were kicking into high gear, I had to move to San Francisco. This meant by the time I had figured out the rules and regulations and restarted my business, everything got shut down for COVID. At each of these points, I felt that it was Game Over. But, staying resilient and focused was key to making it through all this and achieving success
Advice: Embrace setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. Persistence is vital in overcoming obstacles and achieving long-term success.

2. Never Forget Your Why: My why is to spread awareness about healthy eating, teaching people to read labels and avoid overly processed foods and sugars. This focus drives all my actions and decisions, from developing recipes to marketing strategies.
Advice: Know why you started this journey and what your end goal is, and let this guide your actions. Stay committed to your vision, and continually remind yourself of the bigger picture.

3. Master Your Craft: Being a good cook and understanding my ingredients have been instrumental in developing my recipes. I successfully replicate the flavors of traditional South Asian savory and sweet treats in a wide range of gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free products.
Advice: Invest time in mastering your craft and understanding your ingredients. Experiment with your recipes in small markets or with close friends and family to refine them. Allow your product to evolve through multiple iterations to achieve perfection.

General Advice:
• Start Small: Begin with small-scale experiments to fine-tune your product. This allows you to make necessary adjustments without significant risk.
• Iterate and Improve: Let your product go through many iterations until it becomes perfect and loved by your target audience. Avoid rushing into mass production; take it step by step to ensure quality.
• Be Patient: Building a successful business takes time. Be patient and stay committed to your goals, even when progress seems slow.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The primary challenge we are currently facing is in scaling our production – we see the demand, but aren’t able to produce enough to meet it. To achieve this, we need to find a co-manufacturer. However, the process has been challenging as we do not want to compromise on our recipes and ingredients. Many co-manufacturers we’ve approached have suggested altering our recipes to speed up production or increase shelf life, which we find unacceptable.
Our search continues – we are looking for a smaller manufacturer who will be more aligned to our values and will work with us as a strategic partner and help us maintain our product integrity while increasing capacity.
We are even considering starting our own manufacturing facility to maintain control over our product quality, but the cost of setting up such a facility is prohibitively high and are actively seeking funding opportunities to possibly establish our own manufacturing facility in the future, ensuring we can scale without compromising on quality.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
What do you do for self-care and what impact has it had on your effectiveness?

We asked some of the most productive entrepreneurs and creatives out there to open up

Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
How do you keep your creativity alive?

Keeping your creativity alive has always been a challenge, but in the era of work