A simple blend of salt, herbs and spices is helping keep Uttarakhand’s food traditions alive. A woman is at the front and centre of this venture. Shashi Bahuguna started Namakwali in 2018 to bring the region’s traditional flavours to more people and create jobs for women in her community.
She began by making pisyu loon, a local rock salt which she prepared by grinding salt with herbs and spices on a traditional stone grinder.
At first, Shashi worked with three women, but they grew as more people showed interest in her products. As orders increased, her son, Suvendu Raturi, saw how much work his mother was handling and decided to help. He first put the products online so more customers can find them.
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By 2022, he joined the business full time by putting aside his other plans to build Namakwali and turned it into a Rs 5 Crore empire.
As per The Better India, Shashi Bahuguna wanted people across India to enjoy the traditional food she grew up eating in Uttarakhand. At the age of 52, she decided to start her own business with just Rs 1000, one helper and a few paper packets. Her son helped her promote the products on social media.
Many weren’t sure about the business because she was a homemaker, but she stayed focused on her goal. She even walked long distances to find good ingredients and encouraged local women to work with her.
Slowly, people began noticing her products on Instagram and media coverage helped her reach more customers.
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She even later launched a website and started receiving orders from different parts of India. Today, her business gives work to 35 women and supports nearly 500 farmers.
Shashi Bahuguna and her son Suvendu appeared on Season 3 of Shark Tank India. Among all the sharks, their products caught the attention of Amit Jain, founder of CarDekho, who offered them an investment of Rs 50 lakh. He supported their efforts to grow the business and reach more customers.
