Mitali Kalra and Her Food for Thought

Being Indians, there is a special inclination we have towards the country’s food and especially the mouthwatering snacks. Samosas, laddoos, kachori, choley-batura are some of the main food items relished by people in the country. But the taste buds are pampered at the cost of something. Although they are loved and are consumed in large amounts, they come with a lot of fat and oil ready to increase the fatty acids in your body. High proportions of ghee can get the cholesterol levels high in your body, not letting you taste your favorite food ever after

But, at Zao Foods Private Limited you can have all your favorite food without the worry of gaining unnecessary pounds. The food has been made keeping in consideration the consumer’s health and hence are healthy food. The brain behind the concept of nutritious food is Mitali Kalra who started Mediterranean café, Crostini located in South Delhi. Mitali is an MBA in Finance from INSEAD in France in 2008 and have worked with various companies in Dubai and Singapore in private equity investment in oil, gas and shipping. After she returned to India, she realized that the country had less healthy takeaways or outlets. She found that the fast food in the country were not healthy when compared to abroad. The calling of setting up her own business came while she was still working with her investment banking in India.

Being opposed by parents and ignorant about the details of business she was not sure about dealing with the industry. Being from the corporate world, she was used to being appreciated by her seniors for a good job, but in her new job, nobody commended her start up. Instead, here she had to lead everyone here without getting credits for her job. Her appreciations came after her company was set up and customers poured into admire her great work. With more hard work she got repeated customers who encouraged her to continue the good work. She invested Rs. 14 lakhs from her savings in the beginning and received Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakhs as turnover in the first year.

If she had settled with her promising job, she wouldn’t have been mentioned among the country’s startups with good turnovers. She had enough reasons to make herself comfortable in her comfort zone, but moving out to pursue her dreams gave her a better idea of the world outside the corporate.

But Ms. Mitali was determined about a business of her own which she began with her savings. Hard work and perseverance lead her to build up the cafe of her dreams. Her courage to try something new when the world disagreed has made her a businesswoman today.

If you too have entrepreneurial dreams or wish to have a venture like the ones listed above, you need to have faith in your Chatur Idea. You will always wonder who will fund this idea and from where will you find investors. In that case, you can participate in the #BeAChatur Contest and not only be mentored, but also stand a chance to win a whopping Rs.10 Lac funding for your dream startup idea.

Source by Devesh Chawla