31012020 New Delhi, HALDIVITA:
- Turmeric, India’s own edible antiseptic
- Curcumin had many medicinal properties
- Suvarna variety of Turmeric is very effective
- Turmeric has been found to create no serious side effects
- Trusted by our Ayurveda exponents
The age old traditional spice, turmeric found its way in ancient medical journals written by various Ayurveda healers. However our love for modern medicine that yields immediate cure, of course with harsh side effects is the easiest option available across the shelf. Imagine if someone could come out with a solution to use this most useful spice in creating a most desired health mixture.
The combo of a seasoned mentor and an energetic uncompromising young innovator would yield a product that would be of great help for mankind. This was what happened when SAMEER GUPTA and ANKIT KHANDURI embarked on creating their StartUp, HALDIVITA way back in 2017.
In a candid chat with the founders we had the opportunity to know in detail about their journey that builds a healthy nation. From the start it was a wonderful opportunity to learn how this venture creates an everlasting impact on individual health.
Why Turmeric in HALDIVITA?
Turmeric has been a very important ingredient of Indian Ayurveda, which dates back to 2500 BC. Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical science for natural healing and has been practiced for generations Chamoli, a district in central Himalayas, in Uttarakhand has been an abode for many rare herbs. Turmeric is one of them.
Interesting tell us more about these villagers of CHAMOLI?
People in the villages in this district are alienated from technology hence they have devised their own way of living. They rely on various medicinal herbs to cure them from any ailments ranging from mild fever to critical conditions.
What made you think of HADIVITA?
Living in Delhi one can experience the stark difference between the quality of healthy life. This difference grew with time and became quite evident. Then we decided to bring that rural lifestyle to our technology enabled yet unhealthy friends in urban city. While living in cities we have never realized that most vegetables and fruits are modified versions of their original self. The climate, soil and water amplify the growth of vegetables so much that we might mistake them for food on steroids.
So where did you start from?
While starting Farm Origin we went on a backpack trip from Dehradun to Mana village and found so many interesting people and rich vegetation which we had not expected. We were surprised to see that people in villages saved a doctor’s appointment only for critical conditions and for everything else they have “Haldo” (Turmeric in local language).
Wow!! That seems interesting tell us more about that village?
Mathyamdeja (Math) a village situated next to Alaknanda river has been practicing Haldo, since ages and we were convinced to buy this magical root in a second. The rich color and aroma is evident of its rarity and purity.
How do you recommend HADIVITA?
HALDIVITA is a balanced mixture of ingredients which boosts the effect of curcumin. We grow a special type of turmeric called Suvarna, for Haldivita, in the hills near Badrinath, Himalayas. This is a high yielding type released by IISR, Calicut. It has high curcumin content of 8.7% (rare).
How does CURCUMIN help human?
Curcumin leads to several changes on the molecular level that may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer Studies have shown that it can contribute to the death of cancerous cells and reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumours) and metastasis (spread of cancer). Curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant without the side effects.
As SUVARNA is a rare ingredient, how did you manage to procure it?
We use very special Turmeric called Suvarna. NGO (Agaas) was aggregating farmers in Chamoli district and was supporting them in growing Suvarna Haldi. This turmeric had Curcumin level of 7.3% (backed by ICAR report). Curcumin is not bio-soluble. It has to be mixed with other ingredients to make it bio-available.
What is the difference between Haldivita and other health drinks?
The only competition we feel is from Health supplements. We compared Haldivita it to other Malt products available in the market and found that most of the products available in the market contained very high content of sugar and preservatives which was impacting the health of children and adults in a very negative way.
What are the advantages of HALDIVITA?
We are convinced that Haldivita has substantial health benefits and if people consume it regularly they can lead a healthier life as the benefits of Curcumin are as follows: 1. Overall Health Booster 2. Fights Depression 3. Helps in gut management 4. Boost Brain Health 5. Help Against Heart Diseases 6. Delays Ageing & Fights Arthritis 7. Help Prevent and Perhaps Even Treat Cancer etc.
What is your main motivation that keeps you moving ahead?
Poor nutrition can impair our daily health and wellbeing and reduce our ability to lead an enjoyable and active life. In the short term, poor nutrition can contribute to stress, tiredness and our capacity to work, and over time, it can contribute to the risk of developing some illnesses and other health problems such as being overweight or obese, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancers, etc.
Means HADIVITA can make the desired positive difference to your consumers?
Good nutrition, based on healthy eating is one essential factor that helps us to stay healthy and be active. With rapidly changing diets and increasing concern for all forms of malnutrition, measuring diet quality, instead of focusing on energy sufficiency or on single nutrients, is of growing relevance. Tracking individual nutrients is insufficient for understanding the causes and consequences of poor health and nutrition outcomes and thus there is increasing interest in looking at dietary patterns.
Ok agreed Where do you stand infrastructure wise?
We have a production facility at Dehradun. Currently we have a production capacity of 5000 units a months. We plan to start a unit in Delhi as well by Feb, 2020. This will triple our capacity and we will be able to come out with other variants as well. We have two delivery hubs one in Dehradun and other in Delhi.
What are the SKUs you are planning in the near future?
We are testing on production of Haldivita honey and Haldivita cookies and by January, 2020 we wish to start the production of the same. We have received enquiries for our product from UK, Netherlands, Singapore and Mynamar.
Tell us more of your market validations?
Scottish business council is very keen that we should start a production unit in Scotland with the government support there.
In a nutshell, about HALDIVITA?
For Haldivita we procure Suverna turmeric from Chaoli (Uttarakhand) and for the rest of the ingredients from other suppliers. Initially we started the production base in Delhi, but due to manpower issues we moved to Dehradun.
How did you start to create an awareness campaign?
For establishing a sales dealership network and to get a first hand feel of how the distribution setup works, we moved around in the market. The first lot of 300 bottles was successfully sold in Pune and Mumbai. Due to logistic and management issues we took a decision that in the 1st phase we would concentrate only in Delhi, Dehradun and Jaipur. Once we penetrate this market then we would move to other cities.
HALDIVITA marketing moves?
For digital marketing we hired a Digital Marketing agency Dazzle. Haldivita got listed on Amazon in 2018 November last year. Based on our learning we created a business matrix and a strategy map to penetrate the market. During the first 6 months we did a POC to understand the preference of the consumers. Taste was important but at the same time the health benefits were not to be compromised. We worked on both. We personally contacted our customers to get a feedback. The overall feedback was extremely positive. Some of the consumers felt that the packing could be improved.
So how did you improve on packing?
We took this observation very seriously and contacted a person from packaging industry to understand the options available. We worked with a lawyer to ensure that all the compliances are met with. Today we have a decent sales funnel and are touch sales of nearly 1500 to 2000 bottles a month.
Where do you foresee Nutraceuticals industry move in future?
According to a recent report, the nutraceuticals industry in India is worth more than $ 4 billion and is projected to grow at CAGR of more than 18% from 2017-18 to 2022-23. TAM Nutraceutical $900M. The market is huge and there is a dearth of genuine and honest products.
What are your sales figures?
Currently the revenue from sales is Rs 3 to 4 Lakhs a months from 1500 units. Initially the expenses of setting up, and marketing is high, We will be able to break even on sale of 6,000 units per month which we are confident of reaching in a figure in 6 months. Already we have a funnel for 2,800 bottles as we are chatting.
How do you plan to scale up?
We are tapping big distributors who have a potential to sell at least 1500 units a months. We are also in the process of introducing more SKU in the market. Our research on Haldivita Bread Sticks and Haldivita cookies is complete and this will be introduced in the market by end February. We will also bring out Haldivita Honey by end March. The product range will keep increasing.
How can we achieve best health?
Solutions to all basic health problems were mentioned in Ayurveda Granthas 5000 years back !! Haldivita is a product that has been carefully curated with authentic recepies and organic processes. This is consciously picked at a certain time of the day when the ingredient is most potent to create the extreme effect. This is the reason it is enriched with antioxidants, anti-Inflammatory and phytonutrients with high purity. Turmeric has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb.
What are your main achievements?
We are incubated in IIM Kashipur and IIM Udaipur. We were in the final rounds of Tata Social Entrepreneurship Challenge and won an award from SATTVIK being an Innovative product.
In conclusion we request you to give a valuable advice to upcoming youngsters?
Perseverance and belief in yourself and your product are most important milestones to succeed.
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