#EnterprisingIndia: A 'Nuskha' delivering smiles to Moms

For a woman, pregnancy is a very crucial period. When a woman gives birth to a child, she goes through a whole process of rebirth as well! Post-pregnancy, the body goes through drastic changes and that is the time, the mother needs extreme care and support. Understanding this need, a mother-son duo of Jaipur decided to give woman the best Ayurveda has to offer during this sensitive time.

For women in their pregnancy and post pregnancy period, Nuskha Kitchen provides them with 100% authentic, Ayurveda based, traditional Indian maternity nutritional supplements. They use scientific research and innovative cooking methods to back our products with credible results. The main aim of the start up is to preserve the traditional knowledge of home remedies by putting out the science behind it.

Recently seen on Shark Tank, this startup provides both prenatal and post-delivery nutritional care to new mommies with handmade ladoos and herbal mixes. To know more about Nuskha Kitchen and their ideas, we had a talk with its founder Alpana Tiwari and Director Viral Tiwari.

How did the idea came into being and What was the core behind products?

"I come from a long lineage of Ayurveda, my grandfather, father, brother, maternal uncles all have been/are vaids and Ayurved Acharyas. The fondest memories of my childhood are the cosy afternoons after school when I used to assist my father in preparing the herbs for his patients. I used to help my friends and neighbours with home remedies and herbal/ayurvedic treatments. People would call up to take suggestions for as common ailments as cough & cold to as complex as postnatal care. Even ladies double my age, addressing me as their daughter would call up for advice and nuskhe. I always felt good, that I could help them with relevant information," said Alpana.

Indian Postnatal care is a huge and growing industry, some sources estimate it at around 2.4 billion dollars. All of which is completely revolving around westernized solutions of lactation powders and protein shakes. Now here’s a fact, almost all of the households in our country have set-right nutrition edibles that are fed to the new mother post-childbirth! The preparations might vary depending on the traditions, region and culture. But we all have seen this as the common practice in our households.

The time of pregnancy and just after that is healthwise the most crucial phase of a woman's life. Nourishment and proper care are both crucial and well deserved. In India, we have had the tradition of pampering new mothers with the right nourishment and food which is not just pre-eminent but also well deserved. Over time, with the rise of nuclear families, the age-old grandmothers' knowledge of post-pregnancy nourishment is getting lost. There is no reliable source of natural, herbal products available in the commercial space and the need has grown exponentially in families with working mothers. As the preparation of such food requires skill, precision, time, & effort it is rather futile to expect a full-fledged proper maternity food to be prepared at home with absolute control over quality, perfection and technical aspects.

"It is very absurd to see that all of these large companies are trying to push for the westernized solution when the commonly accepted and highly effective product is available in our traditions!," Alpana further said.

What is your fund base?

"Our startup started as an entirely bootstrapped company but we recently raised a round from an Angel Investor in Africa with a 5% dilution," stated Viral.

How are you reaching the target market?

"Our target market majorly includes working women and women living away from their parents or in-laws, and have no one to look after them during and post-pregnancy. This way, Nuskha Kitchen aids the process of bringing their life to a normalcy with its products," stated Viral.

Nuskha Kitchen has multiple channels for connecting and reaching out to its target audience. Both online and offline, which includes workshops, connecting with the doctors, targeted ads, etc.

What are your future plans pertaining to the start up?

"So far in almost 3 years since our opening we have served around 3000 new mothers with the nurture and care that they deserve along with 6000+ regular customers for our day to day line of products! More than the numbers it is the 5-star ratings that keep us motivated. So far we have always received highly appreciative positive feedback from our clients. We are yet to receive any negative feedback for our products. As we move forward we wish to add more products to our line of day to day use products expanding our horizons and audience. We aspire to become the pioneers of pregnancy care in India, setting up our niche. Like we always say our journey is based on one strong belief that Indians don't leave their roots easily especially in the case of food - eating less but eating well," said Alpana.

What do you think about the growth of startup culture in India?

It is good to see that startup is becoming a household name now. It is not just the talk for the youngsters. I have met people form all walks of life hustling to build their dream business ground up. With the free flow of information everyone has the access to the information which was once only specific to certain sections. This is the time to work. I hope this trend sees exponential growth.

Nuskha is currently delivering worldwide. Majority of their clientele comes from the north and northwest regions of our country but they are moving towards southern and eastern states gradually.

"We have had some very overwhelming responses from NRIs and people living abroad, which has kept us motivated. We wish to leverage this initial success and expand this internationally and tap this market as the Indians living abroad cherish this more than anyone" stated Viral with a proud smile.