Trying to build a food business but wanting to avoid unhealthy options, Sahil ended up taking his mother’s advise. Meena Jain, already a nutritionist, along with her son, Sahil Jain, started a healthy snack business Mighty Millets to fulfil her son’s dream to start a brand.
| Startup Name | Mighty Millets |
| Founders | Meena Jain and Sahil Jain |
| Industry | Food |
| Company Classification | Private Limited Company |
| Headquarters/based-in | Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Idea | To sell millet-based preservatives free snacks |
| Revenue | Rs 50 lakh in FY 2023 |
| Date of Commencement | 2018 |
| Investments | Bootstrapped (No further information is available) |
Competitors: Soulfull, Tru Millets, and Grami
The Problem: Why Does This Matter?
A chartered accountant in a Mumbai-based MNC, Sahil Jain had a successful career but was not happy with corporate life. He felt trapped.
Irrelevant and unnecessary restrictions changed his mind about work life. It was one and a half years later that he finally decided to give up his job and pursue his passion to build his own brand.
The Solution: Mighty Millets
Sahil’s mother Meena Jain is a seasoned nutritionist. He decided to start his own nutritious and innovative food products. Meena’s clients often suggested her to commercialize the health-conscious recipes she added to their diet plans.
In 2018, the mother-son duo launched their brand Mighty Millets. Initially, they added a small range of products like laddu bars.
It offers 50+ varieties of preservative-free products like nutrition bars, granolas, laddu, and millet-based products. They also offer healthy versions of vegetable chips, sevai, pasta, pancake mixes, and noodles.
Meena had been creating health-conscious recipes for long before she started working on Mighty MIllets. She had clients in India and abroad.
Slowly, the duo developed the customer base through the B2B segments. These are particularly from major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Pune. Slowly, the duo developed the customer base through the B2B segments. These are particularly from major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Pune.
Business Model: How Do They Make Money?
For production in dedicated facilities, they collaborated with 3 contract manufacturers.
Having customers in prestigious hotels like Taj Group and JW Marriot in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, they have built a profitable venture.
Along with a wide range of healthy snacks, Might Millets also offer nutrition plans to cater the following needs:
- Fitness and Lifestyle (2 months) – Rs 2500
- Detox + Weight Loss (1 month) – Rs 5000
- Weight Management and Inch Loss (3 months, 6,9 & 12 month plans also available) – Standard (Rs 6500) and Premium (Rs 11,000)
- Health Condition Management – Standard Plan (2,000) for 1 month and Advanced Plan (Rs 4,500) for 3 months.
In 2023, their annual revenue was Rs 50 lakh.
Challenges/Struggles: What Roadblocks Are They Facing?
The duo had knowledge in nutrition and finance but other than that everything was new to him. Which is why things were a bit slow in the 1st year.
Slow Start and Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic made things more challenging for them. Due to this, it took them 1 and a half years to re-establish themselves.
Finally, after 2 years their exponential growth started, and are now able to draw their salaries from the startup. Before that, they were only reinvesting whatever they earned.
No Mistakes Allowed
Dealing in the food business involves greater risk as there is no window for mistakes. Similarly, Mighty Millets’ each packet should be cautiously prepared. A single complaint might jeopardize their reputation.
To prevent any such mishaps, everything from cleaning raw materials to manufacturing end products was done under strict quality control and is monitored by Meena.
Future Vision: What’s Next?
With Rs 50 lakh revenue in FY 2023, the mother-son duo aims to double their sales in FY 24-25.
Key Takeaways: Why Should Users Care?
Starting a business from scratch and building it to reach new heights is satisfying in itself. If it doesn’t feel right, then try something else. From Sahil, we should learn, that there is nothing bad in giving up what doesn’t suit you and pursuing what you want.
From Meena Jain, we can learn how to make things better and incorporate the already working things in your new venture. Just as she did by including her health consultations in Mighty Millets.
Picture Credits: Mighty Millets, Might Millets Instagram.
