From a Food Craving to 30,000 Customers: How Delhi Couple Built Protein Pantry

Disha Bhattacharya and Prashanth Bhushan enjoyed soya chaap, but they wanted to have a one which could be trusted and consumed for its protein. Eventually, months of experimentation in the kitchen became Protein Pantry, a burgeoning Indian food business.

In some instances, a startup is not started with a business plan.

It starts with a question.

When it comes to a favourite soya chaap, the answer was easy for the Delhi-based founders Disha Bhattacharya and Prashanth Bhushan: Can their favourite soya chaap be improved?

They were fond of eating chaap, but some of the products made them hesitate due to their concerns about the ingredients. Meanwhile, protein has become a significant topic of family eating discussions.

They weren't going to give up on their favorite food, they decided to try something new.

It all began in their kitchen and eventually, Protein Pantry, a food brand emerged to create tasty, fun and easy to eat protein packed vegetarian food.

According to the brand, over 30,000 customers have been served by the brand till date. 

The Question That Started Protein Pantry

Soya chaap is now popular throughout Delhi-NCR and even it is a staple in other parts of the country.

It is spicy, smoky, filling and is often served straight out of the tandoor. However, Disha and Prashanth began to think of alternatives to its flavor.

They were interested in learning what it really was they were eating.

They themselves became more involved with their concerns when members of their family became ill and consumption of more protein was recommended.

That made for an intriguing situation.

Could they come up with a chaap that they would enjoy eating, but also feel good about its ingredients and protein content?

The couple didn't want to look for the perfect product; instead they chose to make their own. 

The Kitchen Became Their First Laboratory

The initial phase of business took place, not in a big factory.

It all took place in their kitchen.

Disha and Prashanth experimented with some recipes and samples for approximately 8-9 months. For each experiment, another question came up.

Did it have the proper consistency?

Did it taste good?

Would it be possible to increase the protein content?

Would the people like to eat it?

The couple continued to experiment and refine the recipe.

This was significant, because this was not their attempt to develop an additional food product. They were attempting to resolve an issue that they experienced themselves.

So often, great companies start with a problem so close to the founders' hearts that they simply have to keep at it.

Turning an Experiment Into a Food Startup

The concept evolved into Protein Pantry for months following months of testing.

According to the story of the founders' journey, the brand's chaap has ingredients like wheat protein, soy flour and rava. The company is also currently selling ready-to-cook vegetarian products like tikkis and cutlets besides chaap. 

The concept was not for healthy food to be hard.

Rather, the founders wanted to be able to get the protein in their diet as part of the regular Indian diet.

It's the same thinking that guides Protein Pantry's own mission statement: to make protein more accessible and more fun for more consumers everyday and not just for the gym crowd. 

Why Protein Pantry was Different

The founders were coming into a market that was crowded with food.

There were already thousands of food brands and snack products, as well as vegetarian options in India.

So why would customers opt for a new brand?

It was not an easy solution, "protein.

The Protein Pantry has attempted to unite three things:

1. Familiar Indian flavours
2. Convenient ready-to-cook food
3. There's a greater emphasis on protein.Protein focus is increased.

That mix enabled the brand to put itself around a fundamental concept: ‘healthy food shouldn't be dull'.

The company didn't aim to get consumers to radically alter their diet, but rather, they wanted to make improvements on foods that are already part of their daily diet.

That's a lesson that is important for any start-up.

Innovation can also be the simple development of an existing idea.

In some instances it requires a modification of a thing that people already love and making it better.

From Family Food to a Business

It started out as a personal objective.

Disha and Prashanth despaired of finding something they could be sure to offer their own families.

When they came up with something they liked, however, the obvious question was:

Would anybody else like it if they saw it?

There was a solution which slowly came into the light.

It was when customers began purchasing the products that the little food experiment was beginning to become a viable business.

The company eventually expanded out of its founders' kitchen, and established its own food production and distribution system.

As per current information about the company from Protein Pantry, the company is based in Delhi and is engaged in the food and beverages manufacturing sector. 

The Founders Chose to Build Instead of Compromise

The founders' willingness to delve deeper into the problem is one of the interesting things about the Protein Pantry story:

Writing a recipe is one thing.Making a recipe is one thing; writing it is another.

Making this recipe into a reliable commercial product is much more challenging.

When starting a food business, there are several things to consider:

• Ingredient quality
• Taste
• Nutrition
• Manufacturing
• Packaging
• Storage
• Delivery
• Customer experience
• Consistency at scale

The current web site of the Protein Pantry states that the products are packaged properly with insulated packaging and dry ice to preserve the temperature of the products during transportation. 

This gives a glimpse of a concept that eventually transforms to a functioning enterprise in the kitchen.

The role of the founder ranges from "Can I make this?" to "Can I make this for thousands of customers?".

30,000 Customers Later

The most significant event in the tale isn't just the brand's debut.

It's the number of people who ultimately tried it.

In fact, the company's latest public statement and the Better India report states that 30,000+ customers have returned to their delectable meals at Protein Pantry. 

That is a significant shift from the number of founders, and a big leap from where they began.

It started with a question of a favourite food.

After that was months of experimentation.

Then a product.

Then customers.

Eventually there is a building food business.

The trip is also a good example of the importance of getting feedback from customers early on.

When the inventor of a product tests it, it can appear to be perfect. However, the best test is given by real customers.

When they come back, they will get the very thing that all startups need – validation: Recommend the product and keep on purchasing it.

Building a Brand Around an Everyday Problem

The story of the Protein Pantry is one of interest because it wasn't started with the intent of solving a huge, worldwide problem.

It began with a little something smaller.

However, consumers want to eat well while enjoying their food and not having to take time to prepare it.

The founders acknowledged that type of gap.

It can seem like a chore for many to get sufficient protein. Protein is typically thought of in connection with protein shakes, protein supplements or diet plans associated with the gym.

Protein Pantry had a different idea: incorporate protein into foods that people are familiar with, but vegetarian.

Currently it includes all kinds of ready-to-cook products besides chaap such as tikkis and cutlets. 

This enables the business to expand beyond its role of just being a soya chaap business.

Can develop an expanded category around easy to make, protein-rich vegetarian meals.

What Other Founders Can Learn From Protein Pantry

There are several lessons to take away from the experience of Disha and Prashanth, when considering stepping out to start a business.

Begin by using a genuine issue.Use a real problem to begin with.

1. Start With a Real Problem

They began by addressing a problem that they had in their own lives.

Then, it had some meaning for them.

2. Don't Rush the Product

For months the couple spent trying various and many options until they arrived at something they loved.

That patience matters.

The product is not ready – Business ideas go down if the product is not ready.

3. Your First Customer Can Be Yourself

The founders' original purpose was to provide food for their own family.

That provided them with a definite standard.

Without having your own products, it's hard to get people to purchase them.

4. Solve the Problem Without Removing the Joy

Eat nutritious food and not risk losing the taste!

Protein Pantry's strategy was to marry the nutrition to something that's familiar to them in both form and flavour.

This helped consumers to better understand the product.

5. A Small Experiment Can Become a Serious Business

An initial concept doesn't have to be in a big office, a large team or a big investment.

It needs testing.

The kitchen experiments were eventually marketed as a brand under tens of thousands of customers.

The Bigger Startup Lesson.

It's not just about soya chaap in the Protein Pantry story.

It's just that you realize that you are not satisfied with the current options and look for new ones.

They could have gone on purchasing the ‘chaap' they were already familiar with, Disha and Prashanth.

They might not have even made use of it.

Instead, they queried themselves, can they make something better?

This question resulted in months of experimentation and finally, a business.

That's one of the most valuable of the lessons an aspiring entrepreneur can learn.

It's not always necessary to come up with something that no one has ever created before.

In some cases, it's essential that you take a look at an everyday product and pose the question:

What are some things I can do better?

From Kitchen Experiments to a Growing Food Brand

By uncovering how a common food issue can be a business opportunity, Protein Pantry's journey demonstrates the potential of food entrepreneurship.

The idea was to develop a protein-rich version of a food that they loved, Disha and Prashanth began by attempting to do exactly that. They tested it for months until they made it a brand, and started serving people outside their community.

Now, with over 30,000 users, Protein Pantry is a simple yet effective startup experience – identify an issue, experiment with patience, create something people would want, and continually develop it. 

This lesson will be of great value to those individuals who are sitting on their own business ideas.

If the next big business idea isn't for an invention that's completely new, it might be for an idea you already have. It can be when you see and recognize something ordinary, and want to improve it.

Sources & Disclaimer

This article is independently written for informational and educational purposes using publicly available information from Protein Pantry's official website. Facts and figures may change over time, so readers should verify the latest information from the official source.

Source: Protein Pantry Official Website

This article is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or officially endorsed by Protein Pantry. All trademarks, brand names, images and intellectual property belong to their respective owners.