It took them at least 15 failed attempts to get the perfect recipe. These sauces were loved by their relatives and friends, and they inspired the mother-daughter trio to start a business.
Success Story: Remember 2020, when covid-19 lockdown had made many of us find joy in small things, especially cooking? Similar was the story of a mother and her two daughters, who not only discovered their love for culinary during this hard time but also launched a condiments and sauces business that is worth in crores today. Together they – Sisters Dea and Ojasvi Sharma, along with their mother Hema- brought Chilzo, a Mumbai-based food brand which offers authentic sauces and condiments that adds international flavors to dishes.
They say that the brand serves about 11 flavours of sauces from different countries like Italy, Africa, Mexico, and China. But what brings these authentic flavours to India is their story from an employee turned entrepreneur while traveling around the world.
A graduate of Drexel University, Dea worked with a marketing firm in Philadelphia. In a span of three years of her work, she would get to travel to different countries, taste various cuisines, explore food, and meet traditional chefs and food industry professionals.
Speaking to Local Samosa, Dikshita said when she returned to India during lockdown, she missed those cuisines. That is when Dea and her sister Ojasvi, with their mother’s help, started making different sauces at home to satiate cravings and kill time.
Ojasvi, who is a BTech graduate recalls, “I had an inclination towards food, not cooking. But I really wanted good food after having hostel food for years. I was craving good food like crazy! I was a pasta fan, so we started making arrabbiata and marinara sauces first,” she told The Better India.
It took them at least 15 failed attempts to get the perfect recipe. Although they were not professionals, they would rely on YouTube and their mother, who is a good cook, for recipes.
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These sauces were loved by their relatives and friends, and they inspired the mother-daughter trio to start a business. “We thought of starting a small business out of it by supplying to other houses, just for the fun of it,” Dea told the publication. After receiving a positive response from the consumers, they felt that it was something that could be scaled.
When the trio started researching for Chilzo, they established a small Research and Development (R&D) unit inside their house, which Ojasvi managed. During 2020-2021, they worked on the recipes with a food consultant to determine what machines they would require to set up a factory.
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After a year of research and development, the trio converted their home-run business into a formal setup in Mumbai where they presently employ 30 workers.
The founders established a factory in Vasai in October 2021 with an initial investment of Rs 40 lakh that came from family and bank funding. The commercial operations began in January 2022.In FY23, the business made a turnover of Rs 1.2 crore. Chilzo is currently available in over 80 stores across Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata.
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It is also available on ecommerce and quick commerce platforms such as Amazon, JioMart, Dunzo, and Big Basket. The products cost Rs 149-Rs 349.
