Founder Spotlight: Jasmine Bharucha (Katharos)
Meet Jasmine Bharucha
Company:
Katharos means "pure" in Greek, and we stay true to it in all we offer - from vegan cheese to desserts, our products are clean, nutritious, and completely natural. Our efforts saw fruition when PETA awarded our Pizza cheese as the Best Vegan Cheese in India for 2021. And we take pride in our transparency - if you can’t pronounce it, you won’t find it in our ingredients!
Startup Stage:
Bootstrapped
Location:
Mumbai, India
When did you launch the business?
2019
What led you to where you are today?
From a very young age, I have been passionate about fitness and health. A couple of years ago my family and I decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle, and the impact it has had on us since then has been incredible! However, the absence of good vegan cheese to accompany my salads led me to create my own. From there, one thing led to another, and I quit my corporate career to venture out as a plant-based entrepreneur. My mission is to offer delicious alternatives that are pure, natural, nutritious, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly and which are easily available and affordable.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
After I pursued my MBA in the United States, I worked internationally in consulting for 15 years. Looking back I realized that I took my 9-5 job for granted, but it has been exhilarating to build my own business from the ground up. The visits to local markets to source materials, meetings with research institutions, sustainable packaging manufacturers, working on delivery logistics, and so much more were challenging and time-consuming but that has pushed me to unlearn and relearn new exciting things.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
After deciding to quit my corporate career to start Katharos, the most difficult decision I made since then was to not compromise on quality no matter what. There were times when I could have added ingredients that were lower in nutritional value but would have made my production cost cheaper and given me a bigger profit margin. If I did that, it would have made me lose sight of my mission and we would have also lost out on those clients who prioritize the nutritional value of products by overpricing and taste.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
The last several years have been fantastic! I've learned a great deal and would want to share my experience and knowledge with our community. I can also help you with the Indian vegan market (for international members of our community).
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
Connecting with like-minded people all across the world is not only fulfilling but also exciting! I would like to connect with more international communities to collaborate, exchange notes, learn from one another, and progress as one global vegan community.
Fun fact about you:
I love traveling and soaking in different cultures.
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