Healthy, Indulgent and Delicious
My sister and I began this journey in 2017 when we first came across the word “Preserve”. There were so many delicious ways of preserving nature’s goodness across the world. Indians have the pickles, murabbas; Greeks have the spoon-sweet, French have the marmalades and so forth! So we experimented every day. We made hundreds of recipes, made all of our friends and families taste it, took feedback and learnt a lot. We chose 12 of the best recipes we had and made a brilliant menu consisting of sweet, sweet and bitter, sweet and tangy, sweet and spicy, Spicy and tangy. So there’s one for everyone. We started growing fruits and spices in our own gardens. We collaborated with local farmers who grow these fruits/veggies in their gardens and sell them in the local market. We employ local tribal people to train them and increase employment opportunities. We aim to make these women independent manufacturers and run this model sustainably empowering every point of contact in the chain!
Operating from rural Satara also gives Pep N Pure access the freshest produce. Additionally, my company refuses to add a preservative to increase products’ shelf life; I prefer to make my products sustainable through natural means.
The Products of the company aim to portray the flavours of life. I and my sister-Tejaswini bring our own personalities to the table, and the products reflect that. Bold, surprising and inspired – Tejaswini brings the Pep to the products. Her experimental nature ensures that the boundaries for flavour combinations are always pushed. As for me, I bring the Pure to the product. Our Kitchen garden, local produce and the fruity smell inspire me to keep the products natural.
I faced a major setback when at my first exhibition, I set my heart on selling 1000 bottles but sold a mere 25. I was upset and had lost hope but soon overcame all the negativity. There are also times when demand increases and I am pressed to deliver the best products to my customers. Working manually comes with its set of challenges, but it’s the love and support of clients that keep me going.
Eventually, from a team of 2, we became a team of 3 when Shibu joined us as a Marketing Director in May 2020. Shibu is the Head of Marketing & Branding. Building Relationships and giving Ear to our customers! He interacts with the outside world as far as the outreach of the products is concerned. Joining the two sisters he brings on board the same passion as us.
We get a lot of compliments, the products are unique, and the purchase experience is seamless. A client once told me his wife finished 10 of Pep N Pure’s bottles in just three days! Another compliment I received was when a client told me her child had erratic eating habits and improved with my product. As a mother, this makes me ecstatic.
It hasn’t been an easy journey. There was a lot of criticism for leaving a well paid corporate job for a dream that’s Pep N Pure, but I am sure that I have made the right decision. I love working in the factory unit, making, cooking, packaging even cleaning. It’s a baby that we want to nurture and make sure that it grows up well. And soon, it will!