Sjoerd Witteveen
Rachna (left), mom Rekha, and Mona Prasad prepare butter chicken at their home
in Unionville. Known as Gourmantra (gour taken from the word gourmet and mantra, the Indian word meaning magic or secret, the name can be translated into gourmet magic), the women prepare authentic Indian meal kits that feed three to four people for under $5.
North of the City
July 02, 2008 08:26 AM
By: Kristen Brownell
When Rachna Prasad agreed to make an authentic Indian feast for her “eclectic group of friends” she had no idea the invitation would ignite a challenge and the challenge would spark a future business endeavour.
While food is an important part of Indian culture, Ms Prasad, a second generation Canadian, admits she had never taken the time to learn how to cook a traditional Indian meal. Creating an Indian menu is an ambitious undertaking and can leave the chef intimidated by long lists of ingredients, steps and techniques.
With Indian cuisine growing in popularity in North America, Ms Prasad says her friends were curious and eager to sample some of her family’s native dishes.
“I told them I would cook for them,” she explains. “Not knowing how to do it, I figured my mom would help.”
Little did she know her mom wouldn’t be available that day.
After a number of anxious phone calls, Rekha Prasad was able to provide her daughter with step-by-step instructions, a shopping list and some helpful hints to get her started.
“When I first started cooking I was so skeptical of the whole thing. I was very nervous,” Ms Prasad says. “I started early in the morning and cooked six different dishes.”
In the end, her cooking was a hit.
“My friends loved it,” she says. “Everything turned out unbelievable and the next thing I knew I was pedaling spices.”
With more and more requests for essential spices and easy-to-follow directions, she soon realized there was a strong desire for Indian food in the marketplace and the idea for a business blossomed.
Ms Prasad, along with her mother Rekha and sister Mona, developed a variety of spice blends, created a name and hired a designer for the packaging. They began selling their spices at local fairs, the first of which was held in Unionville.
Ms Prasad says they knew they had filled a void in the market when the first batch sold out by noon on the first day of the two-day event. That first weekend the trio made a profit of nearly $2,000.
“It was amazing to us,” Ms Prasad says. “We couldn’t believe it.”
Deciding to take what they first saw as “just a hobby” one step further, Mona, who was completing her MBA at Wilfrid Laurier University, entered a business plan in a competition sponsored by Waterloo-area businesses. She placed third out of about 400 entries. The prize was several hours with high priced, in demand lawyers and accountants, along with $5,000 in cash.
“When we started seeing a little success, we became very ambitious and started to think of the future,” Ms Prasad says.
Their determination, spawned by the third place finish, led them into discussions with food brokers, investors and a Toronto-based design firm.
Obtaining financing was one of the women’s toughest challenges, but they were undaunted.
During talks with local grocery stores the women soon realized they should provide more than just the spice packages because many consumers didn’t know how to cook with them. They considered launching a line of prepared frozen Indian food, but quickly learned that market was too competitive.
“We knew we wanted something affordable, authentic and relatively easy to make,” Ms Prasad explains. After some research, they discovered an interesting fact:
“the average family isn’t willing to spend more than 30 minutes in the kitchen.”
That simple message would be all they needed to launch what is now a successful and thriving company.
Known as Gourmantra (gour taken from the word gourmet and mantra, the Indian word meaning magic or secret, the name can be translated into gourmet magic), the women prepare authentic Indian meal kits that feed three to four people for under $5. At first the kits were made at Rehka Prasad’s home in Markham, but due to popular demand the women needed more space. The kits are now prepared at an approved facility in Ajax.
“It’s convenient and everything is pre-measured,” Mona says. “If you can open a package and stir, you can cook it. It’s foolproof.”
The kits, which include the spice blends, a package of basmati rice and essential sauces, can be found in grocery stores such as A&P/Dominion, Sobey’s, Safeway, Longo’s, The Barn, Foodland, IGA and TNT. The kits will also be sold at Food Basics in the not too distant future.
The packages come in a variety of flavours including butter chicken, tandoori, korma and channa masala, which, says Ms Prasad, are a few of the most popular.
Only in stores since October 2007, the products have been well received, winning several awards. Some accolades include best ethnic product from the Canadian Liver Foundation, People’s Choice Award for best entrée, as well as a finalist position in the Canadian Grand Prix for best entrée.
Ms Prasad and her mother have entrenched themselves in the business full time.
The daughter handles the business and marketing aspects, while her mother uses her 30 years of cooking experience to develop and blend new recipes. While Mona also works outside of the family business, she has a hand in other important aspects such as maintaining the website www.gourmantra.com.
The family affair has cost the Prasads nearly $50,000 so far, but they’re hoping to break even within a couple years.
“We’re ecstatic,” Ms Prasad says. “We never dreamed this would become as big and successful as it has. We’re very thankful.”
For more information visit gourmantra.com or call (416) 225-6711, ext. 2.