(This story was first published on Aug 13, 2021)
It is said that when it comes to what a child needs, mothers know best. And Meghana Narayan and Shauravi Malik like most moms realized what was missing in their kids’ meals as they shopped at the local grocery for cereals and snacks.
Realizing that this sentiment was shared by quite a few mothers in India, they decided to change this for children. By utilizing natural and high-quality ingredients, they developed recipes that were not only nutritive but also delicious. And behold - Slurrp Farm was born!
Healthier options for kids
United by the love for food, both mums realized the need for nutritive alternatives in the early childhood space. “In India, one in four children are malnourished and obese, and this is prevalent across all income groups,” says Narayan, adding, “This is primarily because most grocery stores have food items full of flour, sugar, or dalda. Hence, in order to provide healthier options to our kids, Shauravi and I decided to start a business together that could benefit children across the world and help change the dietary habits in children.”
In order to provide healthier options to our kids, we decided to start a business together that could benefit children across the world and help change dietary habits in children.
Initially launched with just two products, Slurrp Farm was established in 2016 after three years of extensive research and development. While Meghana handles the Operations & Finance aspect of the brand, Shauravi, along with Umang Bhattacharyya - the third co-founder - work cohesively to build the brand persona and market the products.
With cereals and cookies made of ragi, oats, chocolates, millets and even bananas, the company found the perfect blend between yummy and healthy breakfast and meal choices for kids. Currently, they serve more than seven lakh customers through Amazon and other online and offline marketplaces in India.
Getting global exposure
Being declared as one of the winners of the first edition of the Amazon Global Startup Accelerator program, Slurrp Farm has been able to cater to the UK audience so far. “Amazon provides an unparalleled exposure right from its platform in India,” says Narayan. “On Day 0, we were national. Now, we are expecting to launch our products in the US and UAE markets in the months to come.”
While the rest of the world has already discarded sugary food options in the kids’ segment, India is slowly evolving despite having super grains available from the farms. The company uses high-quality grains that are climate-smart and require less water than rice or flour. Hence, they are far more accessible and healthier to consume.
“We’ve always dreamt of being a large company for whom profit is important, but purpose soars higher,” says Narayan. "While there have been challenges at every step, we are happy to have grown Slurrp Farm on Amazon in India and to have taken the brand to the rest of the world. Our aim is to grow into a Rs. 500 crore company in the next 36 months. Amazon has surely helped us propel our vision forward.”
