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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 1:18

Women in Business - A Conversation with Apeksha Jain of The Gourmet Jar

article image placeholderApeksha Jain
Hello everyone. Buckle up for today's edition of the Voices carry CDs for we have with us today a Pixel Jen, the founder of the goomi jar, a homegrown brand taking the food industry industry by stone a picture who calls herself a French teacher turned food blogger turned accidental entrepreneur, founded the company in 2012 and started experimenting with flavors and gourmet condiments, coming up with a wide range of spreads, dips, sauces and preserves for the discerning foodie who values quality and flavor over everything else

#voicescarry

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@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 0:04
Hi. Namir. Thanks for having me here
@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:19

From a food blogger to entrepreneur - the journey?

From a food blogger to a successful women entrepreneur. It's been a phenomenal growth curve for your picture. So how did you take the leap of faith into being an entrepreneur? And what is the story behind the gourmet jar
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@Swell
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15

Welcome to Swell!

@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 4:24
And then my husband had a big sweet tooth, and he fell in love with that jam. And it was completely artisanal, freshly made, no preservatives, no coloring, completely unlike what we've been used to in Indian. And when we moved back here in 2010, he somehow used to talk about that jam quite often. And he would be like, I wish I could get something like that over here. And I've always been passionate about cooking and loved experimenting in the kitchen
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 1:09

Making your passion a profession - Yay or Nay?

What an interesting story behind your phenomenal entrepreneurial journey. Thank you for sharing that with us. So it's a widely accepted notion that making your passion your profession is the best thing one could ever do. It is pretty natural to think that if you're going to be spending several hours at work in a day doing something, you might as well do something that you are genuinely passionate about. Right. And in your case, I must say that it has worked out perfectly well
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 4:34
I think that is the biggest part about the biggest thing as an entrepreneur that you do but just identifying what you like to do and making sure that you factor in time for that that's very important but of course you have to do things like finance and accounting that was something that I really did not understand but it's something which I now know that it's critical it's the most crucial part about running a business so you have to start learning those things and I think it's not bad like even though you start something with a passion and you get to learn a lot, right?
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 1:12

Food trends to watch out for in the year ahead

I really love your approach of not losing your passion for cooking amidst all the operational stuff and somehow retaining it and keeping it alive through your constant experimentation and all of that. So thank you for that. So picture. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that people have made more meals at home, expanded their palates with new flavors, and have gradually gravitated towards premium items either as an indulgence or looking at them as healthier options
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 5:00
I think the trends are, of course, cooking at home is going to happen a lot more. And I think people enjoy that process now and then, of course, shopping for local produce, local ingredients, this whole vocal for local thing, it's a big moment. And I think it's a realization that people have had and also the fact that for a while imported products were lesser because of supply chain issues, shipping issues, all of that
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:35

All women workforce at TGJ - real empowerment!

Speaking of women run brands, Apexia, I really must applaud the fact that you have a 100% female team on ground at your facility in Noida. I think it's an initiative that goes a long way, providing economic opportunities for women and creating a more inclusive workforce. So can you tell us a little bit about your all women team, how it came to be and how you have been empowering and setting up your team for success and growth
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 4:04
Really like a lot of sometimes there are women who have to leave because of family pressure or they're getting married or some issues in their families, and I'm telling you, 90% of them, they want to come back and they do come back. So we also have created a workplace where they feel that they can come back whenever they're ready to work again. And most of the workers that are with us, they end up coming back
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:58

State of women entrepreneurship in India

Wow. Kudos to you for doing all that you do for empowering women. Apicture. Moving on. A Report A recent report by the Ministry of statistics says that women constitute only for 14% of the total entrepreneurs in India. And women entrepreneurs across the globe have conquered on the fact that it is more difficult for them to raise funds from investors than their male counterparts. I do know that the Gourmet recently raised funding in a round led by Devex Fund. So many Congratulations on that
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 3:53
But I think the change has to come from us, from within. So Firstly, I think the conditioning of women, like parents, need to encourage them more to follow their dreams and not just tell them that they need to get married and settle down and have children, et cetera, et cetera. And then also the beginning of men, I think matters a lot. Like parents need to kind of bring up men to be equals to support women in their lives
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:28

Work life balance

I think my next question is almost like an add on to my previous one. Covenant and working from home has disrupted our routines so much and made work life spill all over into our personal lives. How have you been dealing with this as a woman entrepreneur? How best do you strike the right balance and maintain a healthy work life balance? I would really love to know
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 3:09
So it's hard to draw the line in terms of like okay, this is nine to five is my work time and then the rest is my personal time. But what I feel is that I have the flexibility to kind of do my work schedule. I can tailor it as for my needs, so I just pick up activities and things that I enjoy and I make sure that I make time for them even though they may be in the day and then I manage my work accordingly
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:42

Thank you for sharing your amazing journey with us!

This has been a truly wonderful conversation, a picture. Thank you for your time, all the wonderful stories, the insights you shared, and for taking us along with you and sharing your amazing journey with us. And more power to you and to the Gooma jar. I'm sure there are going to be questions popping up from this well community. I do hope you'll be able to take on a few of them as and when your schedule permits
@anneflorentyna
Hi. A picture. So I was just wondering what is your typical work day look like? Can you just please give us an image about it
@jeevanshigulati
Jeevanshi Gulati
@jeevanshigulati · 0:04
Hi can you suggest some best selling products from your product range
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@roohikumar10
Roohi Kumar
@roohikumar10 · 0:07
Hey Apeksha Great interview. What's your personal Favorite Product From Your Product range
@Bmat
Bhomik Mathur
@Bmat · 0:16

Tips to start a new business

Hey Apeksha, this was a very great interview. I learnt so much from it. My question would be do you have any tips or words of advice for students like us who may be keen to get into like starting up a new business venture. Bye
@paakhs23
Paakhi Sharma
@paakhs23 · 0:11

It was inspiring to hear you talk!

Hey Apeksha It is refreshing to hear entrepreneurs like you coming up and sharing their journeys. How have your priorities changed from when you first started
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 0:43
And if you're a savory person and you have more, say, pasta and stuff like that, then you have to try pasta sauce. That's like one of the highest selling in the savory range. Repro pesto. And that does really well as well. And it's very different. And then the alapino ketchup. These are some of the best selling in their categories
@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 1:39
There could be some new trials one day, a few meetings internally, and then, of course, a couple of external meetings happen on Zoom these days. And then it could be just like and problem solving. Some issues come up. My team is always like, they come up to me and like, okay, this has happened, what do we do and stuff like that
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@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 0:55
It's very difficult for me to choose a person's favorite because I create all of them. So it's really hard to pick one. But I would say that my personal favorite, not even favorite. It's like what I consume at home is typically basically what I have made the latest. So, like the products, which are very old because I've made so much of them. And then I'm, like, kind of bored of them
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@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 1:08
Yes, there's a lot of advice that I can give from my mistakes and what I've learned in the past. But if you're starting out and if you're a student, I would say that if you have an appetite for risk and if you don't have too many responsibilities and you don't really have to pay the bill, so to speak. So then I would say just go for it. Just start
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@ApekshaJain
Apeksha Jain
@ApekshaJain · 1:12
And that's how but now today, of course, I have to like, over the last few years, I have completely reversed that process. Now it's more like, okay, who's my consumer and what do they want and how do I make a product that fits into their lifestyle? But at the same time, which is true to the Gourmet, our philosophy and the way the essence of the brand. So that's one big change that has happened
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