Bringing a fresh perspective to food: Vinita Jain

What do you get when you combine a passion for Italian cuisine with an entrepreneurial spirit? A business venture that is a delectable success. Meet Vinita Jain, founder of Vini's foods, a one stop shop for ingredients and sauces for all kinds of Italian dishes. An brainwave on a lazy afternoon translated into a sound business idea, and after that there was no stopping her.Having started out on a small scale, Vini's foods now has a presence in as many as seven retail outlets across Chennai as well as an online store in Bangaluru. Its a perfect occupation for someone who loves this quote from Federico Fellini: "Life is a combination of magic and pasta."

 The inspiration to start a business

I was born and brought up in Ajmer. I got married immediately after graduation and my husband being an IT professional we travelled a lot. We lived in Australia for almost twelve years, stayed in England for two, and have been in Bangalore for the past five years.

 I learnt to rely on my instinct and learnt a lot from the people I interacted in all this time.

Being a mother of two boys and living outside India with minimal support system,  I preferred working part time or from home as my children and husband were always my priority. I have always been a person who cannot sit idle and loves to socialise. In Australia I would  spend a lot of time trying out new dishes and calling friends over to get their feedback. Through a lot of such informal cooking sessions I ended up learning a lot about different cuisines. In England too I made a lot of friends and learnt about their cooking methods. 

After moving back to India, I wanted to do something that would keep me constructively busy while my kids were away at school. Also, my husband always wanted me to start something of my own rather than doing jobs. Both of us always dreamt of having our own venture and discussed a lot about the ideas that could be done.It took me some time to identify what I wanted to do, but finally it was my love for cuisine that led me to start  Vini's Foods at a very small level.   

The passion that drives Vini's foods

It was my personal passion to prepare multiple cuisines authentically at home without compromising on taste and freshness. Also when I observed that there is no range of fresh Italian sauces in the market I started preparing my own. When sampled by family and friends, I got great reviews and feedback. This was the driving factor to get into food industry and start Vini’s foods.

 We are adept at multitasking, are very good with execution of plans, are tolerant and more focused.

Vini’s Foods started with the idea of bringing the range of fresh Italian sauces in the market. By fresh I mean the sauces are made with fresh ingredients, with no preservatives or synthetic colouring. These are as good as homemade, cooked  with a personal touch and passion. I ventured into this as I wanted to create awareness about fresh food and wanted to start a range of ingredients which do not compromise on taste, quality and freshness.

I learnt to rely on my instinct and learnt a lot from the people I interacted in all this time.

I started with four flavours of sauces from home and now we have eleven varieties including dips. Vini's products are now sold through online retailers like Big Basket as well through my own direct delivery system. Moreover, the products are also used by restaurants and cafes. All this has happened in the last two years and I am very satisfied with our progress.

The initial hurdles and struggles as an entrepreneur 

Starting such a venture without much experience made it all the more challenging. From sourcing the ingredients,  figuring out how and where to retail, to marketing the products, finding the right set of people to get the work done, to managing the accounts, all this was an uphill task as I didn’t have a background for these. But I learnt to rely on my instinct and learnt a lot from the people I interacted in all this time.

Also, as family was always the first priority and still is, I found it difficult to juggle between the business and needs of my family. There were times when I held myself back from devoting more time to my venture because I felt kids were a higher priority.  There were times when I felt that I’m not able to justify both, but with time I have learnt how to balance between home and work, and make sure neither of the two is neglected.

Vinita Jain, Founder of Vini's Food

A woman's innate strengths at a workplace 

I feel women bring discipline and time management to a workplace, both of which are integral to success. Also, women are seen as emotionally weak but I feel they are much stronger when they decide to be something and are much more organised thinkers. We are adept at multitasking, are very good with execution of plans, are tolerant and more focused.

The greatest achievement so far 

I feel my greatest achievement is that I have been able to win the trust of my customers by the taste and quality of my products. Though my products are available only in Bangalore but it’s great when people from different cities call to find out how they can get Vini’s products in their cities. Also, when I get a feedback from parents calling and saying that their children love Vini’s products and refuse to eat other sauces, I feel really proud. I am waiting for the day when Vini’s Foods will be the preferred brand for fresh food lovers all over the country and people will consume only fresh sauces and dips.

The success mantra

Do what you love to do as that always gives you the strength to keep giving your best and not give up. Always take pride in whatever you do.

One piece of advice for other women entrepreneurs

Work with your instinct, believe in yourself.