JhaJi Founders- A Female Duo’s Spicy Tale from Kitchen Creations to Business Empire
Today, in the dynamic landscape of entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurs are breaking barriers, rewriting the rules, and building empires of their own. One such remarkable success story is of JhaJi founders—a female duo who transformed their love for cooking into a thriving business empire that is ruling the world with its spicy and zesty homemade pickles. In the world of culinary entrepreneurship, this is one such story that inspires and ignites the passion of aspiring chefs and business owners.
India is a land of diversity, and Indian food is like a never-ending culinary thread that represents the diverse cultures and traditions of Indian states. One such food item is pickles, which awaken the senses and add a punch of flavor to every meal. This is an inspiring tale of the powerful Duo of Darbhanga – Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha, the co-founders of JhaJi Store who, with determination and courage, transformed their spicy kitchen creations into a global brand. In this blog, we will shed light on their remarkable journey, addressing everything from how the brand started to the milestones they have achieved and their future plans.
Early Beginnings: The Founders’ Journey from Meeting to Shared Passion for Cooking
Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha, the aspiring sister-in-law duo, were born and raised in Darbhanga and later married there. Kalpana Jha’s husband was an Indian Government employee, and due to his transfer, they kept moving to different cities. Finally, when his husband retired, the family returned to Darbhanga for a permanent settlement. Kalpana Jha earned a master’s in psychology but has been a homemaker all her life. However, she was always an aspiring lady who wanted to do something of her own and break the stereotype.
Kalpana had a passion for making pickles, and with encouragement from her family and initial financial aid from her husband, she decided to convert her passion into a commercial activity and touch the heights of success. That’s when she shared her love for cooking with her sister-in-law, who was also a determined woman who wanted to pursue law but couldn’t because of early marriage and children. She was a Hindi Literature and Hindi Language teacher in a private school where her children were studying. As soon as Kalpana shared her idea with Uma, she joined hands with her, and they decided to begin their journey together, from homemakers to ambitious entrepreneurs.
The Birth of JhaJi: Inspiration Behind the Brand Name and the Initial Success
Founding of JhaJi Store
With the purpose of making Bihar’s cuisine known to the world and turning their passion into a business, Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha came up with the idea of JhaJi, an online pickle store that sells homemade pickles. The female duo began preparing for the JhaJi store in October 2020 when the second wave of COVID was at its peak, and everyone was home.
Initial Challenges and Preparation
Following six months of ups and downs, obtaining food permits, completing packaging, and producing hundreds of kilograms of pickles, the JhaJi Store was finally prepared to open in late March 2021 with six varieties. Their initial aim was to cover the Bihar and Delhi area through social media advertising and the online store.
Initial Investment
Kalpana’s husband, being a supportive partner and knowing Kalpana’s passion for cooking, invested 10 lakh rupees in their business and helped them bring their innovative idea into tangible shape. Later, they got financial aid from renowned investors and funding agencies.
Brand Identity and Product Development
The name JhaJi was inspired by the region of Mithilanchal, which is referred to as JhaJi’s, as well as the family surname, implying that this is a homely brand. They used to purchase vegetables and raw materials from the local market and farmers and indulged in pickle-making without using artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. They began with small-scale production of the pickles in their own home and kitchen, which later relocated to the kitchen factory at Taralahi when orders increased.
Navigating Challenges
The passionate and confident female duo got support from their family but faced other challenges related to the packaging and delivery of the pickles. They wanted to sell pickles in glass bottles, but there was a lack of packaging materials like cartoons and bubble wrap in Darbhanga. To combat this challenge, they contacted manufacturers of Delhi and ordered these items in bulk. The biggest problems were the breakage and leakage of pickle glass bottles; however, they found a packing process that significantly reduced these problems. Another challenge was delivery time, as the orders used to take 10-12 days to reach the destination from Darbhanga, which led to multiple complaints. To overcome this problem, they opened warehouses in Delhi and Patna and reduced the delivery time, which led to the satisfaction of their customers.
Product Offerings and Early Success
Initially, the product offerings include lemon pickle, garlic, ginger, chili mix pickle, imli ki chatni, grated oal pickle, and more. The first-ever order of mango pickles was sent to their neighbors, and from there, the powerful female duo never looked back. The combination of 50 talented women, local ingredients blended in mustard oil, delightful homemade flavors, and unmatchable taste made them get orders from Sitamarhi and then Delhi NCR in no time.
Rapid Growth and Customer Base
JhaJi Store sold to almost 2,500 clients in its first four months of operation, thanks to its distinctive Mithila pickles, which soon gained popularity among consumers. They had a massive customer base of 10,000 people within Delhi. With time, JhaJi Store started selling approximately 15 types of traditional handmade pickles with the authentic taste of Mithila. Within the first 30 weeks of business, the company received over 10,000 orders.
From Pitch to Profit: JhaJi Store’s Game-Changing Journey with Shark Tank
Appearance in Shark Tank Season 1
After initial success and growth, the female duo Kalpana and Uma decided to pitch their JhaJi Store in Shark Tank India season 1 in 2021. They made it to Delhi for auditions and passed, earning them an invitation to Mumbai to pitch their business idea to the shark tank judges. They failed to impress the judges, could not secure funding from them and came back empty-handed. However, their pitch might not have interest the judges, but it won the hearts of the Indian audience and even some funding companies. They got opportunities to list their pickles on e-commerce sites like Big Basket and Amazon.
Funding to Fulfill Increasing Orders
The JhaJi store couldn’t manage to get funding from shark tank judges, but the orders were continuously rising, forcing them to take a loan from the bank. However, after the episode, they got immense support from the public, which made their business grow rapidly – the orders multiplied, the staff increased, and the success reached heights. They got growth capital from Velocity, India’s largest revenue-based financier, soon after the shark tank episode was aired on TV. Moreover, they also got financial aid from Klub in Jan 2022, which further fueled the store’s operations.
Securing Funding from Shark Tank Judges ahead of Season 2
In July 2022, shark tank judges Namita Thapar and Vineeta Singh gave a surprise visit to the sisters-in-laws and were impressed with their dedication and efforts to grow their business. They witnessed and recorded everything from pickle production to packaging to show it in season 2 of Shark Tank. Finally, they decided to invest in their store, giving a cheque for 85 lakhs as an investment from Jharkhand Angels. Kalpana and Uma used the funding to build a larger factory for bulk production of pickles to fulfill large quantity orders.
The Spice of Success: Secret Ingredients to Building an Empire
Vision and Mission
At the core of JhaJi’s success lies a clear vision and unwavering commitment to promoting Bihar’s authentic food taste and culture throughout the country. Their handmade, sun-dried, and authentic savories, free from preservatives, artificial colors, or additives, are their USP that has captured the world’s interest. They are on a mission to transform the food sector with a fresh concept and unwavering commitment.
Innovation and Creativity
From traditional masalas to new fusion blends, JhaJi is constantly pushing the frontiers of flavor. Their flavorful assortments driven by customer feedback is their power. The pickles they sell differ in spice and tanginess, making them cater to a wider audience with different taste buds. They used an innovative approach of crafting 4-8 flavor pickles in 100g jars to allow people to explore before ordering them in larger quantities.
Branding and Marketing Strategies
JhaJi’s success is driven by its strong brand identification and smart marketing activities. Kalpana and Uma have built a passionate following of spice enthusiasts who look forward to each new product launch by employing compelling storytelling, vivid packaging, and an efficient social media presence. Kalpana’s son’s Mensch Ventures team helped in marketing and brand promotion and made the brand well-known.
Adaptability and Resilience
Kalpana and Uma knew that adaptability was crucial in this ever-evolving market; therefore, they continued to add new flavors in pickles and even new variants of chatnis to cater to the evolving demands and preferences of the public.
Teamwork and Social Responsibility
Behind every successful business is a dedicated team. The business boasts a team of 70 aspiring and dedicated workers on board, the majority of whom are women. With more than 70% women in the team, the female duo is working on a social objective of creating job opportunities for women in their area. They are making a positive impact on the lives of the people and their families and even gave them a source of earning during the pandemic. Additionally, the company donates 2% of its earnings directly to the cause of educating girls.
Key Milestones: Notable Achievements and Turning Points in their Journey
- From January 2023 to December 2023, their revenues increased by 20% month over month, making their story an encouragement to budding business owners around the country.
- In 2023, JhaJi supplied pickles to 85,000+ customers from 9700+ Indian cities, selling around 4,57,000+ pickle jars.
- They got a chance to sell their products on the D2C website, Amazon, and Flipkart and take these regional specialties globally.
- After an unsuccessful pitch in season 1 of Shark Tank, their unwavering dedication and hard work earned them a direct investment of 85 lakhs from Shark Tank judges without any pitch.
- The brand saw almost Rs 4 crore in revenue at the end of the 2022–2023 fiscal year, five times higher than the Rs 80 lakh revenue at the end of the 2021–2022 fiscal year.
Going Forward: Savoring Success and Upcoming Plans
Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha’s upcoming plan is to take the Mithilanchal’s flavors to the world. They aim to spread their business across the US, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and South Asia after getting the necessary permits and certifications. Moreover, they aim to add new local flavors as well as local dry snacks, including Thekua, Nimki, Vadis, Mahana, Khaja, etc. They are also aiming to build multiple warehouses and offline stores to grow their business even more and optimize their operations. With their new factory, the duo hopes to increase their workforce to 150 people and eventually install machinery to increase production.
Conclusion: A Journey that Continues
Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha, the determined Female Duo, turned their passion for making pickles into an innovative business idea. Within 2 years, with unwavering dedication and effective strategies they gained immense fame, growth, and success even in the highly competitive market. They spread their business of pickles from Bihar to the whole of India and are now aiming to capture the international market also. They got support from Velocity, a renowned revenue-based financier, shark tank judges, as well as multiple investors who believed in their approach and idea. Today, JhaJi is a world-famous brand renowned for selling authentic flavored handmade pickles right from the streets of Darbhanga.
