Nutritionists-turned-Smart-Food-entrepreneurs Tanu Shree Singh, Reema Rathore and Sonia Grover believe that it is possible to remain healthy even if one has a sweet tooth. Through their venture BewustFoods, they are redefining daily snacks preparations by making gluten-free baked products using 100% millet flour.
Dr. Tanu Shree Singh realized the importance of millet during her Master’s degree when her research findings revealed that pearl millet and other iron rich foods can effectively replace the iron and folic acid supplements among adolescent girls in Rajasthan. She is a clinical nutritionist and handles the business side of Bewust Foods. Dr. ReemaRathore is a food science expert with many publications to her credit; Reema looks at supply and logistics for Bewust Foods. Sonia Grover, a dietician by profession focuses on developing recipes for the products. This trio materialized the dream of making healthy snacks.
Bewust, a Dutch word referring to consciousness resonates well with the business model of making convenience food with “Real Ingredients” and without compromising on taste.
As the products provide ample amount of minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron; dietary fibers; protein not just calories, they are “Sensibly Nutritious”.
Bewust Foods specializes in making cookies (Bajra with nuts &Bajra with dark chocolate), cakes andchocolate brownie made with 100% Bajra flour is the pinnacle of their creation. “Pearl millet is widely used in Rajasthan; the rich mineral profile of this millet can attract any nutritionist’s attention in the country where hypertension, diabetes, and anemia are highly prevalent.Sorghum although was intentionally chosen to bring in a summer friendly millet, it is also easy to experiment with in a number of recipes due to its flavor profile.” says Sonia Grover.
Recognized by the Government of Rajasthan, BewustFoods is currently incubated in National Institute of Agricultural Marketing and opened a store in Bikaner, Rajasthan. Serving customers ranging from people in their early thirties to early fifties, Bewust stands as the only go-to store with options for gluten sensitive children. “Very rarely does any company make millet cookies without mixing wheat or any supporting ingredients, we did that.We never wanted our product to become just another industrial packed food item; therefore we don’t use industrial fats, sugar syrups, chemical preservatives or any possible toxic agents. But taste is our hero, because mere nutrient density would not be given a second chance.” says Tanu Shree Singh.
ReemaRathore shares about the difficulty in the supply and logistics of the products, “Gluten-free biscuits are easily breakable, packaging and transportation is highly challenging. Logistics and delivery is very crucial especially when the product has only three months of shelf-life which is considered very low by the shop owners.”
The trio aims to reach all the households of Western India not just with the healthy snacks but to create awareness about gluten-sensitivity and the potential of native grains such as Jowar and Bajra. Bewust is looking into conducting clinical trials to bring out the scientific evidence for their product innovations.
