'Consumers all over the world are looking for healthy food alternatives' – Prasoon Gupta, Founder Sattviko

Recognised as the youngest Distinguished Alumni from IIT Roorkee, Prasoon Gupta, is one of the youngest charter members of TiE Delhi. Before venturing into food and hospitality in 2014, Prasoon founded his education venture, Techbuddy Consulting Pvt Ltd. in 2009 while he was still a student at IIT.

His second venture in food, Sattviko restaurants is one of the rapidly growing vegetarian food chain in India and has won, India’s Best Debutante Restaurant Chain of the Year 2014. After Delhi/NCR, Sattviko is now expanding outside Delhi to Jaipur, IIT Roorkee and Ahmedabad.

My Big Plunge in conversation with Prasoon Gupta, Founder and Director, Sattviko

What inspired you to start Sattviko?

Consumers all over the world are today looking for healthy and natural alternatives to their existing lifestyles. Ancient India
gave to the world Ayurveda, Yoga and Sattvik foods, which today have been accepted globally as the most promising means of leading healthy lifestyle naturally. By bringing the ancient 3 Guna philosophy back to life with the inculcation of Sattvic values in global cuisine, Sattviko is reviving healthy, Sattvic preparations, modernized to suit the modern palate. At Sattviko, people experience a taste of history, by getting the chance to sample pure, healthy food that is both nourishing and bursting with flavour.

What is the total investment so far?

Raised approx. 2crore in 2014 from investors like Sumit Jain of CommonFloor, Rajat Jain of Xerox, Sanjay Bhasin of Indian Angel Network.

What has been the market response so far?

People have appreciated the innovation of Sattvik food. They have found an interesting option for vegetarian food. They have liked the boring traditional cuisine presented and transformed in a different style.

How is the response to Sattviko in a QSR format?

People have been able to appreciate Sattviko in QSR format. We have achieved very good sales. We also have few customers who have visited more than 60 times in the time span of 5 months. People have realised that healthy food plays a significant role. Also, people like the affordable prices of our restaurant.

Please elaborate on the idea behind your recent acquisition ‘call a meal’?

The company had acquired food delivery startup Call A Meal recently for an undisclosed amount. Launched in 2014 by software engineer Kartik Singhal, Call A Meal offers meal services to homes and offices in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Can you suggest some of your best food items and the science behind preparing it?

Apart from our restaurants that serve modern Sattvik food, We also have a range of healthy packaged products such as Gud Chana, Masala Flaxseed, Pudina Makahana etc. being sold both online and offline at our restaurants as well as other retail stores.

How has the association with Chef Bhakti been so far? Can you elaborate a bit on her profile?

Associating with Chef Bhakti Arora is amazing. Customers have appreciated the fusion menu curated by her. We look forward to working together on a long-term basis.  

Bhakti Arora of MasterChef India fame is the Corporate Executive Chef of the Delhi-based chain of vegetarian restaurants Sattviko, which has now ventured into the fine-dining space. The noted chef has curated the menu of Sattviko’s first fine dine restaurant in Jaipur, keeping in mind the evolved taste of food connoisseurs including the elite sections of society. The culinary expert specialises in vegetarian Multi-cuisine cooking (Italian, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, etc.), Indian fusion, bread & baking and healthy cooking.

Which are the online outlets for Sattviko?

Apart from serving Sattvik food, the company also recently expanded its offerings to include natural and herbal yogic products. The startup sells its products through its own portal as well as e-commerce marketplaces such as Paytm, Snapdeal and Grofers.

What is the online sales strategy? How is the food items priced? 

We believe online platforms are a great way to reach out to the customers. We are proactive on the online platforms such as Zomato, Tripadvisor which help us connect with our customers. Especially for our premium dining outlets, these platforms are crucial.

For our packaged products we have come up with a concept of “Freshly Packed” products. By maintaining lean inventory in our warehouse for orders placed online, we shipped products which are not more than 1-2 days old. The “Freshly Packed” concept helps us in our objective of creating preservative free products and at the same time creating an amazing customer experience.

Can you please explain the Vedic concept attached to food served at Sattviko?

Inspired by the sentient diet of ancient India, which was followed to acquire a calm mind, uplifted spirit and a healthy body, Sattviko aims to promote healthy eating in India. Its world-class fusion cuisine embraces the ancient Vedic methods of food preparation without tamasik ingredients. The modernized menu has been created keeping in mind the evolved palates of the present generation as well as appeal to food connoisseurs of the elite class.