New chip on the block
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/06/29/stories/200806 [2008-6-30]
Tag : Garlic Segment
Armed with a kitchen knife, a blend of spices, a bunch or two ofplantains, and fond memories filled with appetizing aromas from hermother’s kitchen, Geetha Jayaraman, an Indian who was raisedin Malaysia before she came to the U.S. many years ago, has notonly succeeded in bringing the mouth-watering flavour of hermother’s fried plantains to the walls of her Indian-Americanhome, but to those of several others across the country. Filling a gap
Geetha is the proud owner of “Grab ‘em Snacks”, agourmet snack company that her husband is also a part of, and sellselegantly packaged, easy on trans-fat, plantain chips in sixflavours. Geetha personally chooses the plantains, and hand-picksthe spices that she uses to season her chips with. She says that itis her nostalgia, her passion for gourmet cooking and entertaining,and simply the dire lack of quality snacks in the U.S. that led tothe setting up of “Grab ‘em.”
“I would often make these plantain chips at home, and myfriends started demanding that these chips be made widelyavailable. Having worked in Corporate America in the food industry(Kraft Foods), with the encouragement I received from friends, andthe urge to be the first to market a delicious and healthyalternative in the salty snack industry, I decided to take mypassion a step further and started my venture,” she avers.
Geetha is an avid gardener, and also paints “Rangoli”designs on tile, wood, glass etc. “I have leveraged my lovefor painting in a very unique way of packaging for my chips,”she adds.
When asked if her target segment includes overseas customers,Geetha says that exporting overseas could get a tad tricky andcomplicated even, especially with food products. “We have,however, shipped to soldiers in Iraq who have ordered through ourwebsite (APO addresses only),” she adds quickly, andcontinues, “Gourmet and specialty stores and caterers, aswell as people with dietary restrictions like gluten allergy,kosher and also vegans are our main targets.”
Given the current erratic market conditions for Indian groceriesand spices, Geetha says that ongoing innovation is critical whenstarting up, and dealing with rare vegetables like plantains andchanging commodity prices, more so without compromising productquality.
“As much as setbacks are expected in any business, Grab‘em Snacks’ setbacks include volatile conditions in rawmaterial prices, and raising sufficient capital to grow thebusiness,” she admits.
However, when questioned about the highs of her entrepreneurialstint so far, she says, “Well, thanks to some of my firstcircle customers and their word of mouth advertising, I havereceived many compliments about my chips, and then with very goodSEO through the website, I have been successful in luring manyupscale grocery stores, caterers and individuals to taste myproducts and remain loyal.” Wide recognition
While that sounds like a wonderful array of accolades, Geetha haswon some awards too; she was declared winner in the Fiery FoodsChallenge, and had a close call with another win by being chosen asa finalist in the Gallo Wine Gold Medal Awards.
Success, as they say, comes in many colours, and in this case,flavours. Geetha’s chips are available in six zesty flavours,sea salt, black pepper, red chilli, chilli garlic, cajun spice andjalapeno. And she plans to replace all these ingredients withorganic ones in the near future. She also intends to selectivelyexpand into other healthy gourmet snack options. “We do havemany ideas on the drawing board,” she adds.
I am tempted to find out the secret behind the name she has chosenfor her range of snacks. “Well,” she says,“it’s simple, really. We wanted a very catchy andattractive brand name for our current and future products. And‘Grab ‘em’ just fit the bill to a T.”
Geetha’s love for the good life and her epicurean instinctshave come together in perfect sync, and not only are her chips easyon the eyes, and the gut, they also make great holiday gifts, andas she puts her witty spin on it, “go well with alcoholic andnon-alcoholic beverages too.”
Armed with a kitchen knife, a blend of spices, a bunch or two ofplantains, and fond memories filled with appetizing aromas from hermother’s kitchen, Geetha Jayaraman, an Indian who was raisedin Malaysia before she came to the U.S. many years ago, has notonly succeeded in bringing the mouth-watering flavour of hermother’s fried plantains to the walls of her Indian-Americanhome, but to those of several others across the country. Filling a gap
Geetha is the proud owner of “Grab ‘em Snacks”, agourmet snack company that her husband is also a part of, and sellselegantly packaged, easy on trans-fat, plantain chips in sixflavours. Geetha personally chooses the plantains, and hand-picksthe spices that she uses to season her chips with. She says that itis her nostalgia, her passion for gourmet cooking and entertaining,and simply the dire lack of quality snacks in the U.S. that led tothe setting up of “Grab ‘em.”
“I would often make these plantain chips at home, and myfriends started demanding that these chips be made widelyavailable. Having worked in Corporate America in the food industry(Kraft Foods), with the encouragement I received from friends, andthe urge to be the first to market a delicious and healthyalternative in the salty snack industry, I decided to take mypassion a step further and started my venture,” she avers.
Geetha is an avid gardener, and also paints “Rangoli”designs on tile, wood, glass etc. “I have leveraged my lovefor painting in a very unique way of packaging for my chips,”she adds.
When asked if her target segment includes overseas customers,Geetha says that exporting overseas could get a tad tricky andcomplicated even, especially with food products. “We have,however, shipped to soldiers in Iraq who have ordered through ourwebsite (APO addresses only),” she adds quickly, andcontinues, “Gourmet and specialty stores and caterers, aswell as people with dietary restrictions like gluten allergy,kosher and also vegans are our main targets.”
Given the current erratic market conditions for Indian groceriesand spices, Geetha says that ongoing innovation is critical whenstarting up, and dealing with rare vegetables like plantains andchanging commodity prices, more so without compromising productquality.
“As much as setbacks are expected in any business, Grab‘em Snacks’ setbacks include volatile conditions in rawmaterial prices, and raising sufficient capital to grow thebusiness,” she admits.
However, when questioned about the highs of her entrepreneurialstint so far, she says, “Well, thanks to some of my firstcircle customers and their word of mouth advertising, I havereceived many compliments about my chips, and then with very goodSEO through the website, I have been successful in luring manyupscale grocery stores, caterers and individuals to taste myproducts and remain loyal.” Wide recognition
While that sounds like a wonderful array of accolades, Geetha haswon some awards too; she was declared winner in the Fiery FoodsChallenge, and had a close call with another win by being chosen asa finalist in the Gallo Wine Gold Medal Awards.
Success, as they say, comes in many colours, and in this case,flavours. Geetha’s chips are available in six zesty flavours,sea salt, black pepper, red chilli, chilli garlic, cajun spice andjalapeno. And she plans to replace all these ingredients withorganic ones in the near future. She also intends to selectivelyexpand into other healthy gourmet snack options. “We do havemany ideas on the drawing board,” she adds.
I am tempted to find out the secret behind the name she has chosenfor her range of snacks. “Well,” she says,“it’s simple, really. We wanted a very catchy andattractive brand name for our current and future products. And‘Grab ‘em’ just fit the bill to a T.”
Geetha’s love for the good life and her epicurean instinctshave come together in perfect sync, and not only are her chips easyon the eyes, and the gut, they also make great holiday gifts, andas she puts her witty spin on it, “go well with alcoholic andnon-alcoholic beverages too.”
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