Sanjeeta KK - Founder of OGMO Foods & Farms - India's 1st Overnight Millet & Oats mixes from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Q1. How did your career journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this Business/ Entrepreneurship? Thanks to my doctor father, good f...

Q1. How did your career journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this Business/ Entrepreneurship?

Thanks to my doctor father, good food and healthy eating always fascinated me since childhood.

It all started with an online blog called Lite Bite many years ago. It was my creative outlet to share what inspired me. From food stories, healthy recipes, to sharing cultures & traditions of our country. In coming years that tiny blog completely changed my world. It opened the doors for many new career opportunities. 

Food styling is one among them. I have successfully completed close to 100 Advertising shoot, television commercials and various photo shoots for restaurants, magazines and cook books.

I achieved more than what I could have ever imagined through my food-centric work-life.

OGMO came into existence a year ago with a desire to give back to society and to create values in the life of others.

It’s our way to express gratitude to this beautiful earth and its people!

Q2. Kindly share some information about your Business, products and services here.

OGMO which literally translates to Organic Move is founded on the principles of creating positive impact on our community. 

The two agri-based businesses we focus are:

OGMO Foods - Creating innovative products that benefits society (healthy living & clean eating)

OGMO Farm - Supporting a social cause that we believe in (food sustainability & women empowerment).

We use Minor Millet in our products which we procure from the farmers near our factory. Minor millet are drought resistant crops and use almost 60-80% less water to cultivate than paddy or wheat crops. 

OGMO is also a conscious effort to support our local farmers and to bring these traditional Indian grains back on our tables. 

We are also a part of small farmer community in a village where OGMO farm is located. We are fortunate to have been able to create a few job opportunities for the rural women at our factory and farm.

Q3. What kind of challenges did you face while starting/doing business?

Challenges are everywhere in life, and start-up is no exception. Fortunately we have a very strong family support system and a highly informative network of friends from all walks of life, who helped us on many aspects our venture.

Some of the challenges we faced during initial phase were to find a proper packaging machine and to locate reliable supply-chain source.

Q4. Do share with our readers about your discovery period when you were facing difficulties in your business?

The biggest advantage we found was using local produce (minor millets) for our products, which we source from the farmers near our factory. 

It considerably reduced the cost of sourcing and dependency on transportation for procuring raw materials.

Q5. Share with our readers about your experiment period after the discovery period?

OGMO is more than just a business project. It is the desire to share our passion for healthy eating and sustainable living with others.

Having a set of core values & purpose to create the brand, helped us stay focused from the word go.

My husband and other in-house experts who have more than 30 years of Industry experience help us in streamlining various business aspects, such as fund management, cash flows, hiring employees, compliance, marketing

strategies and resource management.

Q6. What are your future plans? Or now what is your vision for next five years?

The food industry is evolving and we are excited to drive innovation and growth in it.

Going forward, we are planning to introduce few more new ranges of healthy products (which are in pipeline) and also focus on natural farming.

We feel humbled that we are not only able to live our dreams but are able to give back to society that fits our ideals and lifestyle.

Q7. How would you advice/suggest new entrepreneurs who want to start & sustain in business?

Having an idea is just 1% of any start up, converting the idea into reality is the remaining 99%. 

Always dream big and start small. It helped me. and I succeeded in most of my ventures.

Starting small helps you break down your goals into smaller steps wherein you can maintain focus and get more time to breathe and celebrate your success with every move forward.

Being passionate about your product is one of the most crucial steps throughout your journey.

Work towards building trust of customers and never compromise on quality, even if you plan to scale up your project.

There is no magic wand that can solve the challenges. Have a mind-set ready to face any challenge.

And always remember, you are not the first to struggle.

Stay focussed on your passion or dream, start small, move ahead and scale up only when you are ready.

Q8. LinkedIn profile URL link

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeeta-kk/

Q9. Facebook profile URL link

https://www.facebook.com/ogmofoods

Q10. Twitter profile URL link

https://twitter.com/ogmo_foods

Q11. Instagram URL Link

https://www.instagram.com/ogmofoods/

Q12. Personal blog URL link

http://litebite.in/

Q13. Company website & Company blog URL link

http://www.ogmofoods.com/


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Interviewed by: Khushboo Chotaliya - Lifestyles Influencer from Mumbai, India. 

Khushboo is a student of Digital Influencer's Academy for Yogesh MA.

Kindly follow Khushboo here instagram.com/khushboobchotaliya

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