The story of health snacks and health ideas retold!
Whatever said and done, there is really nothing more important than your health and well being. Without good health, all else will be impossible.
This is probably what urged Lisa Saldanha, of Malia Bar snack brand, to concentrate on the idea of general health and introduce a range of healthy snacks and bars for people across the globe. But why enter a field that in turn provides benefits to everyone around? Know it all, by reading the story of Lisa Saldanha, a mom and an entrepreneur, as she talks to Paroma Sen.
What does it take to start a healthy snacks business venture?
I think the starting point is to passionately believe you’re offering something of genuine value. This happens when you have a thorough understanding of the need, and there’s a huge void in the market.
Tall claims are made about Nutrition Bars being ‘100% Natural’, and when you read their ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, soy lecithin etc, then you know an opportunity beckons. Today, there are many consumers who would prefer to snack healthy, if only they were made aware of its importance. That’s the opportunity, especially when you have something to offer that’s a proven and internationally acclaimed benchmark product.
I am fortunate that several factors have come together very well for us. One, I have the conviction that ‘We are what we eat’, which stems from a personal transformational experience. Two, I’ve had the opportunity to study nutrition quite intensively, on my own terms.
Three, I have exposure to cutting edge, niche food products, thanks to my husband Ajit’s business consulting work for several years in the North American Natural and Organic Foods Industry.
And fourthly, I have an excellent resource base of nutritionists, product developers, and brand developers and successful mom and pop entrepreneurs in North America, all my husband’s colleagues and associates, who, incidentally, are as enthusiastic about this venture in India as I am.
