Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ketan Vakil, Founder of Gourmend Foods, located in New York, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We’re a sustainability-sourced line of deliciously digestible cooking essentials that replace symptom-causing ingredients like onion and garlic with flavorful, unique, clean, gentle alternatives. Our low FODMAP certified products are for people with IBS or food sensitivities or who simply want to enjoy products made from the highest quality, filler-free ingredients.
Tell us about yourself
Since I was a teenager, I’ve suffered from mysterious stomach problems. It took me over 20 years of numerous doctor visits, invasive tests, and rounds of antibiotics that turned out to be completely unnecessary to finally discover – by pushing for my own experimental tests at a leading hospital – that food was at the heart of my symptoms. I made these products for people like me, and every day I see how they help people lead more enjoyable lives – that motivates me to keep going!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Beyond actually launching these products, which took over a year to identify the right manufacturing partners, we recently became a certified B Corp, showing our commitment to high standards of social and environmental impact. One of the reasons Gourmend was able to become a certified B Corp is our dedication to ethical and sustainable farming practices, using organic – or “beyond organic” – ingredients in all our gut-friendly, low FODMAP certified products. Furthermore, we hold all of our suppliers to an organizational, social, and environmental code of conduct to ensure we’re minimizing negative environmental impact. And we offset 100% of our carbon emissions each year.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Wearing multiple hats that change throughout the day – from customer service to logistics to product R&D to marketing, one must become semi-expert at many things.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find something you are passionate about that also solves a real-world problem – solving a true pain point makes it easier to find our initial customers.
- Pull in both specialists and generalists to help in targeted ways vs. staffing up before true needs are known.
- Talk to and survey your customers on a regular basis. On at least a daily basis, I make it a point to speak to a customer via phone or email to get a better sense of where they are coming from and whether we are or are not helping to the best of our ability.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.gourmendfoods.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GourmendFoods/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gourmendfoods/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gourmend/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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