This Woman Quit Her High-Paying Job In Singapore To Start A Millet Food Brand

A woman who spent nearly 15 years in the luxury retail industry quit her job in Singapore and returned to India to start a millet-based food business. Krishnaa Kantthawala now sells millet noodles, pasta, cookies and khakhra. She launched Smart Eleven in Pune in 2021 and now exports its products to various countries, including Norway, Nepal, Angola, Congo and the US. 

Around 60 per cent of its sales come from these overseas markets. Smart Eleven reported a monthly revenue of around Rs 12 lakh in late 2023, according to Startup Decoding.

Krishnaa said that the idea came when she was living in Singapore. She noticed that buckwheat and amaranth, known as kuttu and rajgira in India, were easily available there and used in everyday meals. Whereas in India, they are mostly used during fasting.

“I observed that the nutritious foods my granny ate were available in easy-to-prepare forms in Singapore, saving time and helping one stay healthy naturally. Foods like millet, which we ignore in our daily life, are considered health foods abroad,” she told 30 Stades.

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Before starting Smart Eleven, Krishnaa worked as a global brand manager for a luxury retail company in Singapore. She later spent two years with IIA Technologies, handling the lab-grown diamond business in Japan, the Middle East and the US.

She returned to India towards the end of 2018 because she wanted to work in the healthy food sector. “I knew I wanted to do something around healthy foods,” she said.

In 2019, she contacted the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) in Hyderabad and enrolled in a training programme. She also visited millet-growing villages in Maharashtra to understand the challenges faced by farmers. 

“I realised the importance of bringing back millets to our kitchens because they are also connected with the livelihoods of many people, especially in rural areas,” she said.

Smart Eleven was later incubated at IIMR and received a grant of Rs 25 lakh, with the first instalment released at the time of the report.

Krishnaa launched the brand in Pune in May 2021 with five varieties of millet noodles. Since setting up a manufacturing unit required a large investment, she partnered with a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. 

She also invested around Rs 14 lakh in a warehouse and packaging unit in Undri, Pune.

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The brand uses jowar, ragi, bajra and foxtail millet to make its products. Its range includes noodles, pasta, sugar-free cookies and khakhra. 

A 175-gram pack of millet noodles was priced at Rs 96, while a 100-gram pack of cookies cost Rs 69, according to the October 2023 report.

Three months after its launch, she received the first export order from Norway. Later, she started receiving orders from Norway, Angola, Congo and the US.

“We are concentrating on exports and online sales,” Krishnaa said.

Around 60 per cent of the brand’s sales came from exports, while the remaining 40 per cent came from the Indian market. Its products were also available on Amazon and BigBasket, with an offline distribution network in Bengaluru.

Smart Eleven offers khakhra in 18 flavours, while its noodles and pasta come in five flavours each. Its sugar-free cookies are available in four varieties.

“It takes time to change food habits. The speed of adoption is slow,” she said.