Unrushed Conversation - Beyond Norms x Amritatva

Read the journey of Preeti, Founder of Amritatva!

"I have always been a very curious person, someone who wants to try out everything that’s possible! As every normal individual - after graduation, I was also doing a job - but after some time as I was expecting my first child - I quit my job, but as I mentioned earlier I have been a very curious person and always lookout to learn something new - thus, I learned baking and started selling customized healthy cakes ten years back, when no one in Jaipur was making the one. But as my son turned two and a half years old - he was detected with “gluten intolerance.”

I tried to find gluten-free products in the market, but somehow it was a difficult task to find complete gluten-free products. During that time, I also stopped my baking business - as it made me feel sad that my son can’t eat the cakes that he loves the most!?

I started researching various nutritional foods because it was very necessary for him to have more nutrients and he doesn’t even like to have milk, eggs, or non-veg food! While everything was happening on one end of our lives - during the same time my husband started his restaurant in Bikaner thus I was also supporting him in that and that’s where one day - I saw mushrooms in one carton and had a discussion with someone about how nutritional and power pack they are! That was my eureka moment. After studying a lot about mushrooms, I also went to Solan, Himachal to learn about it in a detailed manner - thus, that’s where Amritatva was born.?

After learning about how to cultivate mushrooms, me and my husband - decided to organically grow “oyster mushrooms” because it has a short growing cycle, have lots of nutritional value & don't need an expensive setup. With all my savings - we made a small hut with all the required types of equipment and started growing oyster mushrooms. But during a pandemic, one lantern fell on our hut which set the hut on fire. That day, I cried a lot but also understood that it was okay we will manage this! After that, we again established the entire setup and started growing mushrooms again.

During the initial phase, I gave these mushrooms to my neighbours but there also we faced challenges - they used to tell me that it looks like non-veg food and what do we make from these mushrooms? After that, someone told me to go to the organic market - but again we faced the same issue! Then, we came up with the packaging where we pasted a green mark on the corner of it and it worked! Our mushrooms got sold in just 20 minutes of placing them! But still, we faced the challenge of “what to make out of it?” and that’s where we decided to come up with the different products!?

After digging deeper, we came up with mushroom powder which can be used in any recipe but here it goes again, we received complaints that it smells bad! Then, again researching further we came up with various types of masala & cookies made out of mushrooms. Still, we’re in the research and development phase - where we’re trying to figure out what more food items we can make out of it.?

Being an entrepreneur is a very beautiful feeling that you can feel every day. Obviously, there were a lot of challenges and I still face the ignorance of a society that says; “kya hi kar sakti ho yeh sab karke tum.”

We all have been conditioned in a way to follow a certain path, which somewhere becomes a barrier to our growth. Jo chizein mein sikhti hoon, wo mein apno bacho ko sikha paungi. Unhe duniya ko dekhne ka alag tarika bata paungi! So, that they don’t get trapped in society’s processes.?

Entrepreneurship made me realize that there’s so much potential and energy within you, if you can channel it in the right direction you can create wonders. Every startup needs funding, but what you will learn and how you will grow while pursuing entrepreneurship - is incomparable and undefinable. Ab haar se dar nahi lagta, kyunki pata hai kuch na kuch toh zarur kar lungi mein."

Entrepreneurship made me believe that I belong somewhere!?