It was cricketer Robin Uthappa’s weight loss innings that saw the birth of Tapan Das’s entrepreneurial venture. The strict diet regimen that saw the cricketer shed 20 kilos in six months inspired Das, who was a partner with a nutrition consulting firm, to come up with the idea of supplying a balanced meal at the doorstep.
“When I suggested the thought of starting a firm that supplies a nutritious meal based on the calorie requirement of an individual as a business model, Robin was impressed that he offered to fund my venture,” said the CEO and co-founder of itiffin.in, who actually started off as a finance professional.
Bengaluru-based itiffin.in, set up in September 2013, supplies balanced and nutritious meal including rice, chapatti, dal, subzi, salad and sweet for lunch, dinner and even midnight snack to help people undergoing weight loss regime, diabetics, diet conscious folks or even to kids whose parents want them to eat healthy food.
The meal is a mix of north Indian, south Indian and continental food, with both veg and non-veg options, that can be ordered only through their website on a monthly basis for anywhere between Rs 1750 and Rs 3000 a month based on the nutritional needs.
“We have a panel of 15 nutritionists on board and have a tie-up with University of Mysore to help us chart out a healthy menu for a balanced diet,” said 39-year-old Das, hailing from a family of teachers in Orissa.
“I was the only commerce student in a house full of science grads but I managed to find my way through in the corporate world as a finance professional, finally giving wings to my entrepreneurial dream,” said the chartered accountant who has worked in over half-a-dozen firm as a finance guy before he floated itiffin. The firm, which supplies meals to over 2000 meals a day to both individuals and corporates, now services on-ly Bengaluru customers. “We have a huge kitchen at Whitefield and have about 60 people on board to service our customers,” he said.
The Aamir-Khan fan, who is passionate about chess and trekking, claims that his kids —10 and 6-year-olds, love itiffin and that they get excited when they see the box! “We are exploring options to take this venture to a pan-India level and replicate it on a franchise model to make it available for all,” CEO said who is scouting for $5 million funding.
