A simple food experiment during college became the starting point of an entrepreneurial journey for Parth Vardhan Saxena, a young entrepreneur from Uttarakhand. Through his venture, TruPahadi, he is working to bring traditional Himalayan food ingredients to modern consumers while creating opportunities for local communities.
An Idea Rooted in Childhood Memories
Growing up in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, Parth was familiar with traditional, home-cooked food, including snacks made from millets. His interest in food and nutrition also grew through his sporting journey as a state-level badminton champion in 2018. During his training years, his family prepared millet-based snacks, giving him an early connection to these ingredients.
Later, while studying in college and spending time in the Delhi-NCR region, Parth began thinking about how traditional ingredients could be turned into products suited to changing consumer preferences. With processed foods becoming increasingly common, he saw an opportunity to explore familiar flavours through a different approach to food preparation.
The turning point came during a college competition. Parth and his friends prepared millet laddus overnight and the encouraging response inspired him to take the idea beyond a one-time experiment.
Building TruPahadi
In 2024, Parth established TruPahadi to develop millet-based food products for today’s market. The venture focuses on snacks made without refined sugar, using alternatives such as monk fruit in some products.
Instead of limiting the business to individual consumers from the beginning, TruPahadi entered the market through B2B corporate gifting. This gave the young venture an initial route to customers before it began expanding towards a combined B2B and B2C business model.
The brand’s approach reflects a wider opportunity for food entrepreneurs: traditional ingredients can inspire new products when they are presented in ways that suit modern lifestyles and consumer needs.
Connecting Business with Local Communities
TruPahadi’s ambitions extend beyond developing and selling food products. The venture aims to strengthen its connection with farmers and women’s communities in Uttarakhand through local sourcing and production-related livelihood opportunities.
This approach brings together regional food traditions, business development and community participation. By building relationships around locally sourced ingredients, the brand hopes to create value for the people and places connected to its products.
