NGO

Bringing Forth Affordable Nutrition with Healthy Snacking

Nutrition brand Troo Good’s founder , RAJU BHUPATI, converses with DIVYA VALLABHANENI on how millet-based snacks are changing the way we approach healthy eating.

Snacking is undoubtedly our favourite part of eating food, but do we always eat a healthy snack? The answer is a resounding no. For most, the snacks we consume are undeniably tasty but are far away from hitting the mark for health and nutrition.

Proving this point otherwise is the start-up Troo Good, where the idea is to intentionally provide affordable healthy and nutritious snacks for the price conscious Indian consumers. Converting this dream into reality required heavy research to discover cheaper but highly nutritious ingredients. Millets, it was found, ticks all the checkboxes—nutrition, taste, and affordability.

Founder of Troo Good, Raju Bhupati comes with rich global IT experience and an astute knowledge of business, along with a deep understanding of Indian consumers who aptly fit the bill for a start-up. He quit his job in the year 2013 and subsequently, launched his first cloud kitchen model, Hello Curry, in the year 2014. The state of the market back then, however, compelled him to sell his venture. Undeterred, he took the bold call to start Troo Good in 2018, with the idea of providing affordable nutrition to the masses. Affordable nutrition has always been the aim—Troo Good began to work with government school children to fulfil their nutritional needs through innovative and affordable product offerings.

Troo Good’s products are made of healthy and nutritious ingredients, of which millets are the primary. Chikkis, bars, cookies, snacks, and atta are the main products, which are available across 3 states, spread over 10,000+ retail stores at present, with 16.5 million beneficiaries on the social front, which includes school children, pregnant women, and adolescent girls. One can also avail of their products through Amazon.

Founder Raju Bhupati took the bold call to start Troo Good in 2018, with the idea of providing affordable nutrition to the masses.

Troo Good originally started as ‘M for Millet’, with the idea of providing nutrition at a better cost and taste. “Expensive brands that offer nutritious foods are often far-reaching and imagine cost-effectively giving the same nutrition. It is too good to believe and that’s why I have started Troo Good to give life to such expectations,” he states proudly.

“Ours is a unique product since it is millet-based. Our chikki, which is made of millets and is sold at Rs 6 per piece, gives a tough new competition to all the pre-existing groundnut chikkis manufactured,” explains Raju. He adds, “Within 24 to 36 months, we have reached 10,000+ schools with our products that are high in fibre and provide nutrition in the form of a snack, making them affordable, tasty, and also healthy.”

Several thousand schools under the Andhra Pradesh government are providing the millet chikkis to their school children as a part of the mid-morning snack. Millets are rich in protein and fibre, besides their high mineral content, thus proving to be the best source of nutrition for growing children.

“A significant part of our products goes to the government schools in rural areas.”

“We are targeting to reach 100 million kids across India through the millet chikki as it is a highly nutritious and economical product that gives abundant protein and minerals,” comments Raju. He emphasises, “A significant part of our products goes to the government schools in rural areas, where students could consume our nutritious products to maintain a fit body and healthy brain.”

Besides providing nutrition and health, the fun part about these chikkis is the brain teasers cleverly ensconced in the packaging. Children can enjoy the snack while solving the puzzles, engaging their minds in a healthy activity. Although their cookies, bars, and atta are popular products, the chikkis have caught everyone’s eye.

Millets benefit our body, mind, and overall health. They aid in better digestion and improve heart health. The nutrients in these are good for one’s brain and Troo Good aims at providing all these benefits in a form of ‘healthy snacking’ which is tasty and affordable. Around 1.5 to 2 crore such millet chikkis are sold every month, of which 1.5 lakh chikkis are exclusively brought by pregnant women. Millets serve as an excellent source of iron and help in increasing the haemoglobin levels during pregnancy, thereby making these millet chikkis a sought-after source of healthy food for pregnant women.

Super Food for Expectant Mothers: Millets serve as an excellent source of iron and help in increasing the haemoglobin levels during pregnancy.

In terms of goals for the future, Troo Good, under the tutelage of Raju Bhupati, aims at expanding their products to rural schools across the country, hoping to provide healthier options and encouraging bright smiles and a bright future.

Box:

Shop at: https://store.troogood.com/

Instagram: @troo_good

October 22, 2021

BAR - STAMINA

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Rural Healthcare Solutions

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