We are pleased to welcome Geetha Jayaraman, the founder of Spoon and Sprout, to our podcast. Geetha is a former accountant and cost analyst who left her corporate job to pursue a more purposeful career aligned with her values. After dealing with food allergies in her family, Geetha changed her family’s food consumption habits to include more organic options. This change resulted in the elimination of all food allergies.

Geetha’s journey towards starting Spoon and Sprout began with her desire to recreate the plantain chips she enjoyed growing up in Malaysia. She started by making them at home and eventually began selling them. The business grew, and Geetha had to figure out how to scale up production. However, since the market had no equipment to peel and slice plantains, it was manual. Despite the challenges, Geetha’s determination to create healthier food options and her passion for her product helped her overcome these obstacles and build a thriving business.

Discussion Highlights:

● The challenges and rewards of building a business with a focus on healthier food options
● The importance of customer feedback and requests in shaping product offerings
● The decision-making process behind using organic ingredients and sunflower oil in Spoon and Sprout’s products
● The balance between running a vegetarian cafe and producing plantain chips and the challenges of scaling production manually.