This 25-year-old has started three food outlets in Chennai in just 11 months

This story has been curated from an interview by Susanna Myrtle Lazarus, originally published in The Hindu MetroPlus.

25-year-old Nishant Vijaykumar talks about how being a successful food entrepreneur is as simple baking the perfect brownie. The young founder of Brownie Heaven, which in a matter of 11 months, established three outlets across Chennai, has plans to go beyond his flagship product.

At 18, Nishant studied Hotel Management at the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, graduating as a gold medalist. During his stint at the ITC in Chennai, Nishant decided to break away, on his own. “I knew that working in hotels was not my cup of tea. Anyone could replace me in the job I was doing; I wanted to make a difference by creating some value. I didn’t want to look back and ask myself why I didn’t take that risk. Whether I failed or succeeded, at least I took that step,” Nishant told The Hindu.

Within a week of quitting his job Nishant had Brownie Heaven up and running. What started on a by-order basis slowly grew into the outlet on Peters Road, Royapettah. “I didn’t think of the outlet immediately. But we had sold 2,500 kg in three months. In that way, I was lucky. I had my savings, and my father helped with the initial investment. This place also belongs to us, so I was able to use it,” added Nishant.

According to Nishant, “Chennai is still a very conservative market when it comes to food. I really want to do something here; but I know it will take some time. Even though brownies can be considered a premium product to work with, at least it is familiar to the consumers.” Nishant also wants to expand to Delhi and Chandigarh.

While Nishant considers himself an entrepreneur in the food business, he is just as proficient at putting together flavour profiles. Soon, Nishant will launch a macaroon brand. He also has plans for brands around dim sum, samosa, gelato and more.

Nishant said, “I haven’t spent anything on marketing or advertising. It has just been word of mouth. Every time I think of spending, I get stuck with a lot of orders!” As of now, he’s taking his brownies across India by tying up with Blue Dart for 24-hour delivery: order before noon and you will get your brownies the next day in any part of India.

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