Nisarga – A young engineer’s Millet Kitchen journey

Like many of Indore’s youths, this young boy is pursuing a B.E. from I.E.T, D.A.V.V., but unlike his peer group, he juggles his time and energy between his studies and his venture. His resolve and passion to serve healthy and nutritious food to the citizens of Indore are what make him stand apart. Meet Nishant Harsude, Founder of Nisarga, Indore’s first Millet Kitchen.

Nishant has started Indore’s first cloud kitchen which serves millet-based snacks like pizza, pasta, noodles and regular meals!

He gives fast food lovers, healthy and guilt-free options. He serves his customers Organic, Natural and Healthy food through his cloud kitchen – Nisarga.

His menu includes lip-smacking dishes like farm house pizza, schezwan noodles, and margherita pizza. It also features manchurian idli and some healthy drinks. These are cleverly put under headings such as ‘Millet cravings’, ‘Millet taste bombs’, and ‘Millet Snacks’.

The idea of Nisarga – From ‘dis’ eased to ‘at’ ease

Nishant says that he visited the Isha Ashram at Coimbatore about two years ago for a short stay.

During this visit, he tasted millet for the first time.

When he had the ‘sattvic’ food prepared with ‘millets’, he felt that his body needed this diet.He felt energetic during that short stay where exclusively millet meals were served with love and care. His body felt totally ‘at’ ease instead of ‘dis’ eased.

A follower of Sadhguru, he took his Guru’s words to heart – “Annadanam – Be a Mother to the World”

The idea of ‘Nisarga’ – Indore’s First Millet Kitchen, was thus born.

Pranic Meals – The Life-Giving Force

Nishant says that ‘food’ is the life-giving force – so essential to everyone. If the food is right, then a person feels energetic and lively.If it is wrong, a person feels lethargic and unproductive.

The purpose of his venture is to serve Pranic Meals. These meals give instant energy and make ‘prana’ ( the life-source in our bodies ) more vibrant.

The meals are free of Maida, Onions, and Garlic.

He caters to people who want to eat healthy once in a while and also to those who want a whole meal plan.

While it sounds easy for any other restaurant, it is challenging for a millet-based restaurant. This is due to the low shelf life of the freshly procured produce.

Would you like to read why a millet-based diet is recommended by nutritionists, food scientists and health experts? Then read – Millet – The Superfood of the Millennium

How is Nisarga different from other cloud kitchens?

The ingredients, the method of cooking, and the packaging are the POD ( point of difference ) of Nisarga.

• The meal is prepared everyday – As millet get spoiled very soon, they cannot be refrigerated. Hence fresh meals are prepared everyday.
• The fruits and vegetables are sourced from farmers or suppliers who give organic produce.
• Cold-pressed oils are used for cooking.
• The food is packed in eco-friendly boxes.
• Sattvic meals – Onions and garlic are not used to prepare regular meals.
• The pizza base and the pasta noodles are made of millet flour. The pizza sauce is also made ‘in-house’.

He tries his every bit to bring ‘nature’ to his customers’ ‘platter’.

Roadblocks and Endorsements

Initially, Nishant faced many roadblocks in his journey as an entrepreneur.

He had to learn to make millet-based meals. For this, he joined, Meghna Shukla Academy where he learned the basics of prepare Millet dishes in bulk quantity. He also had to put in place the logistics to set up his cloud millet kitchen. Besides he had to juggle his time between attending college and studies and starting his cloud kitchen.

Setting up a team, contacting customers, putting in time, money and energy – it seemed an endless journey of giving and giving without receiving.

His patience and perseverance paid and finally after two years, he started earning revenue. Today his customer base has grown from 10 to 500 plainly through word of mouth publicity.

His customers now rely on him and trust him to serve the meal best suited to their needs.

One of his customers is a cancer patient. She says that she feels good with Nisarga’s regular meals. She also doesn’t have to worry about falling sick due to indigestion. Now his customers encourage people in their contacts to try the Pranic Meals. All of this joined with Nishant’s can-do attitude has led his business to grow.

Based on his customer’s feedback, he keeps introducing new and yummy stuff! Whether it is a Delicious Manchurian Idli or a Crunchy Chaat, everyone can find something of their taste on the Menu.

Future Plans – Building a Chain of Millet Kitchens

Nishant is sure of one thing. He will not sit for placements after taking his B.E. final exams. He plans to devote his energies to his passion – serving healthy and nutritious food with love and care.

He has plans to venture into corporate food servicing and start a ‘dine-in’ restaurant soon. Like every entrepreneur, he dreams of building a chain of cloud millet kitchens in major cities of India.

He has plans to scale up his business. However, he is wary of inviting venture-funds. He doesn’t want to give in to any pressures and compromise on food quality. He says that he would prefer bootstrapping than going for venture-based funding.

CALL TO ACTION

Choose healthy food, choose Millet. Visit the below links for more information on Millet meals. You can also explore customised meals and healthy snacks.

Watch Nishant Harsude with Umi Saran on Revolutionizing Food with Millets: A Young Engineer’s Cloud Kitchen Journey.

Please follow and support Nishant’s journey to bring Millets in the Restaurant Industry through his Instagram page.

You can also get daily updates on menu and new delicacies through his WhatsApp group.

What are Millets?

Read more about them along with a delicious millet recipe – 7 reasons why you should say yes to Millet.