Have you ever craved that particular kind of banana chips, kodbale, or nippat that you can find only in a certain outlet? Where the taste of any other brand could not match up to the original? A Bengaluru-based start-up, The State Plate, is sourcing condiments, snacks and sweets, authentic to several states in the country.
Launched in early August by a 21-year-old duo straight out of college, this ecommerce website is sourcing homemade snacks, sweets and condiments, made exclusively by women, who are selling their wares from home kitchens. The website also sells various kinds of pickles native to respective states and also masalas that are hard to come by in urban supermarkets.
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“I finished college in Shri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi and was back home during the lockdown. At home, we eat a particular type of Rajasthani papad. There are only three or four kirana stores in the city which sell them and we had to get it delivered via Dunzo from a shop about 20 km away from my house,” says Muskaan Sancheti, founder of The State Plate.
Muskaan contacted her best friend from college, Raghav Jhawar, and thus began The State Plate. The duo began researching the market for authentic, homemade condiments, snacks and also ingredients that are hyper-local and not easily accessible in big box stores. Muskaan found that the market for such wares was highly unorganised and decided to start a website that could bring vendors selling homemade products in one single place.
Currently, the website is offering snacks, condiments, sweets and even local ingredients from Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. “We hope to bring in flavours from Tamil Nadu, Andhra, and as we proceed expand across the country. Our vision is to make The State Plate a one-stop website for authentic snacks that are currently available only in specific states so everyone can taste and experience various cuisines,” she adds.
Muskaan and Raghav watched videos online and designed a website by themselves. For over two months before the launch, the duo were in the process of bringing in as many vendors of homemade products as they could. They have tied up with Utkrsta from Bengaluru, an organisation that helps women aged above 60 years, in selling their homemade snacks, masalas and condiments.
The State Plate has also tied up with Chaakri, a self-help group of over 80-100 women in Maharashtra, who make myriad khakras. “We have been in the process of reaching out to homemade vendors across Bengaluru for now. We keep getting at least 10 requests every day. The city is filled with women who are trying to run businesses at home and by the end of the month, we are hoping to rope in 100 independent women vendors,” Muskaan adds.
However, Muskaan says that the company also welcomes popular local brands in addition to homemade goods. “As long as the taste is authentic, we are very open to having popular brands as well as home entrepreneurs on board. In fact, some of the popular brands we source from different states are often nostalgic to people who belong to those states. For instance, it's very hard for people to get their hands on specific brands not available in Bengaluru but that are native to said states,” she adds.
As a woman entrepreneur, Muskaan maintains that she wanted her venture to help other women, who are trying to run businesses of their own. “We do have certain brands that are popular in certain states. These are local brands which only people native to a particular state would know. I just wanted my venture to help as many women entrepreneurs as possible. Most of our vendors are women,” Muskaan says.