You’ve heard of stories here on the Ridesharing Forum site, of former delivery drivers being able to start their own business, so you realize that’s how viable the income is when you work for food delivery apps or ridesharing apps. Here’s another one.
Ashish Bajaj – except that he’s a former executive in Ola India, so he’s working inside the office, and not outdoors – has announced his new business, a fresh staples brand named 10on10 Foods.
This Bengaluru-based startup is aimed at revitalizing the atta market of India. Atta is a finely-ground whole wheat flour staple native in the India sub-continent. It is used to craft soft, pliable flatbreads, such as roti, chapati, and paratha.
It aims at resharing India’s atta market through a focus in freshness, traditional processing, and quicker delivery. In fact, this startup has raised over $210,000 in pre-seed funding from angel investors.
Bajaj formed this brand alongside his former colleagues in Ola India, Avinash Jain and Mohsin Ali.
“We’re not entering the staples category. We’re rebuilding it. Traditional stone grinding preserves the complete nutritional profile of the grain – including the bran, germ and natural enzymes that are often lost in industrial milling. Fresh whole wheat atta with intact bran and germ can retain up to 45 percent more nutrients compared to the pre-packed flours widely available in the market,” co-founder Jain told Ridesharing Forum.
10on10 Foods also seeks to rebuild the staples ecosystem in India through freshness, speed, and, the all-important nutritional transparency, addressing issues around the shelf life and processing of packaged flour products. Incredible.
“India doesn’t have a staples problem,” Bajaj stated. “It has a freshness problem. For decades, the industry optimized for scale and shelf life. Somewhere along the way, we normalized eating food that’s months old. In a country where staples are part of every single meal, compromising on freshness comes at a nutritional cost. At 10on10, freshness isn’t incidental – it’s engineered into every step of the supply chain.”
Also, there’s more to 10on10 Foods than simply helping the Indian economy, since Bajaj took inspiration from his son who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, to create a brand that uses genuinely fresh and minimally-processed atta in Bengaluru.
His search revealed that several packaged flours are milled several months in advance, which can lead to oxidation and loss of natural oils, flavours, and nutritional value.
Atta is known to promote digestive health, help in weight management by increasing satiety, and promote the regulation of blood sugar levels due to its low glycemic index.
10on10 Foods also consulted with roadside vendors from whom they learned that they often delivery stronger taste recall than established brands, concluding that freshness and immediate consumption – not long storage cycles primarily – play the critical role in food quality.
Guided by the mission “Healthy You, Better All,” 10on10 Foods carries the goal to transform how Indian households consume staple foods. It also has this “Processed Traditionally, Delivered Instantly” operating philosophy that combines stone milling with a technology-enabled supply chain to guarantee grains retain their taste, texture, and nutritional value for the consumers.
Headquartered in India, Ola India is a ridesharing app that connects passengers with drivers. The app offers taxis, auto-rickshaws, bike taxis, and food delivery across many cities. Happy weekend!