“Paan, the real Shaan”, is an inseparable part of the Indian culture and is known to be a part of the Indian culture, Chewing of Betel Leaf post a meal is a 5000-year-old custom and an emblem of hospitality that has faded from popularity owing to Westernization.
Despite being adored by most people, it no longer commands respect owing to a lack of standard product, sale in unhygienic environment, and a male dominated purchase, inconsistent products and bad packaging.
The Betel Leaf Co is India’s first online paan delivery company, redefining the age-old Indian dessert – PAAN – by catching technology with tradition while maintaining the original flavour of a paan.
“Every time you eat a paan from a different place, it tastes different; sometimes it’s too sweet, sometimes it’s too dry, sometimes it’s too bitter, and sometimes it’s too strong; but we do it differently; we make all of our paans with a tried and curated recipe for each variant to ensure that it tastes the same every time you eat it, and now at the convenience of your own home.”
“People hesitated to eat paan because of the hygiene standards of where it’s being sold ,the making procedure and the uncertainty of the ingredients and fear of having intoxicating ingredients as well .”
The Betel Leaf Co’s team uses minimal hand touch in the paan making process and packs each paan in a specially designed prepacked pouch to preserve freshness and avoid product tampering . All their paans are 100% tobacco free, and Suitable for all age groups, The paans are also Prepared in FSSAI certified facilities, FSSAI approved ingredients.
The CEO & FOUNDER
Mr. Prem Raheja is an Indian businessman. He completed his MBA in International Business & Finance in 1999 , with extensive experience in manufacturing, retail, import/export, branding, and distribution. He started the Mixer Grinder Factory in Bangalore in 2000 and served Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka. In 2004, the company was sold . Moved to Dubai from 2004 to 2006, where he set up an operation to export imported food goods for the Indian market. In 2006, the company began importing Tiffany’s from Dubai, as well as chocolates, pasta, olives, and a variety of other foods from the United States, Spain, Iran, and Turkey.
In Colombo, Sri Lanka, he established South east Asia only 30,000-square-foot automated nacho chip and ready-to-eat gourmet popcorn line in 2011. Set up within 18 months of inception and even before commercial production we got a strategic exit from a large corporate . In 2017, I sold my manufacturing facility in Coorg, which produced USA style salsa sauce, cheese sauce, and caramel popcorn premix for the cinema, horeca, and retail industries.
In July 2019, The Betel Leaf Co. was founded.
- Ms. Payal Raheja Co-Founder: “The Betel Leaf Co.” -2019
Payal Raheja has over 20 years of extensive experience in retail, import, branding, and distribution. Rich Essentials (an Import & Distribution Company) was founded in Bangalore in 2006 and is currently distributed across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka (10 years and 5 months across India).
Payal Raheja released various items in India over this ten-year trip, including Tiffany’s Dubai, Garden-Hong Kong, and X korn, Spain, to mention a few. Her knowledge of importing and supply chain management also assisted the company in launching India’s first Nacho chip brand.
The Inception Story
“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take a step”– Naeem Callaway
Every idea is born out of a personal experience, and the desire to create something new. Mr. Raheja founded the Betel Leaf Company after experiencing digestive issues as a result of continuous travel and inconsistent scheduling. He then saw a nutritionist who, after putting him through a battery of tests, advised him to take Paan after every meal to help with inflammation and bloating. He says, “After regularly eating paan from local paan stores, the quest to find the right paan with high-quality ingredients ensures it tastes the same every time you eat it. Starting with hygienic packaging and home delivery, since it was a very male dominated purchase and a woman was never comfortable going upto a paan shop, gave way to the launch of “The Betel Leaf Co.”
Current Product Offerings
- Traditional Meetha (Sweet) Paan :Saada Paan:Healthy Paan :Exotic Paan: Hangover Paans: Naturally Sweetened Paan:
- Betel Bars (Paan-infused chocolate bars)
- Healthy Range of Mouth Freshers
Accomplishments Throughout the Journey
The most memorable paan moment occurred during the festivities when one of The Betel Leaf Co’s first-time clients, now a regular, was apprehensive from ordering to delivery, utterly ignorant of how the paan would be presented. The Paans were supplied in the company’s branded boxes, which converted into a wow out of box experience for the consumer, and voila. The management received a lengthy thank-you email. These pleasant rendering client encounters inspire the team to go further every day and aim to provide a lovely experience.
According to Mr. Raheja, the most frequently asked question was how the team was able to make this product go out in a way that broke the traditional way of serving paans in newspapers and foil covers, as the betel leaf co-Paans come in pre-packed pouches with triple-layered ensuring maximum freshness and hygiene for longer hours.
- “How to differentiate your paans from the local paanwala.” In the earlier days, Paanwala would symbolically leave a chunna mark on the paan covers for us to differentiate the paan among the lot, and the next day, finding your favourite paan was a task. Breaking the monotony of newspapers, every paan pouch from the Betel Leaf Co comes with flavored, labelled pouches to differentiate the paan in the box.”
- Becoming the first certified paan delivery company to serve 100%Tobacco free , Nicotine free Paans and getting FSSAI certifications paans.
- Broken the taboo of eating paans and there is no need to spit paans.
- Convincing Online Partners and educating them about the product’s USP, as well as getting ourselves listed for consumers to have paan at the comfort of their own home.
- Careful handpicked ingredients after a lot of permutations and combinations develop Paan suitable for all age groups and cater to all cuisines with the post-meal craving of your favourite dessert in the form of PAAN.
- Becoming the first Paan company to sell over 1.2 million of Paan from the inception as on 31st Dec 2021.
- Having reorder persistency as high as 95%.
Promising More Quality Products in the Future
According to the Kaizen concept, Mr. Raheja maintains that little everyday improvements lead to much larger gains over time. Fast forward 30 months, and the company has exceeded one million paans, averaging close to 25,000 boxes each month, is present in twelve plus locations, and additional items are in the works.
As Mr. Raheja points out, the company’s USP is to provide the same experience and quality of paan regardless of where it is bought. He says, “Consistency, quality of ingredients, consistency, quality of flavour are the keys to our growth.” He further adds, “Every paan (betel leaf) is washed with Bisleri water and deep cleaned in a special process before preparation. Every process of making paans comes with a standardized, carefully curated recipe, eliminating any surrogate products in the making. ”
With fresh potential in the international market, the company intends to be present in 50 cities throughout India. Franchise possibilities will be available soon all around the world, allowing for lateral and horizontal expansion.
Source of Inspiration
Mr. Raheja’s source of motivation is a great lifestyle, which can only be reached by hard effort. He thinks that everyone has an innate entrepreneurial desire that has to be discovered and carved out. “Every journey comes with challenges. The grass is never greener on the other side,” says Mr. Raheja. “No business is big or small. Take the leap of faith and every single day make the choice.”
For him, the challenges of creating a good product, having a pleasant experience, and leaving a legacy are the main motivators. He asserts, “My company belief is to make my lifestyle more fulfilling by making his products fulfilling and making his journey more fulfilling.”
