62-Year-Old Homemaker Builds Startup Serving Google, Netflix

When Usha Shrotiya's son joked he couldn't take her homemade laddoos to work because they were too fragile, the 62-year-old grandmother took it as a challenge. After 80 failed attempts, she created the perfect laddu bar that would launch her food startup, Mama Nourish.

Usha grew up wanting to become a policewoman in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Her mother opposed the idea, and after marriage, family expectations kept her dreams on hold for decades.

Her breakthrough came in 2021 when she made traditional gond ke laddoo for her daughter-in-law Apurva after childbirth. These nutritious sweets made from edible gum and dry fruits are a generations-old postpartum recipe in Indian families. When Apurva ran out and couldn't recreate them, the family realized these precious recipes might disappear in modern urban life.

Usha's son Yash and his friend Kunal Goel surveyed 250 working professionals across six Indian cities. The results confirmed their worry: busy professionals missed their grandmothers' food but had no convenient way to enjoy these traditional recipes.

Determined to preserve this culinary heritage, Usha spent months perfecting bars that captured the original taste while traveling easily. She experimented with different binding techniques and proportions. Her family would jokingly throw early versions at each other to test their stiffness, but Usha stayed passionate about the challenge.

When her daughter was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, Usha adapted the recipe using dates instead of sugar or jaggery. The innovation worked beautifully, creating a healthier version that everyone loved.

Why This Inspires

Today, Mama Nourish supplies over 150 corporate establishments including Google, Netflix, and IKEA. What started as a grandmother's love has become a business saving traditional recipes for future generations. Usha runs the company alongside Yash and Kunal, finally pursuing entrepreneurship at an age when most people retire.

Her dedication through those 80 failed attempts proved that it's never too late to chase dreams, and sometimes the best innovations come from simply wanting to share love through food.