While the pandemic wreaked havoc on some, it also brought happiness and the call for a career for some. We are talking about Seema Makwana from Mumbai, for whom the COVID lockdown was a life-changing period.
Not only has the pandemic given time to the homemaker and the mother of two to experiment with her cooking and baking skills, but also a chance to fulfill her dreams of starting her cloud kitchen- ‘Buns & Deluchas.’
Launched in December 2021, Buns & Deluchas offers a curated menu that is high on taste as well as nutrient value across Mumbai.
Home: Where the Journey Started!
Seema, who is married to an architect, loves to cook delectable buns and other snacks. Starting from her home, she started distributing snacks in her housing society in Kandivali. Without using any kind of preservatives, Seema makes everything from scratch. This makes all the food items from her menu healthy for everyone. Initially, she invested INR 5 Lakh. Today, she has been receiving orders worth INR 1.5 lakh per month on average. However, her journey was not that simple.
A Difficult Childhood
Growing up in a middle-class family, Seema had to discontinue her studies after Class 10 due to financial constraints. After that, I didn’t have much to do, but I eventually became interested in cooking. Due to their lack of education, she did not have high hopes of getting a good job. But when the idea of starting a food business came up, she was confident courtesy of her love for food. Her family also supported her in this endeavor.
Seema’s Mystery Buns
Initially, she started her cloud kitchen with a small curated menu of stuffed buns which were received well by everyone. This positive reaction gave her the confidence to expand the business outside her residential society. She also added more varieties of food to the menu that were set after observing the fact that not many restaurants and hotels offer healthy food.
This idea was instilled by her husband who has to travel a lot. He would often share that it is challenging to find delightful and healthy Indian food while traveling. So she started experimenting with different food items and added several recipes and included them in the menu only after getting a thumbs up from my husband and children.
A wide Variety of Tasty Treats
Buns & Deluchas specializes in handcrafted artisan buns which come with a wide variety of stuffing like exotic vegetables, patties, paneer, and more with equally delicious homemade dips. Vegetarians can enjoy them too as they are eggless.
Other than the savory stuffed buns, Seema also specializes in Deluchas and staffles, which are also the result of her experimentations. She offers sides like potato and banana wedges and desserts like cookies and sweet buns. All their products are priced between Rs 35 and Rs 160. Cheesy chili buns, corn-cheese delucha, pizzaburg delucha, aloo tikki buns, etc are some of the fast-selling products.
Using the Power of Social Media
Earlier, people would share stories and their experiences with others that helped in the promotion of her cloud kitchen. Now, Seema along with her husband Jenis Makwana is using the power of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote her brand. She has also launched a website through which people can place their orders directly. Along with their website, they are also available on Swiggy and Zomato across Mumbai.
If you know what you are passionate about, you can start following your dreams. However, many people do not realize it at the early stage of their lives. Nonetheless, it is better to follow your dreams, irrespective of the time. Seema Makwana has proved that if you love what you do, nothing can stop you from succeeding in your life.
Want to learn how you can set up your cloud kitchen? The idea of managing a business is easier said than done and we completely agree with you. This is why to help you move forward with your business goals, we at Bada Business offer an exclusive Business Coaching Program that comes with Foundation courses, specialized courses, and value-added courses. To know more, visit: www.badabusiness.com
