Women’s Day: How Madhura Bachal turned her passion for crafting recipes into a spice brand
The ex-banker set up her spice brand, Madhura’s Recipe Masala, after gaining popularity with her recipes on Facebook and YouTube.
A search for a Maharashtrian recipe that ended in disappointment prompted a banker on maternity leave to craft ones of her own and eventually turn her passion into a spice brand.
On International Women’s Day, SMBStory catches up with Madhura Bachal, whose Facebook page YouTube channel, Madhura’s Recipe, became a stepping stone for her to establish the spice brand, Madhura’s Recipe Masala, in 2018.
What’s cooking
In 2009, Pune native Madhura was living with her husband in Chicago and working with the .
One day during her maternity leave, she thought of exploring traditional Maharashtrian cuisine and making some regional food.
Surprisingly, she couldn’t find many suitable recipes online.
“Either the recipes were too detailed and stuffy or they weren’t authentic,” she says. “I got disappointed and suddenly thought of making something on my own.”
Fond of cooking since her young days and a foodie who loved her grandmother’s recipes, Madhura had a habit of noting them down.
So, it wasn’t long before she decided to craft her own recipes and blog about them.
“I had time then, as I was on maternity leave and was at home,” she says. “I started writing blogs and my first recipe was of bharwa baigan.”
Facebook was becoming popular at that time in India, so Madhura put up her blog post on the social media platform to let friends know about it. As she posted one recipe after another, she started gaining a fan following.
She then started the YouTube channel, Madhura’s Recipe, and since then hasn’t looked back.
Today, Madhura has around two million followers on , more than four million subscribers on YouTube, and over 300,000 followers on Instagram. She has posted around 2,000 videos on YouTube in a mix of Hindi, English and Marathi.
Madhura's Recipe Masalas
The art of creating spices
Madhura says that as her YouTube channel became popular, she started receiving requests for the spices she used in her recipes.
“I use a combination of masalas that are part of regional cuisines,” she says. “When I started getting requests, I compiled a recipe book initially. Later, I ventured into making masalas.”
Madhura launched her spice brand, Madhura’s Recipe Masala, with three products in October 2018. In a little over two years, the number has grown to seven. The brand now sells Goda Masala, Kanda Lasun Masala, Byadagi Mirchi, Malvani Masala, Special Kala Masala, Misal Masala, and Pav Bhaji Masala.
Madhura gets around 3,000 orders a month for her spices, which are available at modern retail stores Big Bazaar and Reliance Fresh, along with ecommerce marketplaces Amazon and Flipkart. The manufacturing takes place in Pune. She declines to disclose her company’s revenue.
Striking a balance
For Madhura, one challenge is treading a fine line between imparting knowledge about recipes in her videos and promoting her products.
“I am a creator first and then an entrepreneur,” she says. “My USP is regional cuisine crafted through a blend of spices. But after launching my brand, I also have the responsibility to bring to the fore my products. But if my video gets even a bit promotional, people don’t like it.”
Indian spices are sought after globally, with their exports touching $3.65 billion in FY20, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation.
Madhura says her brand isn’t competing with national manufacturers, rather regional ones such as and Prakash Masalas.
On future prospects, Madhura says she is planning to grow her retail presence and add more products. She is also looking to expand beyond Maharashtrian cuisine.
Edited by Lena Saha