In this series, we speak to business owners on their digital journey and life as an entrepreneur—from the challenges they faced to the lessons they learned—and their experience-based tips to sustain a business in today’s digital world!
Mita R Tolia started her sourdough baking business a few years ago, motivated by her family’s love for food and her daughter’s consciousness towards eating healthy.Called SourghDoughQueen in Bombay—her flour comes from small scale organic manufacturers, which includes their home milled whole grains. The long fermentation process (48 to 72 hours) makes their bread easier to digest. Like everyone, lockdown and having to market her product proved challenging in the start, but Tolia realised that going digital helped increase her sales, and gain brand awareness and recall value. Today, Tolia sells her sourdough—from regular to focaccia to stuffed with chunky pieces of cheddar—online from her own website, Sourdoughqueen.in. Here, she talks about her journey as a sourdough entrepreneur.
What do you love about your sourdough business?
“EVERYTHING!”
Why is it important to have your own online store?
For Tolia, it’s the overall ease of running and sustaining a retail business, “it is much easier for customers to place an order now. The logistics too have become easier as the entire payment collection is taken care of,” she says.
What are the key lessons you’ve learned since you started your entrepreneurial journey?
Tolia believes that in order to be successful as an entrepreneur, you need to be consistent and patient. And, ultimately, your product quality matters, “it’s important to have excellent raw material as it will give an excellent final product,” she says.
Who inspires you?
For Tolia, it’s family that continues to inspire her business journey: “@krishnatolia and @raisatoliabeauty.”
Visit Sourdough Queen’s store here.
