Entrepreneurship
Exquisite in taste, Nava’s homemade jams and pickles ‘sell like crazy’
Nava Shah was always passionate about cooking and creating new recipes. However, it was only after her marriage and the birth of two children that she decided to turn her passion into a full-fledged business.
After completing her MBA from the University of Kashmir in 2015, Nava started teaching in a local school. Though she was doing it with full dedication, but her interests lay in the kitchen where she would be always experimenting.
In February 2021, she said goodbye to her teaching job and started making pickles and jams under the brand name ‘Jamklejars’. With her experiments and new recipes, she was able to attract regular clients quite early on. Presently she has two more people helping her to run the affairs. They distribute items via JhelumCart, both logistics and packaging are managed by a team of three.
Customers can choose from a wide variety of homemade jams and pickles. Due to their natural preservation and fermentation, pickles come in a wider range of flavours, including mutton pickles, chicken pickles, date pickles, garlic pickles and other veg pickles.
Nava just recently began making jams this year. Her jams and pickles are produced with fresh ingredients and contain no preservatives. Strawberry, mulberry, quince, and other fruits are among the jam varieties. She also sells organic honey in addition to jam and pickles. Fresh produce from the local market is utilised as the primary ingredient in jams and pickles. Her pickles and jams range from Rs 200 to Rs 650 and come in several jar sizes.
She has thousands of followers on Facebook and Instagram, where she sells a substantial number of products under the handle ‘Jamklejars‘. Additionally, she draws clients from outside the state. Most orders are placed online through social media platforms: Instagram and WhatsApp. They provide delivery services all over India.
“I receive orders from Kerala, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and other states in addition to J&K, I already have a huge customer base within the state,” says Nava.
Although Nava had the idea for the business before, she never actually carried it out. A very ambitious businesswoman from Nowshera, Srinagar, Nava has supplies readily available and doesn’t keep customers waiting for purchases.
“At first, I tried making it multiple times until I mastered it. It took me three months to get into pickle perfection, and once I was sure in my ability to make them, only then I started selling,” she says.
Nowadays, online media gives many businesses a platform and has made it easier for small firms to reach their target markets and get noticed. Due to the online boost, “Jamklejars” has also made progress.
“I believe that 90% of the business setup was made possible through online platforms. Additionally, I’ve visited exhibitions and engaged with visitors there, who purchased and tasted the ‘Jamklejars’ products,” she says.
Being an entrepreneur is never easy, especially for a married woman, yet Nava succeeded in achieving her ambition.
She says, “I’m grateful to have great people in my life. My in-laws, especially my husband, have supported me through the journey,”
The venture’s goal was met pretty quickly, at the very first stage. The amount of money made exceeds the expectations of owner Nava. In the future, the home-based business will be seen in the retail sector as well for its easy accessibility to consumers.
“We are considering launching a website as well, but not right now. For the time being, we are just concentrating on the retail sector because it is convenient for clients to make purchases there.”
Nava encourages potential entrepreneurs to create innovative ventures without reluctance.
“Setting goals and making baby steps toward them are always beneficial,” she says.
“Once we have faith in our aspirations, we can achieve them. Business is the finest choice one can have because jobs are neither possible nor available in the current environment,” she adds.
Launching a small business from home is a labour-intensive procedure. Nava encourages people to support and purchase local items, especially from women business owners who run their businesses from home because they have a lot to balance between family and business.
On the online platforms, Nova gets get feedback. One of the comments on an Instagram post states: “Jamkle genuinely has pickles of the unique recipe, I rarely have come across such great jams and pickles in Kashmir.” Another comment reads: ” I Liked the pickle very much, it was wonderful in taste”.