DirecPay Payment Gateway : From Local Brand to Global Stage : Vahdam India's Entrepreneurial Apocalypse

The PayU platform is constantly hosting various events to provide entrepreneurs with a stage to share their journey. Recently, Shobhit Mohan, VP Marketing, PayU India, had a conversation with the founder of a renowned Indian brand that has managed to penetrate more than 100 countries across the globe - Bala Sarda, founder of Vahdam India.

Vahdam Teas is an Indian-originated wellness brand dedicated to bringing India's indigenous herbal and spice flavours to the world. They have carved a path to success by capitalising on the fact that India is known as a major producer of tea and turmeric. Here are some helpful tips for entrepreneurs distilled from their conversations.

1. How did Vahdam India come into being?

Bala says there have been many events that have come together to shape this journey. Since his college days, he has shown an inclination towards entrepreneurship. He conducted a series of studies in Darjeeling to explore ideas that could make an impact, and Vahdam India was born in 2015.

2. Why did Vahdam India choose to venture into the tea industry?

Bala soon realised that India produces 251 TP3T of the global production of tea.As the second most consumed beverage in the world, tea has a market size of around $50 billion to $80 billion. It is one of the largest employers of organised labour in India apart from the railways. Since most of the tea brands in India are not indigenous, he decided to build a brand originating from India and market the product to mature markets like the US, while retaining the profits made in that country.

3. What were the challenges encountered during Vahdam India's journey?

One of the main challenges they face is the expansion of their business. Within two years, they were confident that they would take the business to the next level, but with that came a new set of challenges. Another major challenge was finding the right investors. They struggled with funding issues on multiple fronts and ultimately persistence paid off.

4. What keeps Vahdam India going?

Positive feedback from customers, positive reviews and word-of-mouth spreads gave them motivation. They invested a lot of time in understanding the science behind the supply chain, which ultimately paid off.

5. How has funding helped Vahdam India?

Funding played a key role in their time planning to realise their branding. They closed their first round of funding, which was a turning point for them and subsequent rounds became smoother. This helped them attract the right talent on board who believed in their story.Bala adds, "When entrepreneurs stop thinking only about funding, their energies are more focused on the product."

6. How does Vahdam India support the environment and society?

Recognising that global consumers are concerned about environmental issues and appreciate brands that offer sustainable packaging and solutions, Vahdam India redefined their mission as 'Doing well is success'. They have taken the initiative to become a climate and plastic neutral brand.

They started the 'Teach Me' programme three years ago to provide scholarships to children in tea estates. They spend 11 TP3T of their revenue on the education of children of tea farmers. They have partnered with Byjus to provide 100,000 academic programmes to tea garden children.

7. What is the advice for every budding entrepreneur?

There has never been a better time to go global. These are highly sophisticated consumer markets in terms of understanding consumers, packaging and sustainability. Understanding the market and clear brand positioning always helps.

Bala offers some advice for paving the way to success: don't seek external recognition, focus on structuring your thinking; stay focused on the end goal and build a solid foundation for your business; and no matter what happens, stay the course, that's half your job. The rest, you can take your time to figure out.

Watch the video of this dialogue to learn more.

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