Vaishnavi Vedpathak, 21, grew up in a middle-class family brought up by a single mother, in Chh. Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra), who was involved in the tailoring business. Managing daily expenses, education fees, household responsibilities and worries about the future was a continuous struggle. Despite these challenges, her mother never gave up. She believed deeply in her daughter’s dreams and with that belief they started a food business (crusts, spices, pickles, chutneys, fasting products, snacks and ready-to-cook items) from their home kitchen with an initial investment of just Rs.3,000/-.
The beginning of the business was extremely simple – basic utensils, limited resources, no team, and uncertain orders. Many times, despite working the entire day, not a single order would come. Sometimes there were losses, criticism from people and low confidence. But still, mother and daughter never gave up. They strongly believed – “If not today, then surely tomorrow”
During this phase, Vaishnavi was pursuing her B.Com while managing the business. With no formal marketing system in place, she applied the learnings – profit and loss, basic marketing and word-of-mouth promotion. Every order was prepared with enthusiasm, maintaining cleanliness, taste and honesty despite low profits. She also worked in a shop for two years, gaining valuable insights into customer behavior, pricing and demand patterns.
In 2023, Vaishnavi was actively associated with the YouthAid Foundation, which provided her with the right guidance, confidence and opportunities through the Entrepreneurship Development Training Program, which gave her clear directions regarding:
- Business planning and expansion
- Financial discipline
- Customer handling
- Building her own brand identity
- Availing a license
Gradually, orders started increasing and one satisfied customer began recommending another and Vaishnavi Food’z became familiar.
In 2025, Vaishnavi participated in YESummit in Bengaluru, her first experience outside Maharashtra. Listening to success stories of entrepreneurs across the country boosted her confidence and inspired her to dream bigger and aim for larger platforms. Today, Vaishnavi Food’z is a
- A monument to a mother’s struggle
- A symbol of a young woman’s dreams
- A live example of self-reliance built through education, hard work and the right guidance.
Today, Vaishnavi’s business has reached an annual income of approximately Rs.3,00,000/-. Vaishnavi Food’z is an award-recognized and structured brand with a growing customer base, digital order systems through Instagram and WhatsApp.
Vaishnavi in her words…….
“No matter how difficult the situation is, if you have a mother’s faith, support of education, the right direction and the determination to work hard, success opens the doors”. My dream is to take Vaishnavi Food’z to the highest level by building it into a globally recognized Indian homemade food brand. I aim to introduce authentic Indian homemade food to international markets through a scalable and sustainable business model that empowers women. At the same time, one of my deepest goals is to provide my mother with a comfortable and dignified lifestyle, as she is the foundation of this journey. I also plan to launch a dedicated mobile app that will make ordering simple and accessible, allowing customers to easily place food orders anytime.
