A Jaipur scientist Dr. Reena Sharma, Ph.D. launched Shandi Global in 2022 to sell plant-based alternatives.

Her son expressed a craving for a burger. As a vegetarian family who had never even eaten eggs, she wanted to find a suitable vegetarian option.

She discovered an outlet advertising a plant-based chicken burger and was intrigued enough to buy one for her son. However, the burger turned out to be far from tasty.

This disappointing experience sparked an idea in the minds of Dr. Reena, a clinical scientists, to start her own plant-based meat brand. She took the half-eaten burger home and her husband Dr Gaurav Sharma, a food scientist began to investigate how it was made.

The idea was to invent a recipe for plant-based meat that tasted like real meat and retained all its nutritional value. This decision was bold, considering neither came from a business background.

"Finally, we managed to make it. It was an achievement for us," Dr. Reena shared during a conversation with Startup Pedia.

The couple met during their PhD studies, fell in love, and married soon after completing their studies. Dr. Reena specialises in the healthcare sector, and Dr. Gaurav focuses on the food industry.

They started modestly but later moved to Singapore, where they earned half a million dollars annually in senior positions. Dr Reena left her job to pursue the startup supported by her food scientist husband.

"Gaurav supported me to create unique product and building this brand from the beginning. Not just with his exceptional creativity but to mange our home, our son, when I had to give 20 hours to build this company. Without his support and advice, Shandi Global could not have existed," Dr Reena says.

In three months, she turned down an $8 Mn offer and raised US$750,000. With that money, she built a factory, created a website, and started selling plant-based meat at the B2B level.

The Singapore-based plant-based food brand now offers 13 products made from proteins like chickpeas, mung beans, soybeans, and yellow peas. They've developed methods to replicate meat taste and aroma without added flavours. Their versatile whole-cut plant based meat can be used in over 50 recipes.

The brand's valuation has now soared to $30 Mn, earning an annual revenue of $3.5 Mn. It operates B2B in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, and Australia.

In the Middle East, the brand is present in specific countries, such as Turkey. In Quarter one of 2015, Shandi will launch its retail operations in Australia, and India marking an expansion into the retail sector. The brand expects to reach a revenue of $10 Mn in FY-25.

"With the planned expansions in Australia, India and North America we anticipate crossing $100 Mn in revenue by FY 2026. Furthermore, we aim to achieve a revenue of $100 Mn the following year, FY-26," concludes the woman entrepreneur Dr Reena.