NYC to India. Hokey-Pokey to Epigamia | Rohan Mirchandani @ Drums Food International

Founder Thesis

Things that you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling. This is true in the case of Rohan Mirchandani, Co-Founder & CEO, Drums Food International.

In the latest episode of Founder Thesis Podcast, Rohan shares his journey and how an NRI alumnus of The Wharton School ended up selling Greek yogurt in India.

In a candid conversation with the host, Akshay Dutt, he talks about how his trip to India in 2009 ended up in meeting Chef Ganesh Krishnamoorthy (one of the co-founders at Drums Food International) and investing in his hobby ice cream business. A foodie at heart, Rohan describes this move as a shot in the dark and passion-driven.

It was when he came back to India in 2011 for a weeklong course on how to market to Indian consumers where he met Mr. Shripad Nadkarni, the then CMO of Coca Cola, he realized his calling to become a food entrepreneur in India, something he excitedly describes as his ‘ghanti baj gayi’ moment.

He recalls how he used to personally interact with consumers to gain insights which helped him in recognizing the shift in preferences from ice cream to healthier options, thus bringing Epigamia Greek yogurt product line to life.

Tune in to this episode to hear Rohan Mirchandani speak on disrupting the traditional dairy industry in India, scaling an FMCG venture, fundraising, taking the cold-chain challenge head-on, and more.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Starting an FMCG brand from scratch and scaling it up.
• Experience of working with Shripad Nadkarni.
• Collaboration with Danone ventures and becoming a part of the global ecosystem.
• Plans of expanding in India and in the global market.