Last year, a family in Shadora, a village in Ashok Nagar, Madhya Pradesh, were watching TV. Browsing channels, they came across a business featured on Shark Tank India that caught their eye. The pitch being telecast at the time was of a homemade Pickle business from Bihar. 

And that was a lightbulb moment for one of the family members, 43-year-old Saroj Prajapati.

The homemaker and mother of two had long harboured a dream of ‘doing something’ and making a name for herself. When she saw that two homemakers had been able to create a business out of a skill she had mastered, she knew that she had found her calling. Her Pickles, especially her mango pickle, were always in demand with relatives and friends making a beeline for it every year. 

As it turns out, her son, Amit Prajapati, runs a brand building and digital marketing agency. The 19-year-old quickly set up social media pages under their brand name Moms Magic Pickle India in June 2023, ran a few ads, and soon, they had their first order.  

Saroj would make and pack the pickle and Amit helped her brand, label and dispatch it. In the next few months, their business grew and they had to set up a bigger space and hire women. Today, the 43-year-old sells over 800 pickles per month and earns Rs 2.5 lakhs per month seven months after starting her business. The woman who never set foot in a school is providing employment to 30 women today as well.

So how did she set up a business from scratch with no prior experience? Here’s her incredible story –

‘I made my first pickle at 15’

Born in Berkhedi village in Madhya Pradesh, Saroj was one among nine daughters. Her parents were farmers and there weren’t many education opportunities for them. She spent her childhood on the fields watching her mother make food and pickles, eventually picking up the skills from her. 

While she learnt to cook everything, what really fascinated her were pickles. She tells The Better India that she made a raw mango pickle for the first time as a 15-year-old. Little did she know that this would help her live her entrepreneurship dream almost 18 years later.

As was the norm then, she was married at 20 and moved to Shadora. Soon, she was busy with responsibilities at home and taking care of her two children. But her husband, Bablu Prajapati, always encouraged her, she says.

“All I had seen before marriage was our village. My husband wanted me to grow, and encouraged me to participate in matters of local governance,” Saroj shares.

When an opportunity presented itself to contribute to her community, she grabbed it, and  served as the village sarpanch for eight years. During her tenure, she met many women from rural areas and learnt about their financial problems. 

“I knew then that I wanted to help provide an income for them,” she adds.  

After she stepped down, she became busy discharging duties at home. Soon, both her children left for college and she was left with a burning desire to build something. She got the answer for her ‘what to do’ after watching the two women on Shark Tank India. 

Amit tells The Better India that it so happened that his mother was making pickles at the time as mangoes were in season. 

“Every relative or friend who comes home during the mango season always takes a pickle jar home. Everyone who tastes it becomes a fan. I thought that this would be a perfect business opportunity,” says Amit.

Started with an investment of Rs 4,000

The first thing the family did was order other homemade pickles to check the taste, packaging and pricing. After assessing their competitors, Amit, who stays in Indore, worked on the design and name of the business. 

“I learnt SEO on YouTube and decided that Moms Magic Pickle India would be a good name. I set up Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) pages. I bought jars and got labels printed. We put up 10 posts online, ran a few Whatsapp ads at a cost of Rs 200 per day, and within a few days, we got 30 orders from all over the country,” says Amit.

Starting with just the mango pickle, they soon introduced more pickles like green chilli, lemon, mixed vegetable, and sweet mangoes. Amit says that their products are cheaper than others available on the market. They sell trial packs of four pickles of 100 gm each at Rs 299. Another hot seller is the combo pack of four 200 gm pickles which each sells for Rs 349. 

Their bestseller, the mango pickle, sells for Rs 199 for a 200 gm pack, Rs 299 for 400 gm and Rs 599 for 800 gm. 

Saroj says that all pickles are made by her using traditional recipes passed on to her by her mother.

“I make the spice mix myself and buy the mangoes and vegetables locally. All pickles are made without chemicals and preservatives. We sun-dry the pickles and store them in barnis (traditional jars),” she adds.

The first 200 orders were made and packaged at home itself, by Saroj. As orders increased, they needed a bigger space. They set up the Moms Magic Pickle India unit at an empty space owned by her husband in Shadora itself. They also called local women to help in the packaging of the products.   

So, what was the happiest day in her entrepreneurial journey? “The day I got my first order. I felt very good that I did something,” she smiles.

Gyanendra Singh, who bought a pack of four pickle jars, states that the quality of their pickles stands out. 

“Usually, the pickles we buy have vinegar in them, which affects the taste. Moms Magic Pickles are refreshing, don’t cause any burning, and are of very high quality. Maa ke haath ka swaad hai inme (It reminds you of your mother’s cooking),” he says. 

What stands out in this story of a mother’s passion is also her son’s quick thinking and digital marketing skills. 

Amit’s father, he shares, encouraged him to follow his passion. The teenager first wished to pursue engineering, for which he went to Kota, Rajasthan, for coaching. As he attended classes for JEE coaching, his interest soon shifted to digital marketing and business development.

“I started learning about SEO and marketing on YouTube. I worked with a digital marketing agency when I was in Class 9 and earned about Rs 25,000 per month. The lockdown was also imposed during this time and I informed my father of my change of mind,” he adds.

While we read stories of how parents force their children to pursue JEE and NEET, especially in Kota, Bablu Prajapati is an outlier. He asked his son to follow his passion and pursue education in the field of his choice.

Amit then completed his schooling through long distance education and moved to Indore where he is pursuing a BBA currently. His company’s name is Adverse India, which is a one-stop solution for all your digital marketing needs.

And what are his plans for the future? “I want my mother to go ahead. I have my entire life ahead of me. First, I want my parents to pursue their dreams,” he says. This mother and son are the perfect blend of passion, a traditional skill and new age marketing that makes their brand a success. 

You can purchase Moms Magic Pickle through their website or via Whatsapp. They are soon planning to expand to Amazon and Flipkart as well.

Edited by Padmashree Pande.