AARTI GILL, Co-founder & CEO, OZiva talks of nurturing the cause of clean, plant-based nutrition through brand OZiva and her target of growing it 3-4X in the next 12 months
How did the idea of OZiva take shape? What are the highlights of the brand’s journey so far, as also the challenges you faced along the way?
Growing up, I drew a lot of inspiration from my mother who is a healthcare professional and I often saw many health conditions that could have easily been avoided with a better lifestyle. This, combined with the insights we gathered from our earlier venture, is what helped shape OZiva. It has been an exciting journey so far. We started with an aim of enabling 100+ million households with a healthier lifestyle with clean, plant-based nutrition. We have been able to create a strong equity in the nutrition and wellness market in India. Our biggest achievement was and is empowering individuals to become healthier. Along the way, OZiva became the first nutrition brand to be awarded the coveted 'Clean Label' certification by the US-based Clean Label Project (CLP). We recently joined hands with Deepika Padukone, to amplify the messaging of #HarTarahSeBetter with clean, plant-based nutrition. We also raised our Series B funding - $12 million dollars from Eight Road Ventures in March 2021.
The initial days were all about trials, errors, failures and learning. While our goal was quite well defined, it took us some time to figure out the right business model and finally launch OZiva in 2016.
You just launched a range of plant-based vitamins and minerals. Tell us about it and the entire R&D process at OZiva. What are your investments in R&D?
One of the most important factors to consider while consuming vitamins and minerals is the absorption of these micronutrients in the body. Our newly launched ‘Bettr’ Range provides vitamins and minerals that are plant-derived along with phytonutrients and co-factors that leads to better absorption. We have received overwhelming response since the launch and are planning to grow the category in 2021. Our in-house R&D team is responsible for creating innovative products that cater to the requirements of consumers, based on our extensive market and consumer research. Efficacy and safety are two important factors that are at the core of our R&D team. We send ingredients first to NABL-accredited labs for rigorous quality checks which include nutrient profiling, any filler ingredients, heavy metals and toxicity check, potential allergens. We manufacture at GMP-certified and USFDA-registered units. The final products are again tested for quality and only after the quality assurance team approves the batch; it is shipped to our customers.
What has been the response to your stated USP of juxtaposing Ayurveda and ancient knowledge with the utility of modern micronutrients and the digitized ecosystem you have created around it?
There are three main pillars to living healthier - getting the right nutrition, physical wellness and to reap benefits of the first two, you need to be mentally healthy as well. We decided to focus on the first pillar, which is ensuring that the body gets the nutrition it deserves.
Ayurveda helps us in gradually healing the body from within whereas modern food science aims at convenience and faster results. Our products are formulated according to the most basic concepts of the Panchabhautic theory, the Prakriti concept and Tridosha theory (balance and imbalance of the three doshas, i.e., vata, pitta and kapha) and combining different clean nutrients along with powerful botanical extracts to bring the benefit of both the sciences to the human body.
OZiva is centered on a digital ecosystem that leverages technology and content and helps us reach out and engage with customers all across the globe. People can pick up a product from anywhere and consult a human expert digitally.
What next from OZiva in terms of new products and offerings? What are your long and short-term plans?
We are looking to strengthen our product portfolio in the vitamins and minerals category and venture into the kids segment. We also have plans to launch products catering to the nutrition requirement of a woman across various phases of her life. We are looking to grow 3-4X in the next 12 months. In the coming year, we aim to continue to invest in people, products, technology and to grow the OZiva brand.
What is a rule or motto that you absolutely follow in life? Tell us about Aarti Gill beyond the realm of work.
I believe in my goals, and take some time to plan out and convert my ideas into an action plan. In my free time, I listen to podcasts and watch content across channels. It is important to have the right balance of mind, body and soul. So, I make time for work-outs and to unwind for mental wellbeing.
