A doctor with a degree in nutrition, a culinary artist with a fitness fetish and an angel investor and marketing genius – a team of three formidable women who have taken it upon themselves to propagate healthy nutritional practices to Bengaluru and live by this example. Though most people today are conscious and aware of their dietary habits it isn’t often that you see three high-profile women come together to promote their brand of specially cold pressed juices, in an effort to spread awareness of good health and apt eating habits.
RITZ speaks to Dr. Anju Sood, Anu Berry and Angie Mahtaney, the forces behind Rejoov, a local brand of cold pressed juices in unique combinations that is the trio’s formula for healthy and sustainable eating habits.
Anu Berry is a fitness enthusiast who has lived in different parts of the world. Her passion for experimenting with different cuisines made her a true culinary artist. She is a firm believer in conscious nutrition and lives by the belief that eating healthy makes you look and feel great. She has been juicing all her life and believes in it as a natural cure for many ailments and its positive impact on the body. Her command of gourmet recipes and belief in natural nutrition helped her team up with Dr Anju Sood to produce signature cold press recipes to nourish and delight consumers and make a difference.
Dr. Anju Sood has been in the nutrition field for over 25 years and is committed to researching life-style related problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart ailments, etc. Her passion to teach and promote healthy nutritional practices was the impetus to establish Rejoov. Angie Mahtaney is the CEO of K Mohan & Company, one of India’s leading garment manufacturing and export companies. She is also an avid Angel Investor, having invested in early stage Consumer Tech companies such as Buttercups Bras Pvt. Ltd and DropKaffe Pvt. Ltd. She previously worked with Deloitte Consulting in their Strategy & Operations practice in New York.
“The Rejoov idea was born out of a conversation between the three of us on the challenges of staying healthy in a fast-paced environment where we’re always on the move. We realised that there are a limited number of healthy products in the market that are wholesome, tasty and convenient. We wanted to create a product that allows consumers to adopt healthier eating habits that are sustainable. We believe that by starting to change small eating habits, such as replacing unhealthy snacks with more nutritious options, one can adopt a much healthier way of living. Rejoov juices are made using the latest cold-press technology, this hydraulics driven approach helps preserve the nutrition all the ingredients have to offer, making it a very healthy meal supplement and snack,” tells founder Anu Berry, who is also the wife of Varun Berry, Managing Director of Britannia Industries.
Anju Sood has over 12 years of experience as a lecturer at the Delhi University and has researched under Dr. C Gopalan – Father of Nutrition in India. Dr. Sood has garnered national and international awards and recognition and her work has been widely published in Times of India, NDTV Foods, DNA, Deccan Herald to name a few. Dr. Sood has also presented scientific papers at national conferences like NSI (NIN), IAP, writes regularly and advises big corporations on diet, nutrition and weight management.
Through her holistic approach, tailored programs, extensive industry knowledge, and expertise in the field of food and nutrition, Dr. Anju Sood has become a familiar, well-respected, and a trusted source for food and nutrition, health choices, and lifestyle information. She holds a Master of Sci-ence (M.Sc.) and Ph.D in Nutrition. “Given our mastery of the product, we aim to be the go-to option across India for all customers who aim to stay happy and healthy via good nutritional habits. Furthermore, our goal is to be known as the brand that proves good health and great taste can co-exist. In addition, we are in the process of designing new and exciting product lines that will allow us to expand our reach dramatically over the next two years,” she tells us.
Angie Mahtaney, the third founder and the marketing genius of the team, has earned her MBA from Columbia Business School. She speaks: “My experiences in the business world allow me to take responsibility for establishing and implementing business processes, and running business development on the non-retail side. While the three of us have different strengths, we also have a lot in common – all of us are passionate and driven women. Given our hands-on nature and the need to roll-up our sleeves in a start-up environment, we all get involved in some of the major areas of the business such as strategy, expansion, people management, etc.”
Rejoov has been on the stands for approximately four months now, the response has been far greater than the trio had expected. “It has been a great acknowledgement of all the time we spent in the lab working on getting the recipes right both, from a health and taste perspective. Today we are a 15-member strong team, as well as have sales representatives at each of the 15 outlets we currently retail out of. We have the privilege of expanding our team size at a rapid pace. Our operation is based out of Marthahalli in Bengaluru, but we often find ourselves running around the city in an effort to address various aspects of the business,” explains Anu Berry.
Anju Sood adds, “We’re excited to be part of this surge in the number of working women in India today, as three women entrepreneurs, we believe the dedication, passion, attention-to-detail, and ability to adapt / think on our feet only increases the likelihood of success in our business. We take the privilege of serving as role models for young women or women who want to re-enter the working world very seriously, and are extremely honoured to be in this position,” she says, picking up a glass of their ‘Rejoov’enating beverage and toasting to the success of their venture.
