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Thekua is more than a festive snack. For people across Bihar, it carries the spirit of Chhath Puja. What is usually prepared once a year during the festival became the starting point of a remarkable journey for two 16-year-old boys from Bihar. They turned this traditional sweet into the heart of a thriving business that is now worth Rs 1 crore. Their story began not with business ambitions but with a moment that made them question why food so deeply rooted in Indian culture is being sold with unhygienic conditions. It all happened when Jayanta Karmakar fell sick after eating a thekua from a roadside stall. The incident made him think about how many local snacks people love but hesitate to buy because of hygiene issues. He saw a gap here. If traditional food could be made in a cleaner and safer way, it could reach more people and stay relevant through the year. “That’s when we realised how many traditional snacks are limited and slowly disappearing. The idea is not just to bring back India’s traditional flavours, but to present them in a modern way,” Jayanta said as quoted by Hindustan Times. When Jayanta shared this thought with his friend Kailash, the idea instantly felt right to both of them. Kailash had left school early and worked at railway stations selling water bottles to support his family. For him, the idea was a chance to build something meaningful. Together, they started experimenting in a small home kitchen. Day after day, they tested recipes for snacks like thekua, makhana, banana chips and laddoos. Their focus was on keeping the taste familiar while preparing everything with cleanliness. The early days were filled with challenges. For weeks, no one placed an order. Many people around them doubted if anyone would buy packaged versions of homemade snacks. But the two friends did not stop. They kept improving their recipes, posted about their journey on social media and personally reached out to local customers. Gradually, word spread. People who had moved away from home found comfort in their products and the orders began to grow. In 2023, the duo launched their brand, Shuddh Swad, from a small setup in West Bengal. What started as two friends cooking in their kitchen has now grown into a team of about fifteen people handling production, packaging, marketing and customer care. Shuddh Swad currently offers two varieties of thekua, one made with coconut jaggery and the other with coconut suji. They will also introduce a new cardamom flavour. Kailash manages the day-to-day operations, while Jayanta continues his studies alongside the business. Within a year, Shuddh Swad has reached more than three lakh customers across India. What began as a small idea born from a bad experience has now grown into a Rs 1 crore company.
