1 JhaJi Store has empowered women in Darbhanga by leveraging traditional food processing. Can you share the scale of this impact—how many women have been employed, and how has this translated into economic independence for them?

JhaJi Store is more than a business—it’s a movement empowering women in Darbhanga through stable employment, financial independence, and social recognition.

The Scale of Our Impact:

• 30+ women are currently employed on full-time payroll, ensuring a steady source of income.
• 50+ more join us seasonally during peak production months.
• In just three years, nearly 150 women have gained work experience at JhaJi Store, helping them step into the workforce and build financial security.

Economic Freedom & Stability:

For many women in Mithila, financial dependence on male family members has been the norm. At JhaJi Store, they now:

• Earn a good salary close to home—often much higher than previous wages.
• Receive support for medical emergencies, childbirth, and family events like marriages.
• Invest in Provident Fund (PF) accounts, creating long-term financial security.
• Work in a safe and secure environment, ensuring their dignity and respect.

Beyond Just a Job—A New Identity:

The transformation is more than just financial. Women here take pride in curating the taste of Mithila for the world. They have seen JhaJi Store featured on TV, in newspapers, and online, and many themselves have appeared in press interviews, giving them social capital and confidence in their communities.

Long-Term Change for Families:

With steady pay, these women can now:

• Keep their children in school and invest in their education.
• Upgrade their family’s lifestyle, improving their quality of life.
• Plan their families better, without financial stress.
• Ask husbands to return home from menial jobs in far-off cities, bringing families closer together.

This isn’t just about making pickles—it’s about changing lives, one jar at a time. And we’re just getting started.

2 JhaJi Store has successfully combined D2C sales and digital marketing while focusing strongly on the impact on livelihoods. How do you balance profitability and your mission-driven approach?

At JhaJi Store, our business model is built on a simple yet powerful foundation—selling directly to consumers, leveraging digital marketing, and maintaining a lean, scalable production process. We sell online, telling the story of Mithila’s flavors and traditions to affluent Indian households who value authenticity. Our pickles are made in small batches, mostly by hand, using age-old recipes. During peak seasons, we scale efficiently by bringing in additional workers, ensuring freshness, zero wastage, and flexibility in operations.

For us, our mission and profitability are not at odds—they fuel each other. The very fact that we stand for something bigger than just selling pickles—preserving Mithila’s culinary heritage and empowering rural women—allows us to command a premium. Customers don’t just buy our products; they buy into the story, the tradition, and the impact.

This mission inspires every decision we take—from sourcing local ingredients at fair prices, paying farmers and traders promptly, ensuring that our workers earn 30-40% more than prevailing wages, and investing in long-term security through provident fund contributions. We do not cut corners when it comes to making pickles the right way—without artificial preservatives, without compromising on taste, and without switching to industrialized methods.

Yet, profitability remains a necessity, not just to survive but to expand the impact of our mission. We rely on our ability to tell our story well and reach the right customers—those who see the value in what we do and are willing to pay for it. Because of this, we command gross margins of up to 75%. However, these margins don’t translate directly into profits—we reinvest heavily in scaling distribution, expanding warehouses, improving logistics, and exploring new sales channels like Q-commerce and content-driven marketing.

At our current scale, we do not yet break even operationally, but the path to profitability is clear. The investments we make today—both in the business and in the livelihoods of the people who depend on it—will ensure sustainable growth.

At JhaJi Store, we don’t see mission and profitability as a tradeoff. Instead, we see them as a virtuous cycle—our mission gives us the ability to charge a premium, which fuels our growth, and that growth allows us to take the mission even further. It’s this perfect blend of tradition, storytelling, and business strategy that has made JhaJi Store what it is today. 🚀

3 Many enterprises struggle with ensuring fair wages and sustainable work conditions What specific policies or mechanisms has JhaJi implemented to guarantee equitable earnings and job security for the women it employs?

At JhaJi Store, we recognize that fair wages and job security are not just ethical responsibilities but the foundation of a thriving, purpose-driven business. We are consciously building a system where women are paid well, treated with dignity, and given opportunities for long-term stability.

1. Fair & Above-Market Wages

Women at JhaJi Store earn 30-40% more than the prevailing wages for similar work in the region. Even seasonal workers are assured a minimum wage, regardless of daily fluctuations in demand. This ensures financial stability, helping them plan for their families, invest in education, and improve their overall quality of life.

2. Secure & Formal Employment

Unlike the informal, cash-based employment system that dominates many rural setups, we provide structured employment:

• Monthly Salaries paid through bank transfers, ensuring financial security.
• Provident Fund (PF) Contributions, helping women build long-term savings.
• Emergency Financial Support for medical needs, childbirth, or major life events.

3. A Safe, Respectful, and Dignified Workplace

JhaJi Store provides a secure, well-maintained workspace where women feel safe and respected. Hygienic working conditions, fixed working hours, and a strict policy against any form of discrimination or harassment make it a preferred workplace for many.

4. Building Social Capital & Career Growth

Many of the women who work at JhaJi Store have never earned independently before. Beyond just wages, we empower them by:

• Encouraging them to speak in press interviews, appear in digital content, and be part of the brand’s success story.
• Providing training in packaging, inventory management, and quality control, giving them upward mobility within the business.

A Workplace That Transforms Lives

For most women here, this job is not just about income—it’s about transformation. It allows them to:

• Send and keep their children in school.
• Plan for the future with financial confidence.
• Reduce dependence on male family members for financial support.

We see this as a fundamental shift in rural Bihar’s economic landscape—where women are no longer passive participants in their household economy but decision-makers and contributors.

4 Beyond employment, how does JhaJi equip women with long-term economic resilience? Do you have structured programs for upskilling, financial literacy training, or career progression beyond entry-level roles?

At JhaJi Store, a job is more than just a source of income—it’s an opportunity to learn, grow, and build a secure future. We ensure that every woman working with us not only does her job well but also picks up new skills along the way, preparing her for progression within JhaJi Store or any other opportunity that comes her way. By creating an environment where learning is constant, we help women move beyond just earning wages to building confidence, stability, and long-term resilience.

1. Upskilling for Career Growth

Women at JhaJi Store move beyond basic tasks and gain skills that open up better opportunities.

• Multi-Skill Training – Workers rotate between roles in pickling, packaging, inventory management, and quality control, ensuring versatility.
• Supervisory Roles – Those who show leadership potential are trained for team management and production planning, allowing them to advance.
• Digital Literacy – We provide basic training in mobile banking, WhatsApp for work coordination, and inventory tracking tools, helping them navigate a modern work environment.

2. Financial Stability & Future Planning

A key difference at JhaJi Store is that our women don’t just earn—they learn how to plan for the future.

• Provident Fund (PF) contributions – Encouraging long-term savings and financial security.
• Planning for Major Life Decisions – It's not uncommon for women to seek counsel from Kalpana Ji, or even among themselves, to plan ahead for their lives, whether it’s investing in a home, funding a child’s education, or making household improvements.

3. Career Progression & Leadership Opportunities

At JhaJi Store, a woman joining as a daily worker today can rise to a supervisory or managerial role tomorrow. Some inspiring examples:

• Poonam Mishra – Started as a pickle processor, now manages production and team coordination.
• Baby Devi – A packaging worker who has become an expert in quality control.

We actively identify talent and promote from within, ensuring every woman sees a path for growth beyond entry-level roles.

4. Social Capital & Community Recognition

For many women, working at JhaJi Store is their first step towards a professional identity. Here, they:

• Appear in media interviews, gaining recognition in their communities.
• Contribute to a brand featured on Shark Tank India and major news platforms, giving them a sense of pride.
• Feel valued and respected in their social circles—something they didn’t always experience before they started earning.

5 Preserving traditional recipes and production methods is core to JhaJi’s identity. How do you see this contributing to cultural sustainability alongside economic empowerment?

At JhaJi Store, our commitment to traditional recipes and production methods isn’t just about making great pickles—it’s about preserving a way of life. In many ways, food is culture, and when traditional food-making practices fade, a piece of that culture is lost. By ensuring that our pickles are still made the way our grandmothers made them—by hand, in small batches, with locally sourced ingredients—we are keeping alive the culinary heritage of Mithila.

This dedication to tradition has a dual impact—it sustains our culture while also creating real economic opportunities for the women who make these pickles.

Cultural Sustainability: Keeping Mithila’s Food Heritage Alive

For generations, women in Mithila have made pickles with time-honored techniques—drying ingredients under the sun, using mustard oil as a natural preservative, and hand-mixing spices. These methods are not just about taste; they carry deep-rooted wisdom about food preservation, seasonality, and health.

By staying true to these methods, we:

• Ensure that authentic flavors remain intact, free from industrial shortcuts.
• Keep alive the knowledge and skills that would otherwise be lost to modernization.
• Pass down traditional recipes to the next generation, ensuring they don’t disappear.

Economic Empowerment Through Tradition

What makes our approach unique is that our commitment to traditional methods directly translates into meaningful work. Unlike mass production, which often reduces the need for skilled labor, our process requires hands-on expertise.

• Handmade Means More Jobs – Every step, from cutting mangoes to stuffing chilies, is done manually, creating steady employment for women.
• Local Sourcing Strengthens Communities – We buy ingredients from small-scale farmers and traders, ensuring that the entire ecosystem benefits.
• Commanding a Premium for Authenticity – Customers pay a premium price for the authenticity of our pickles, allowing us to pay our workers 30-40% above prevailing wages.

Tradition as a Bridge Between Generations

Many of the women who work with us have learned these recipes from their mothers and grandmothers. But in today’s world, these skills don’t always translate into economic opportunities. JhaJi Store changes that.

Here, tradition becomes a source of livelihood. Women don’t just make pickles for their families; they make them for thousands of people across India, turning their inherited skills into a means of financial independence.

A Future Rooted in the Past

For us, tradition is not just nostalgia—it’s a living, evolving force that continues to shape our community. By combining cultural preservation with economic empowerment, we are proving that tradition is not something to be left behind—it is something that can move forward, sustain livelihoods, and inspire pride in the people who carry it forward.

6 For investors focused on the livelihoods sector, what types of capital have been most catalytic for JhaJi’s growth—grants, equity, or working capital loans? What financial instruments or funding models do you think are best suited for social enterprises like yours?

Unlike other social enterprises that benefit from grants, we have never received grant-based funding—government and institutional support in Bihar for businesses like ours remains broken or unavailable. Instead, we have relied on equity investment and working capital loans, each playing a distinct role in our growth.

The Role of Capital in JhaJi Store’s Growth

1 Equity Investment: The Most Pivotal Factor in Scaling

Equity funding has been the most catalytic for our business—allowing us to make long-term investments in:

• Building a strong team—from production to marketing, ensuring operational excellence.
• Expanding production capacity to meet growing demand.
• Financing large production seasons, ensuring we scale efficiently without cash flow constraints.

Unlike loans, equity investment enables strategic decisions—whether it’s improving the bottom line, increasing operational efficiency, or expanding into new markets.

2 Working Capital Loans: Keeping the Business Running

Working capital loans have played a critical role in sustaining growth—financing successive production seasons and providing a revolving credit source to keep operations smooth.

However, while they help maintain cash flow, they do not allow for strategic investments that drive efficiencies or improve margins in the long run.

This is why patient equity capital has been more instrumental in fueling growth, while working capital loans have helped manage day-to-day liquidity.

What Funding Models Work Best for Social Enterprises Like Ours?

For businesses like JhaJi Store—where growth is tied to production cycles and scaling requires both flexibility and long-term vision—the most effective funding models are:

• Patient Equity Capital: Investors who understand that scaling a mission-driven business takes time and are willing to support long-term growth rather than expecting immediate returns.
• Low-Cost Working Capital Loans: Essential for ensuring continuous production cycles without disrupting operations, especially in an industry where seasonality affects cash flow

7 Looking ahead, what are your long-term ambitions for JhaJi’s social impact? Are there plans to replicate this livelihood model in other regions or sectors?

At JhaJi Store, our mission is twofold—bringing the authentic taste of Mithilanchal to the world and ensuring that the women who are the custodians of these traditions take center stage in every aspect of the business. As we grow, we see more women leading new product development, managing production, ensuring quality control, and handling customer interactions. Our long-term ambition is to expand employment opportunities while celebrating and preserving the cultural legacy of the region.

1. Creating More Jobs in Mithilanchal & Beyond

Our goal is to create hundreds more jobs in Bihar—starting from Mithilanchal and growing into other parts of Eastern India. We plan to:

• Expand our workforce, employing and training more women in food processing and management.
• Introduce more food products from Mithilanchal's cuisine, ensuring that our culinary traditions are not just preserved but shared with the world.
• Strengthen our local supply chains, ensuring fair wages for farmers and traders while keeping traditional methods at the heart of our production.

2. Replicating This Model Across Eastern India

While our roots are in Mithila, we see a larger opportunity to elevate Eastern India’s food heritage. Across Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, and Odisha, there are rich culinary traditions that remain underrepresented in the packaged food sector.

• We are keen to replicate our model in other regions, supporting local women in bringing their cultural cuisine to the world through packaged foods.
• By using our experience in D2C sales, digital storytelling, and premium branding, we can enable micro-enterprises in these regions to scale successfully.

3. Expanding Collaborations in Heritage-Based Packaging & Crafts

JhaJi Store isn’t just about food—it’s about celebrating the entire cultural ecosystem of Mithila. We’ve already experimented with:

• Handmade packaging solutions, including hand-painted glass jars for limited editions.
• Madhubani art collaborations, gifting authentic paintings to contest winners and customers.

We see potential to do more—collaborating with regional artisans, craft entrepreneurs, and small businesses to create heritage-inspired packaging, merchandise, and gifting solutions. These collaborations will help preserve local crafts while providing additional livelihood opportunities.

4. A Vision for the Next Decade

Our long-term goal is simple: More women earning, more traditions thriving, and more communities benefiting from economic self-sufficiency.