Powered by

Advertisment
Home Startup Stories "Hello, my father opened the Batter Mami shop," 5-YO launches homegrown food brand, ‘Best brand influencer in town!’ says netizens

"Hello, my father opened the Batter Mami shop," 5-YO launches homegrown food brand, ‘Best brand influencer in town!’ says netizens

38-YO techie Deeban and his mother, 59-YO Shanthi Gireesan, founded The Batter Company in Bengaluru to sell fresh, preservative-free dosa-idli batter.

By Ishita Ganguly
New Update
The Batter Company

5-year-old launches Bengaluru’s The Batter Company

Listen to this article
0.75x1x1.5x
00:00/ 00:00

Five-year-old Nyra had no idea she was doing anything extraordinary when she picked up her father’s iPad and began recording a video.

Advertisment

5-year-old playfully launches Dad's homegrown food brand

In her cheerful, matter-of-fact tone, she announced, “Hello guys, it’s me Nyra and today my father opened the Batter Mami shop. He sells garlic powder, curry leaves powder, ragi batter, rice batter.”

What started as a playful moment at home soon turned into an unexpected catalyst for a budding food brand.

Nyra’s parents shared the video on Instagram, simply to mark a special family milestone—the launch of Batter Mami, a homegrown brand focused on traditional, wholesome essentials. There was no script, no marketing strategy, and no expectation of what would follow.

It was Nyra’s innocence, confidence, and unfiltered excitement that struck a chord with viewers, and the video quickly went viral.

 Netizens claimed Nyra was “The best brand influencer in town!”

Story of Bengaluru's fresh batter-making company

For many South Indians, idli and dosa are not just breakfast, but are tradition, muscle memory, and comfort rolled into one fermented bowl.

When Tamil Nadu–born IT professional  Deeban Gireesan was working as a product manager in Bengaluru, he brought home store-bought dosa batter, never expecting it to spark a startup. But his parents’ quiet disappointment over taste and quality became the seed for what is now Batter Mami, a growing food startup rooted in heritage, health, and convenience.

Like many working professionals living away from home, Deeban and his wife relied on market-available batter. It worked—technically. But when his parents came to stay with them, the verdict was clear. The batter lacked the taste, texture, and freshness they were used to back home.

“Batter making is a traditional art,” said 38-year-old Deeban in an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia. “Not everyone can make it at home, as it is a tedious process and any wrong ratio will result in flat/hard idly or lumpy dosas.”

While Deeban and his wife did not know how to prepare batter from scratch, his mother did, and she did not approve of what the market had to offer.

Unhappy with the quality, Deeban’s mother, Shanthi Gireesan, began preparing fresh batter at home, making batches that would last four to five days. That simple act triggered a realisation. As more people adopt idlis and dosas as part of a healthier lifestyle, why is the market flooded with batter loaded with preservatives and chemicals to extend shelf life?

That question turned into a conversation, and the conversation slowly became a plan.

With no prior business experience but armed with product management instincts, Deeban wondered if this everyday problem could be solved at scale. What if fresh batter made with high-quality ingredients and no preservatives could be delivered to people who wanted convenience without compromising on health or taste?

Initially, his mother was hesitant. Turning a home skill into a business felt risky. So instead of taking a dramatic leap, they took a cautious first step. Batter Mami was born not in a factory, but on Instagram. They printed 200–300 flyers, got the necessary license, and began telling people a simple story: fresh batter, made daily, delivered to your doorstep.

“We advertised that we make fresh batter and deliver it to your home,” Deeban Gireesan told Startup Pedia.

Before scaling, they listened. The healthy food startup founder took surveys from people walking in parks, supermarket buyers, etc, about their experience with batter. The response was overwhelming. Most admitted they could not make batter correctly at home, and many were dissatisfied with what they bought outside.

In late 2023, Batter Mami officially began operations with two products: a regular rice-based batter and a ragi batter designed especially for diabetics and health-conscious consumers. For the first year, growth was hyperlocal and organic. Deeban reached out to nearby residents, relied on word-of-mouth, and sold what was essentially homemade batter—never older than 12 hours.

A major turning point came unexpectedly. A resident from a gated community of nearly 400 families approached Deeban, wanting to introduce Batter Mami to the entire complex. What followed was six to seven months of consistent repeat customers becoming the norm rather than the exception.

At that stage, Shanthi Gireesan was still making batter in their kitchen. It was a dream come true for her to start a business from home using her culinary skills.

As demand grew, Batter Mami began expanding thoughtfully. They introduced traditional spice blends such as curry leaf powder and dal powder, products deeply rooted in South Indian kitchens but often overlooked by modern brands.

The entire Gireesan family stood together to make the brand a success.

“My father and wife helped us a lot to build Batter Mami,” food startup founder Deeban shared with Startup Pedia.

To scale production without compromising quality, they partnered with a manufacturer equipped with large grinders. Batter Mami sourced premium ingredients themselves, ensured careful processing, and outsourced only the grinding. The control over recipes remains firmly with 59-year-old Shanthi Gireesan, who still decides the exact quantity and balance of ingredients.

The Batter Company is formed

Post-Diwali, Batter Mami took another bold step of rebranding to The Batter Company. It launched an aesthetic physical store in Bengaluru. Designed more like an ice cream parlour than a conventional grocery outlet, the store was meant to spark curiosity. People walked in just to see what was being sold. Inside, they watched batter being prepared fresh, turning the process into both education and experience.

Today, Batter Mami offers rice, ragi, and pesarattu batters, evolving itself clearly as a health-focused food startup. The product line has expanded further to include moringa powder, garlic powder, and curry leaf powder, sold under a sister brand, Masala Mami.

What began as a side experiment has turned into a fast-growing venture. From earning around Rs. 10,000 a month just a few months ago, Batter Mami is now generating over Rs. 1 lakh in monthly revenue, with a steady 15% month-on-month growth.

The company now operates two brands—Batter Mami for fresh batters and Masala Mami for spice powders. While the powders are shipped across India through their website and social media, the batter remains intentionally local. To maintain freshness, Battermami sells batter within a 2-km radius in Bengaluru and through platforms like Zomato, alongside their own storefront.

The team has grown, too. Batter Mami now employs sales staff, with Deeban setting up the operations in an autonomous mode without impacting his job, while his mother, Shanthi, remains the guardian of taste and tradition.

Beyond health and flavour, convenience is a core focus. Batter Mami’s batters come in reusable paper or plastic tubs rather than messy plastic pouches. Customers can scoop what they need and store the rest neatly in the fridge—small details that make a big difference in daily life.

At its heart, The Batter Company is not just a food startup. It is a story of generational knowledge finding relevance in a modern, urban lifestyle. It is about listening to parents, trusting tradition, and using thoughtful entrepreneurship to solve a problem millions quietly live with every morning.

From one mother’s kitchen to Bengaluru’s breakfast tables, The Batter Company proves that sometimes, the most scalable ideas are born from the simplest truths - fresh food tastes better, tradition matters, and home will always know best. 

Also read: ‘Grew X account to 13.3k followers, $2,800+ earned’: Mumbai entrepreneur celebrates buying MacBook after building AI startup (startuppedia.in)