Falu Shah, founder of Howdah

Julia is joined by Falu Shah, founder of the Howdah brand of Indian snacks.

Having grown up in Mumbai, Falu wanted to bring authentic Indian flavours to the UK snacking aisle and show Brits there’s more to Indian snacks than Bombay Mix. Her brand is now listed in Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Selfridges and scores of independent retailers.

Falu talks to Julia about the rise of the at-home bar snack, why Howdah has partnered with craft beer and coffee subscription companies to tap new snacking occasions and how she’s been affected by the supply chain crisis.

Falu is also very purpose-driven and wants her brand to give back. That's why she’s struck a partnership with a major Indian charity to provide one free school lunch to a child in India for every bag of Howdah sold. Falu explains why she’s so passionate about sustainable giving, the importance of making charity partnerships transparent and easy to understand for consumers and why education in particular is an issue that’s close to her heart.

To learn more about Akshaya Patra, the charity working with Howdah and delivering school lunches to children in need in India, visit akshayapatra.org

Articles discussed by Falu and Julia:

A lost generation: India’s COVID crisis reverses decades of progress for children | LA Times

Food shortages could be permanent, warns industry body | BBC News

UK CMOs expect DTC to account for 30% of sales in 5 years | The Drum

Links to the big food and grocery stories of the week:

Gas price crisis: Food firms face huge price rise for carbon dioxide | BBC News

Almost 100,000 pigs backlogged on farms as CO2 shortages compound impact of labour crisis | The Grocer

Tesco, Amazon and McDonald's warn of Christmas disruption due to HGV driver crisis | ITV News

Aldi to open store with no checkout in London | The Daily Telegraph

Asda partners with Wayve for autonomous van trial | Retail Week

Morrisons serves up deal to supply pubs as takeover auction looms | The Sunday Times

M&S makes venture capital investment in digital push | FT

How green is your food? Eco-labels can change the way we eat, study shows | The Guardian

Premier Foods claims first with Saxa sprays for managing salt intake | The Grocer

 

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