Meet Nandini Mukherjee, founder and president of Indian Bread Co.
Fresh, Warm, Flavorful...and Profitable
Walk down Bleecker Street in New York’s Greenwich Village and you will come across the delicious smell of soft, doughy bread mixing pleasantly with coriander, onions and tandoor-charred meats.
This delightful aroma is wafting out of Indian Bread Co., a contemporary, relaxed café and catering business offering fresh, flavorful, portable Indian food. What’s portable Indian food, you ask? Picture a panini stuffed with lamb Vindaloo and you’ll get the idea (and probably a strong craving too).
“The welcome is warm, as is the spiced masala chai tea,” declares AOL City Guide in one of many rave reviews of this new spot, and it’s no wonder people are taking notice. Indian Bread Co. was launched in 2003 by Nandini Mukherjee, a dynamic, ambitious 33-year-old, who set out to create an entirely new restaurant concept.
“The Indian food in New York left me disappointed,” says Nandini, who grew up in India. She dreamed up the idea of creating a “bright, cheerful café” combining traditional Indian flavors with our contemporary eating habit of food-on-the-go.
Unlike many people, Nandini didn’t stop at dreaming. She took action, and success has come quickly. Indian Bread Co. has attracted several famous customers, such as film director Mira Nair and singer Norah Jones, and Nandini has provided her delicious fare for some of the biggest events in Manhattan, including the 2004 Republican National Convention and the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
But growth takes hard work, and Nandini has faced more than a few 20-hour days baking naan and seeking financing.
After borrowing money from her home equity line and asking her husband to invest, Nandini found Count Me In and applied for a Make Mine a Million $ Business award package. She says that winning the award was “one of the best experiences of my life.”
With a non-business background (she went to school for architecture and lighting design), Nandini benefited greatly from the program’s business coaching, technology package and public relations support. She received a line of credit from OPEN and a loan from Count Me In, and she is working with a financial advisor to plan for the future.
Nandini has also enjoyed the support of her fellow women entrepreneurs. “As part of Count Me In, you are the sum of a whole. You are constantly in touch with women who are achieving a lot. It makes you want to make the best of each day.”
Count Me In has also helped Nandini to focus on her growth plans. “I fully believe in our product and that now is the time to take it to the next level,” she says. “I want to brand the concept and in three to four years I’d like to open three more company-owned locations in New York City, and then go out and explore franchising or licensing options. Another revenue model is that we could be sold at supermarkets. We want to grow step-by-step.”
Nandini says that her ongoing goal is to live life on her terms. She defines success as “the freedom to make my choices, attain my goals and work toward my dreams—taking my future in my own hands.”
Thanks to her popular and delicious hand-held treats, Nandini is well on her way to making those dreams come true.
