Nadine Habayeb is the founder and CEO at Bohana, a company that produces spirited snacks for your body. It’s the first startup ever to produce air-popped water lily seeds. They make use of an old ingredient called the Ayurvedic from India.

The company has its headquarters in Boston. Together with her co-founder Priyal Bhartia, the two are curious to learn and provide many ancient foods to diversify their cultures. Through Indian culture, Priyal rediscovered the popular snacks Popped Water Lily seeds. When she first proposed to prepare the snacks, the CEO Nadine Habayeb was very attracted to it. They have been helping each other to come up with more innovative ideas and bring them to life.

Luckily, in 2020, they got a chance to present their foodstuffs on the ABC Shark Tank. Within the panel, they got an investor who has helped in the expansion of Bohana. The two co-founders have strong values that they share in common. Bhartia was a farmer, working on her agricultural land and supply chain operation. Nadine Habayeb, on the other hand, worked in the hospitality and fashion industry, specializing in consumer brand marketing. She was also a senior communication officer to ensure Europe, the US, and the Middle East interacted in the best way possible.

Since I was a kid, I have had a passion for food. When I was a teenager, I would prepare all the meals for our family. Sometimes I mix the food with exotic ingredients to see how it might taste. Another advantage is that I never grew up in a single country. I am a half-cast between Palestinian and Lebanese. However, I haven’t lived in those countries, but we used to visit them once in a while. So, my passion for embracing new cultures was too high. I enjoyed mixing with different people, learning, and adapting to new environments.

Before we could create Bohana, I was employed in the fashion industry. At that moment, I can say that I was missing my self-made beverages and foodstuffs. The moment I went back to business school to further my education, it was a great opportunity to go back and prepare my traditional foods.

Priyal started dating her current husband eight years ago. The man was my childhood friend and we related well. So we natured our friendship and supported each other. Sometimes we could refer to ourselves as spiritual junkies interested in learning different traditional foods. Priyal’s husband got sick at one point, and he was advised to consume only plant-based foods. So Priyal made her way to her home country India, where he rediscovered that Popped Water Lily. She was only going to pick Ayurvedic roots.

Forming of Bohana

After returning, she introduced the snack to me while in Boston Business School. Henceforth, Popped Water Lily seed has become part of me. I investigated and saw that the plant grows in many places, specifically in India, but not in the US. That was a gap market, so I decided to introduce the seed in the United States to get feedback.

Both of us were very passionate about the new journey. So, I made a step to find a makhana supplier from India. Lucky enough, we are living in a world of technology, we found out few suppliers who were very reliable as per their online reviews. So, we made our way back to India to discuss the business. It was bad luck that we arrived and noticed that the so-called popular supplier wasn’t even in the business. That is the disadvantage of online things. We were pissed off with this matter.

There are many mistakes that food startups make. Most people will launch certain products without much knowledge and the problem they want to solve. It’s not all about money, but what is your strategy. You must understand your manifestation, values, and mission. There is a need to know what you are offering different from the rest who have been there longer than you. It’s essential to do more research and understand the “why” before anything else. New entrepreneurs must know the reason for setting up a brand and how best it will outshine its competitors.

Customers’ Feedback Is Important.

Suppose you have a new product, dig deep, and come up with a perfect recipe. Then scale down your business before launching. Your first audience should be the surrounding, that is, friends, family, neighbors, and classmates(for those in school). After that, you can go ahead and supply your food to other farmers, local stores, and even the market.

While doing that, make sure you collect enough data through the customers’ feedback, either positive or negative both are lessons. That’s where you decide the amount to charge per single product you are offering. If you realize that the consumer needs the product at half the price you are using to make, that is a big problem. Noticing such minor things is essential; they will help in making future decisions.

Power of communities

There are many people outside who can help you with business tricks. You can join communities that make a similar product like yours, either online or just local market. We have more than thousands of food entrepreneurs across the world. These groups have massive information that can build your character. Then, you can start with what you have. For example, we started preparing our food in my home. If you can afford a city kitchen, go ahead. Sometimes rent is too expensive in towns. I have seen other startups collaborate with a manufacturer who then helps scale up their product.

Avoid Fear

It isn’t easy to bring ideas to life. The theory is different from real-world practical. But many are just afraid of implementing it. Just wake up and give it a trial. Even if it’s normal food we prepare every day, find people who can buy it. If someone is willing to give some money in exchange for the product, you are on the right track. Validation and verification are the first steps in this journey. Don’t ever look back the moment you begin setting up your margin and making your first sale. Start with something simple for those who have little or no capital. If you set up your mission and vision and remain consistent, everything will move smoothly.

Bootstrap or Investors?

When hiring a consultant, you must be very clear about what you want. Asking for help is never wrong. Experienced people will help you. To have someone you look up to can give you the best direction. If you can afford it, walk along with a mentor, co-founder, consultant, or advisor.

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Many people are always confused either to look for venture capitalists or bootstrap. But this will depend on the ownership of the business. For sure, if you want to grow fast, you need financial support. Investors can be great advisors because most of them have been in the business for a long. But also, if you want to retain 100% ownership, bootstrapping is the perfect option. The advantage is that it becomes faster in making decisions and judgments.

Need To Create Successful FoodLine

For those who weren’t to create a successful Food Line, follow the following advice:

• Have a clear understanding of what you want to offer – this will help you when you doubt yourself.
• During your early days with the startup, do research, listen, and learn from anything around the business.
• Then, throughout your journey, we learned that you must plan for twice the money and time spent in the startup. As time goes by, you need to sacrifice a lot to save the business.
• Form strong bonds with people. You will realize there are times when it becomes very lonely. But if you collaborate with other entrepreneurs and retailers, they will lend you a hand during difficult moments.
• Lastly, swim into it. If you think of something, never be afraid of making the first step. Just give it all, and you will see results.

Add Taste To Your Products

Young entrepreneurs or enthusiasts must realize that, just because you like something, your people will like it too. No, it’s different out here. So again, we go back to what we said: feedback from friends, family, and local marketers is essential. Don’t follow the trends, be yourself. Let people love what you offer naturally, don’t force. Make that product to be part of their daily consumption. Connect and make strong bonds with clients. Improve and add a taste to your products.

My company concentrates on bringing a holistic product, Ayurveda, to the limelight. We identified a gap market in Spirit Snacking, and that’s where we put much of our focus. People should avoid trendy foods because most of them result in various kinds of diseases. Take traditional simple foods.

Through Ayurveda roots, we believe that everyone is unique in their bodies. We hope to take our food business brand to the next level. We want to offer more spiritual products than foods only in the future. In addition, we have high hopes in promoting the wellness industry.

To a young Nadine Habayeb, I recommend reading stories about Oprah, the strong lady. She has been my inspiration since I was a teenager.