A serious fire accident in her early childhood left Dr Aarti Bhalla scarred and disfigured, leading to 42 reconstruction surgeries subsequently. It made her physically and emotionally traumatised, making it a necessity for her to search for wellbeing solutions and being a nature lover, it was natural for her to fall back on Ayurveda, naturopathy and other traditional therapies.
Concurrent to this, a strong inner desire to share her experience and solutions with others in a similar situation was awakened. “At times, a vision is born out of adverse circumstances in one’s own life and this was my inspiration from which was born The Kitchen Factory,” says Aarti who is an Ayurvedic doctor and Founder.
A brand that acknowledges the value of common spices like ajwain and jeera for good health when used properly in food through their various practical trials supported by Ayurvedic expertise.
Her personal kitchen serves as both the factory and laboratory, where each product is blended in small batches. Though some of the items have now left the kitchen, their formulas and purity haven’t changed.
The Ayurvedic way of healing
The Kitchen Factory’s product line consists of food for skin care, hair care, and gut health. No artificial colouring or synthetic fragrances are used in the making of the products.The majority of the recipes are influenced traditionally, although several have been developed, handcrafted, and improved over years of practice while taking into account contemporary needs.
The brand also employs naturally derived preservatives or self-preserving ingredients.
Speaking on the sourcing of raw materials for the products, Aarti says, “We do our raw material sourcing which is a scrutinised detailed endeavour, from across India with a special focus on purity & quality. We ensure procurement of sustainable raw materials without causing any harm to the environment. In this process, we also try to promote local producers who are denied direct access to bigger markets.”
The company has been operating for more than 20 years and was registered in 2017, although it was only a side project. “Tourism was my main line, so I didn’t give much importance to the business, we didn’t make a website or anything for it but in 2019 when the pandemic struck and the travel industry went on a break that’s when I thought to start this as a full time venture,” Aarti explains.
In 2020 Aarti began devoting her heart and soul to the project, and last year she developed the website and became active on social media. “The increasing relevance of our traditional heritage, such as Ayurveda, in contemporary times is indeed a source of immense pride. This is also the need of the hour looking at our modern lifestyles,” Aarti comments on the Ayurvedic industry’s rising prominence in recent times.
Overcoming the barriers
Her passion was her driving force that led her to relevant studies, which opened many doors for her to understand natural formulations. Moreover, Aarti’s travels led her to remote hilly regions where she was able to discover many curative properties of different herbs alongside gathering direct experience from local healers. All of these lessons helped her to overcome the many challenges that she faced in the initial years.
According to her, it was this happy marriage of traditional studies and direct practical experience that empowered her to surmount the obstacles that came her way. “When one is passionate about a cause, it is rightly said that the whole universe conspires to help and difficulties seem to recede. This is exactly what happened in my case,” adds Aarti.
More to come
Since entering the national market, her long-term goal is to expand internationally, and work has already begun in earnest in this direction, making the brand’s future promising. Aarti is committed to making her brand a household name through research and innovation, which will be a continual and ongoing process within the company. “There shall be no compromises on the quality of our products ever,” Aarti promises.
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