Meet Kaushalya Choudhary Her Initial YouTube Channel Wasn’t Successful She made another attempt and was successful. After that, she started a clean label food brand Startup, which currently has 39 locations around India
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Meet Kaushalya Choudhary Her Initial YouTube Channel Wasn't Successful She made another attempt and was successful. CREDIT: Kaushalya Choudhary - Founder of Sidhi Marwadi—a Clean-Label Food Brand
Meet Kaushalya Choudhary Her Initial YouTube Channel Wasn’t Successful She made another attempt and was successful, a clean label food brand that has expanded from a small Rajasthani town to a national presence, revolutionizing women-led business and rural and social development in India.
A young woman once stood in her courtyard in a small agricultural community close to Bhopalgarh tehsil in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, juggling her dreams and household life. She was Kaushalya Choudhary, and her family and her passion for traditional Marwadi food dominated her life. Her spouse purchased an entry-level smartphone for her in 2017. Her life was altered by that tiny act.
“I simply wanted to introduce people to our cuisine and culture. Kaushalya muses, “I had no idea that this tiny step would start a movement.” She started posting Hindi culinary videos on her first YouTube channel, All India Rasoi, that year. Although the recipes were real, there was no real audience connection. And the channel was unable to expand after two difficult years.
Kaushalya acknowledges, “I was new to content creation and tried hard to succeed, but viewers just didn’t feel the soul of Rajasthan in my Hindi videos.” However, Kaushalya never gave up. She chose to change course.
“Sidhi Marwadi’s” beginnings: a digital phenomenon
In February 2019, Kaushalya started a new YouTube channel in her native Rajasthani-Marwadi language named Sidhi Marwadi. The transformation was magical. The channel gained over 100,000 followers in less than a month, earning her more than Rs 10 lakh.
Kaushalya, a rural woman entrepreneur who achieved success without abandoning her roots, rose to fame on social media thanks to her upbeat demeanor and genuine cuisine. The Sidhi Marwadi YouTube channel, which honors Rajasthani food, culture, and language, has 1.70 million followers, over 360 videos, and a loyal following.
In an exclusive interview with Indifact News, Kaushalya Chaudhary proudly states, “The success of the Sidhi Marwadi YouTube channel proved that the younger Indian generation still cares deeply about our culture and food.”
But for her, celebrity wasn’t enough! “I didn’t want to limit myself to the digital realm. Kaushalya continues, “I wanted to make something concrete that could empower more women like me.”
From MasterChef to a Food Startup: Additional Feathers in the Cap
Kaushalya had experienced a number of highs and lows before her eventual commercial triumph. She attempted to create a website and app for her community in 2020, but was let down by a tech vendor who stole 4 lakh and vanished. Despite my heartbreak, I continued. We finally obtained the Sidhi Marwadi app and website in November 2023, three and a half years after I recruited another tech vendor, Kaushalya remembers.
However, something amazing had already occurred! Kaushalya competed against 40,000 people nationally in the eighth season of MasterChef India in August 2023. She was the only Rajasthani competitor to make it to the Top 12, and her real Rajasthani food won over the judges. Her vision was changed by the encounter, even if she left before the conclusion.
“I learned a few things from my time at MasterChef. If one door closes, another will open—but only if you’re prepared to try again. Kaushalya smiles and says, “It also gave me the confidence that our traditional Indian food deserves global recognition.”
She focused her cash and efforts on a clean-label Indian food brand after returning home. Kaushalya invested ₹20 lakh from her YouTube income to buy machinery and establish production and packaging facilities because the app and website were already operational.
In March 2024, she founded Sidhi Marwadi, a clean-label food firm situated in Jodhpur that offers traditional Marwadi cuisine-based food products that are 100% natural, devoid of chemicals and preservatives. She began with just 19 goods, including Rajasthani dried veggies, oils, and masalas.
Her initial clients were her followers. Over 3 lakh consumers were served online by Sidhi Marwadi in its first month, a remarkable accomplishment for a bootstrapped business. We don’t use a lot of marketing. We are represented by our community and Rajasthani culture, according to Kaushalya.
Using Business Growth to Empower Women: A Social Vision
Sidhi Marwadi established its first physical store in Jodhpur around the middle of 2024. Due to the enormous demand, the brand has grown to 39 franchise-based retail locations throughout India in just a year and a half, ranging from Ahmedabad and Surat to Chennai and Coimbatore.
Since women own the majority of these businesses, women-led entrepreneurship is spreading in both urban and rural areas. The majority of these women had never considered starting their own businesses. They wear their culture on their sleeves and do it with pride today. According to Kaushalya, each store represents their financial freedom and is more than just a business.
Pickles, which were just added, are among the more than 30 products that the business currently offers in four categories. The best-selling items, which range in price from 45 to 5,800, are mustard oil, kasuri methi, and red chilli powder. “We use traditional methods to make all of our items. For instance, to maintain their aroma, our masalas are ground gently and our oils are cold-pressed. The taste is natural and authentic because we don’t use preservatives, says Kaushalya.
The company has a strong social mission. Over 35 rural women are directly employed by Sidhi Marwadi to manage daily operations, production, and packing. They may make a steady living without having to leave their villages thanks to this strategy.
“Many of our female team members had never held a job before. They are now self-sufficient and proud members of their families. Fundamentally, Sidhi Marwadi is a social enterprise with roots in Indian culture and an eye toward the future, according to Kaushalya.
Her spouse continues to play a crucial role in her journey by assisting with the procurement of raw materials, packaging, distribution, and the development of the Sidhi Marwadi brand. “My spouse has been a true life partner and my greatest source of support. It is impossible to overestimate his contribution to Sidhi Marwadi and my achievement,” Kaushalya says with affection.
The Path Ahead: Expanding to Over 100 Stores and Expanding Worldwide
After serving more than a million clients, Sidhi Marwadi now intends to grow to 100 locations by FY 2025–2026 and eventually investigate foreign markets including the USA, Canada, and Australia.
Sidhi Marwadi’s prospects appear even more promising as the F&B sector in India is expected to reach $68 billion by 2030. The startup continues to be profitable and bootstrapped.
“We haven’t yet found any outside investors, but we have raised a small sum of money from close friends and family. However, Kaushalya tells Indifact News, “We’re open to funding from like-minded strategic partners who share our values of rural, youth, and women’s empowerment.”
The long-term goals of Kaushalya go beyond growth, sales targets, and profits. A socioeconomic movement called Sidhi Marwadi aims to revitalize rural arts, culture, food, and language. According to Kaushalya, “We want to create livelihoods in rural communities while bringing the authentic ingredients of Indian cuisine to global tables.”
In the very competitive Indian startup scene, the Jodhpur-based company stands out for its quest of fusing women’s entrepreneurship, clean-label food philosophy, and cultural authenticity.
Kaushalya ends by saying, “Sidhi Marwadi is not just my story it’s the story of every Indian woman who dreams of financial independence and empowerment without leaving her culture and traditions behind.”
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