For Jyoti Srivastava, a chemical engineer by profession, motherhood was not a barrier to her success, instead, it birthed an entrepreneur in her.

The 32-year-old Meerut resident runs a millet-based baby food business called Little Cherry Mom.

Earlier, the engineer used to design rockets to be commissioned in the Indian Army. She loved her job but had to quit as she felt overworked and underpaid.

Meanwhile, after childbirth, she faced several issues with breastfeeding her son. As a mother, she did not want to make any mistakes during his solid food journey.

She learnt that food companies are artificially infusing enzymes that can be naturally given. To avoid that, she bought all the raw materials and started preparing food for her son Cherry.

Being a studious person with a good job, she was mocked by relatives when she quit her job and started a parenting page to spread awareness about millet.

“The transition was not easy. People were not very comfortable with my parenting style. I was labelled ‘Mummy blogger’,” laughs Jyoti.

In 2022, she launched a baby food business that offers millet products including instant dosa mixes, sugar, and jaggery-free laddus (sweet).

“Millet is very nutritious. It is a myth that a plant-based diet does not have the essential amino acids. Sprouted ragi has 10 times more calcium than wheat or rice,” she says.

Since its launch in 2022, her company has catered to more than 12,000 customers. With this, she has been able to clock an annual revenue of around Rs 1 crore.