Mangaluru: When Anusha Achar, 32, from Moodubidire became a mother, she found herself rediscovering traditional postpartum nutrition that modern life had quietly pushed aside. The belief that the age-old recipes prepared by her grandmother and aunt were a treasure trove of knowledge worth preserving has now earned her national recognition.Anusha, founder, MaVedas Foods and Cereals Pvt Ltd has been selected among 26 Grassroots Innovators across the country for the Grassroots Innovator Recognition 2026. She will receive the honour from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 31.An electrical and electronics engineering graduate from the NIE, Mysuru, she never imagined she would one day become an entrepreneur in traditional nutrition. As she cared for her daughters, Annapoorna,9, and Diya,6, she realised how little emphasis was now placed on postpartum care, despite generations of women relying on nutritious herbal preparations for recovery after childbirth.“My grandmother Lalitha and my aunt Asha possessed immense knowledge of traditional recipes. I felt that if we do not preserve them now, they would disappear with the older generation,” she told TOI.Towards the end of 2024, she began recreating these recipes. Months of research, repeated trials and consultations followed. She first prepared small batches of lehas, Ayurvedic herbal jams and sought feedback from women visiting anganwadis, elderly women and nutrition experts. A nutritionist advised her to reduce the sugar content, prompting another two months of reformulation before the products were tested for nutritional value and shelf life in a laboratory.She then approached the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at Nitte (Deemed to be University), where chief executive officer Prof AP Achar mentored her through the incubation process. She registered her startup, received mentorship, participated in exhibitions, distributed product samples and refined her offerings based on customer feedback. Online orders soon began arriving from Bengaluru and other cities.Although she narrowly missed securing seed funding through one programme, she refused to give up. She learnt about the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog and submitted her application for the Grassroots Innovation programme on June 26, the final day for entries. Days later, she was shortlisted for the virtual presentation.“It was an anxious moment. I had just five minutes to pitch my idea and another 10 minutes to answer questions. Prof AP Achar helped me prepare for the presentation,” she recalled. After completing the interview round on July 15, she received an email confirmed that she had been selected for the national recognition, on Friday.MaVedas offers four products, including Bananthi Leha, formulated for postpartum mothers, and Methi Satva, suitable for women across different stages of life, including menopause, Methi Laddu and Garlic Leha (to be given only for three days after delivery).Having completed a certification programme at CFTRI, Anusha is now working on baby food, lactation bars and other nutritional products rooted in traditional recipes. She acknowledged the support of her husband, Prajwal Achar, MD, SKF Elixer, father-in-law, Ramakrishna Achar, chairman, SKF Elixer; and other family members.
