Success Story Of Jugaadi Adda's Two Founders
In 2016, two young people who met in college and fell in love opened a vada pav and pav bhaji business in a 12-square-foot location in Mumbai's affluent Kamala Mills district for Rs 5 lakh. 5 years later, Akshay Pramod Rane and Dhanashree Gharat are the proud proprietors of Jugaadi Adda, a 34-unit eatery chain with a Rs 20 crore revenue famed for its mouthwatering fusion vada pav.
The pair picked the franchise concept for speedy development after creating delectable variations of the famous Maharashtra snack. Only 2 of the 34 stores are owned by the firm; the rest are franchisees. The firm, which is registered as a sole proprietorship, is run by both Akshay and Dhanshree. The pair, who come from middle-class backgrounds, are now enjoying the results of their hardwork.
Dhanashree's father works for the fire department, whereas Akshay's father works for BPCL as a senior engineer. In 2016, Akshay left his job as a software engineer at Wipro to open their first shop at Kamala Mills with only two employees: one to manufacture the vada pav and the other to serve clients.
Initially, the store offered standard vada pav and pav bhaji, as seen in similar places around Mumbai. However, Akshay and Dhanashree began experimenting and came up with many vada pav variations, which quickly became a major hit with the consumers. The 'Dil Khush' vada pav - a blend of red sukha chutney, schezwan, some spices, and a pav pan stirred in butter - was Akshay's first creation.
After meeting Dhanashree at Vidyalankar School of Information Technology in Mumbai, where he finished his engineering, Akshay's life took a step in the right direction. While Akshay did well in school, Dhanashree was the top student.
The two agreed to launch a business with the understanding that Akshay would leave his job and devote his time to the company, while Dhanashree would continue to work until the enterprise was stable. The vada pav store was Akshay's heart and soul. Business surged once he launched fusion vada pav, and they opened franchises in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Thane, Rajkot, and Morbi.
While the franchisees make roughly Rs 1.5 crore in monthly sales, their two shops generate Rs 3 crore in yearly revenue. In their stores, the price of vada pav ranges from Rs 20 to Rs 50. Jugaadi Adda has grown into a 34-unit food franchise with locations across Maharashtra and Gujarat.