The journey started in August 2017, when Utsav and Aavika Chhawchharia founded Honey & Dough bakery in Delhi. Until a few years back, Delhi had very few names associated in the bakery industry that were recognized for their exotic cakes and pastry collections.

Some of the prominent Delhi based names were Wenger’s and Theobroma. Lately, the number of home-grown bakery brands has increased, along with several international brands like L’Opera marking their places.

This newly founded bakery, Honey & Dough is also swiftly rising and is on its way of becoming a successful bakery brand in India. Presently, there are 8 self-funded outlets of Honey & Dough across Delhi, including Defense Colony, Dwarka, and Vasant Kunj.

The beginning

Utsav Chhawchharia, the co-founder of Honey & Dough, was working in the petrochemical business. The initial idea of the venture was developed by his wife, Aavika Chhawchharia. A famous bakery chain in Chandigarh always made her think why any such bakery chain wasn’t there in Delhi. This thought served to be her inspiration.

The survival

At the time the journey started, there were already some established stores in the market. Making a place of its own in this competitive world could prove to be difficult. Keeping this issue in mind, Utsav and Aavika laid the first foundation of their store at Defense Colony, which at that time already had 5 other bakery shops.

They believed that if they will soar through this competitive environment, then they will definitely survive at all the other places. Their idea was to have an all-in-one bakery brand where something was available for all kinds of people at affordable prices.

Though their products were a bit high-end compared to others in the vicinity, customers were attracted due to their excellent quality and diverse variety. From a Rs 50 pastry for students to a Rs 300 almond fudge for someone who wants something fancy, products of all ranges were available.

The lessons learned on the way

In the early days, Utsav and Aavika were renting small stores in order to save up a bit, but soon they realized that the customers preferred spacious and open stores.

They also experimented making everything gluten-free as is the trend nowadays. Though the experiment didn’t work out, they got a better understanding of the market.

The game plan

No business can prosper without efficient marketing. The founders of Honey & Dough have experimented with influencer marketing. They accept orders online on their website and through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

They have tied up with third-party foodservice aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato. They have also collaborated with top bloggers in order to advertise Honey and Dough.

The climb of success

Honey & Dough has now spread widely across Delhi having 8 outlets at all the prominent places. It is aiming for a turnover of Rs 2 crore every month. It also intends to further expand its reach by opening another 10 outlets in Delhi and then venturing into other parts of India.