Want to make age-old recipes cool for millenials: Paperboat

Hector Beverages -- known for Paper Boat brand of drinks -- is taking traditional Indian items like chikki and aam papad to the millenials in a "cool" avatar.
Neeraj Kakkar, co-founder and CEO of Hector Beverages, said he sees himself as Superman, who is a "protector of traditional recipes".
"...it's like being Superman. You have this huge responsibility, and get paid for it. This whole challenge of making age-old recipes and making them cool for the millenials," Kakkar said during a session at the HT Leadership Summit.
The panel also included Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Mad Street Den founder Ashwini Asokan.

Kakkar said his company -- backed by NR Narayana Murthy's Catamaran Ventures -- has been adding food items like chikki (peanut bars in jaggery) and aam papad (fruit leather made of mango pulp) to its portfolio.
"We were trying to get the technology which has been used worldwide for making chocolate and granola bars, we have been working with farmers in Gujarat to get the right peanut quality," he said.

He explained that concerns around hygiene prompted people switch to chocolates even though chikkis are tasty and healthy.
"...so we're trying to bring in all the new stuff to this age old traditional recipes and making them contemporary, we are launching aam papad this month, I am so excited about that," he said.

Talking about his journey as an entrepreneur, Paytm's Sharma said he has been lucky to high-profile investors for his business.
"I am a fan boy of Masa (SoftBank's Masayoshi Son) and I am smitten by what Jack Ma (Alibaba) is building. I just can't believe that it happened in my life, that I will have them as my partners," he said.