When we asked Kavita Anand, of Kavita’s Kitchen, how to best describe her business she replied “a childhood dream turned into an ultra-special foodie venture!” Based in Wellington’s Island Bay, Kavita makes Indian style plant-based curry pastes that are 100% fail proof and absolutely delicious!
Kavita’s Kitchen pastes come in three flavours – Madras Fusion, Butter Chicken or Rogan Josh which are all natural concentrates capturing that distinct authentic flavour that is often difficult to recreate in home kitchens. Best of all, they are incredibly simple to use – just add your desired protein, vegetables and liquid then just simmer and serve!
Kavita learnt to cook from her Paboji (Grandmother). She was her Paboji’s taste tester and sous chef!
"After Paboji passed, I missed her and her traditional delicious dishes. I remembered how she cooked for 20 people in under 30 minutes with her pastes, what a genius. So I went back to my roots, sourced the best ingredients, began roasting spices and recreated a collection of her curry pastes." Kavita Anand
She was also inspired by her Mother, who she remembers would keep ready-prepared curry pastes in the freezer for when unexpected guests turned up for dinner!
Kavita’s pastes contain no stabilisers, additives, enhancers, thickeners, emulsifiers and no added sugar. They’re also oil free and low sodium.
Kavita says the biggest challenges facing her business are the usual logistical problems small producers are faced with when doing everything by hand: pricing, packaging, shipping and specifically, keeping a product honest and premium while at a competitive price.
To help in these logistical challenges, Kavita applied for one of four positions and was successfully selected to participate in the Sustainable Business Network’s Good Food Boost. The programme provides mentoring and support from industry experts to fledgling food businesses who focus on local, seasonal or organic produce, and work to support environmental and social good. One of the industry experts on the mentoring panel is none other than Commonsense’ Head of Retail, Teva Stewart. Some examples of previous finalists are Superseed Crackers, and Half Baked Catering Co also available in Commonsense stores.
Kavita’s range of pastes are on sale in all Commonsense stores and Kavita herself is regularly in Wellington based stores doing tastings and demonstrations. PLUS we’re told she has a exciting new product in development, keep your eyes peeled!
