“Believe in your idea, listen to your customers, take risks, don’t fear failure and focus on building something meaningful.”
30 under 30 nominee Simran Bappu is a practising nutritionist with clinical and hospital experience, who turned a home baking habit into a business.
Inspired by her mother, Tina Bappu, Simran began experimenting with healthier desserts eight years ago when the idea of “healthy desserts” was not much in trend. Her brand, Paleoo Bakes, has operated for over five years, specialising in desserts that aim to be both nourishing and enjoyable, built around ingredients such as almond flour, coconut sugar, and stevia. In an exclusive chat with Entrepreneurs Today, she reveals,
“My mother’s love for baking and my own journey as a nutritionist have been my biggest inspirations. While working in clinics and hospitals, I came across countless people who were diabetic or pre-diabetic. I noticed that when people are told to avoid sweets completely, they often end up having them anyway. That’s when I realised that instead of trying to stop cravings, we needed to change the ingredients. By combining my mother’s passion for baking with my knowledge of nutrition, we created a brand focused on desserts that people can truly enjoy.”
Today, what makes Paleoo Bakes stand apart is its approach of blending clinical nutrition with artisanal baking. As a qualified nutritionist, she formulates desserts specifically for people managing diabetes and lifestyle conditions, using alternatives such as almond flour, coconut sugar and stevia while keeping taste intact. She adds,
“Our differentiation lies in our ingredient transparency, years of hands-on experience and a genuine commitment to helping people enjoy sweets in a more balanced, mindful way.”
The Journey
One of the initial challenges Simran faced was market scepticism. When she began, the idea of “healthy desserts” was still unfamiliar, and customers doubted whether alternatives like almond flour, coconut sugar, and stevia could deliver on taste. She had to educate buyers while proving, product by product, that indulgence and nutrition could coexist.
The second major challenge for the brand was formulation. Simran explains that alternative ingredients behave differently from conventional flour and sugar, which meant extensive trial and error to achieve the right texture, flavour, and consistency. Each recipe required repeated testing before it met both nutritional and sensory standards.
The third challenge was scaling the operations. Moving from a home kitchen to a professional setup meant investing in new equipment, higher production volumes, and stricter quality controls. Maintaining the same consistency and care at scale required system-building and process discipline. What helped navigate these troubles were continuous research, close attention to customer feedback, and steady persistence helped her convert early resistance into long-term trust.
Even though there have been challenges, the journey has been rewarding as well. Simran highlights,
“We measure the success of our business not just by growth in numbers but by the impact we create for our customers and the milestones we achieve.”
One of Simran’s milestones includes an appearance on Shark Tank India. Simran is also proud of opening the first outlet of Paleoo Bakes on Grant Road in 2025. Other achievements include expanding its flagship cloud kitchen in Andheri and launching a kiosk at Food Square. She further adds,
“Alongside these expansions, we have seen significant growth in our customer base, increasing repeat orders and engagement across our online platforms. Our team has also grown, enabling us to improve efficiency and service, while media coverage and positive customer feedback have helped solidify our brand in the market. Each step reflects not just expansion but the strengthening of our brand and the experiences we provide to our customers.”
A Bright Future
“We want to create a brand that reaches customers everywhere, offering convenience, quality, and a memorable experience both online and offline, and through our retail products.”
Within the next few years, Simran plans to expand and grow Paleoo Bakes into new cities while deepening its footprint in Mumbai through additional outlets, kiosks, and cloud kitchens.
She will also be launching a line of FMCG packaged products to bring the brand into retail and homes, backed by investments in team-building, operations, and technology. She plans to achieve this by investing in team growth, operational efficiency, and technology. The broader vision is to partner with suppliers, distributors, and retail channels.
With ambitious plans for the future, Simran signs off, saying,
“From appearing on Shark Tank to opening our first outlet, expanding our cloud kitchen, and launching our kiosk, we realised that things rarely go exactly as planned, and adapting quickly is key. Every setback, from operational hiccups to understanding what customers really want, taught us something valuable.”
