“By profession, I am a mechanical engineer. For nearly three decades, I built my career in industrial automation.

What started as a modest venture in a garage with my childhood classmate grew into Vega Conveyors & Automation. We built custom material-handling systems for names including Cadbury, Nestlé, Britannia, Amul and Balaji Wafers.

When Daifuku acquired Vega, I knew the company was in capable hands. I stepped away as co-promoter. After decades in business, I finally had time to ask myself: What next?

The answer came around 2020, when I began exploring millets—not as a business opportunity, but simply out of curiosity. The more I read, the more fascinated I became by their history and traditional preparation. Millets had been part of Indian diets for thousands of years, long before rice and wheat became dominant staples.

I also learned that phytates can affect the absorption of certain minerals, while traditional processes such as germination and fermentation can reduce phytate levels. That raised a question for me: if these traditional methods were so valuable, why weren’t they being adopted more widely?

For nearly three years, I studied the science and traditional practices behind millet preparation. Eventually, that research led me back to entrepreneurship.

Through HETC Foods and our brand, Navdhan, we developed a controlled sprouting and milling process to bring traditional millet preparation into a more convenient form for modern kitchens.

After more than 30 years in business, I have learnt that ideas are rarely the hardest part. Staying with an idea when the excitement wears off is. Entrepreneurship demands patience, resilience and emotional stamina.

There is no shortcut to building something meaningful. It is an endurance test.”

— Sai Srinivas Vavilala