Sweet dreams are made out of it (Jaggery aka GUD), we all know the benefits - Navnoor Kaur

Jaggercane is a quirky brand, and their plan is to move jaggery away from the ‘sad packaged good’ sitting in the back of departmental stores to a trendy item catching the customer’s eyes and then capturing their hearts.

Sweet dreams are made out of it (Jaggery aka GUD), we all know the benefits - Navnoor Kaur

Jaggery is natural sweetener that is extracted from the juice of sugarcane. It is rich in iron and foliates and therefore helps in preventing anemia. Jaggery is good source of instant energy that helps fight fatigue and weakness in human body. It is also packed with minerals and antioxidants like zinc and selenium which treat free radical damage as well. If we regularly consume jaggery, it possesses ability to purify blood.

Knowing all these benefits of jaggery, Navnoor Kaur instituted Jaggercane in 2021 with an aim to nudge people. Even consuming jaggery in its minimum quantities, that’s enough to cater to more than 30% of a person’s daily iron intake.

Jaggercane is a quirky brand, and their plan is to move jaggery away from the ‘sad packaged good’ sitting in the back of departmental stores to a trendy item catching the customer’s eyes and then capturing their hearts. The idea is to use jaggery as a base, enhancing its benefits by adding healthy value additions such as nuts and seeds.

About the Founder

Navnoor Kaur is a commerce graduate from Punjab University. She had pursued her career in MBA marketing from IMT, Ghaziabad. She got campus placement and worked with a reputed firm for 2 years and 8 months. Since her childhood, she wanted to be a part of food and beverage industry. She had maintained a diary where, she noted down all the ideas and thoughts that clicked her mind. Born and brought up in agriculture heartland (Punjab) of India, she always witnessed wonders of organic products at her home. She had experienced use of jaggery instead of sugar in her home as a substitute.

Idea behind the business

In India, annual worth of sugar industry is nearly 150,000 crores.  Sugar is unhealthy and has empty calories, Navnoor wanted to have a substitute for sugar which should also be pocket friendly. There comes the idea of Jaggercane startup. More than 50% of the Indian women and children are anemic and jaggery is full of antioxidants, iron and minerals. It is less used in meals and as a sweetener, because of the lack of availability of good quality, hygienic jaggery, as market of jaggery is not properly organized. Jaggercane is building its brand in a way that it is quirky and packaging is also not old and simple, which is not kept in back rows of departmental stores, but is used as a daily use product. At present there are 6 SKUs, all the varieties can be eaten directly or can be used in drinks and desserts. The bestseller is Almond Illaichi jaggery crumbs. The products are available on Amazon and their website- https://www.jaggercane.com/

Jaggery has highly nutritive value.  It is a good source of minerals like iron, calcium, etc.  It has medicinal value and increases food palatability, whereas, sugar serves as source of Sucrose only. Sugar is only a sweetening agent on the other hand Jaggery adds quite a unique and natural taste, It is, without a doubt, a healthier and nutritious sweetener.

Motivation and challenges

Major challenge being faced in the business is that it is a new category, therefore, it is difficult to take a place in people’s minds and hearts. It has been very difficult for Jaggercane to get people to make their first purchase. Tasting and in-sampling is critical part in their product. Once the audience tastes the product, they definitely buy it- to a ratio is 75-80%. In offline distribution, there is a war in the departmental store. There is a clutter of so many products; it becomes difficult to stand out.

The firm gets motivated from positive customer feedback, and they believe in consistent efforts in the right direction definitely yield positive results. Jaggercane is here to make a mark and stay strong for long.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” –Steve Jobs.

Advice to Readers

Jaggery is recommended to be consumed in appropriate quantities after each meal, we would also suggest you the same keeping in mind the unlimited benefits jaggery contains. 

Our jaggery is naturally extracted from 100% organic sugarcanes. The cleaning of sugarcane juice is done with the okra (ladyfinger) roots.

 It is rich in nutrients, and jaggery caters 30% of daily iron intake. Jaggery powder is organic that is used to add sweetness and natural flavour to a variety of dishes.

It helps boost resistance against infections, hence building stronger immunity. Jaggery acts as a natural sweetener and provides energy over an extended period of time.