Millets National Media Portal
Millets National Media Portal
Krishnaa Kantthawala, an entrepreneur who left her high-paying job in Singapore after nearly 15 years in the luxury retail industry, has built a successful millet-based food brand in India. Her entrepreneurial journey began with a vision to bring traditional, nutritious Indian grains back into everyday meals through convenient and healthy food products. In 2021, she launched Smart Eleven in Pune, Maharashtra, transforming her interest in healthy eating into a growing food business with international market opportunities.
The idea for Smart Eleven emerged during her stay in Singapore, where Krishnaa observed that nutritious grains such as buckwheat and amaranth were widely available and regularly consumed. She noticed that ingredients traditionally used in Indian households were often considered specialty health foods in international markets. This inspired her to explore the potential of millets and other traditional grains as convenient food options for modern consumers.
After returning to India in late 2018, Krishnaa decided to focus on the healthy food sector. In 2019, she connected with the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) in Hyderabad and enrolled in a millet-focused training programme. She also visited millet-growing villages across Maharashtra to understand farming practices, production challenges and the importance of millets in supporting rural livelihoods. Her experience helped her recognize the need to connect traditional agricultural products with changing consumer preferences.
Smart Eleven was subsequently incubated at IIMR and received a grant of Rs 25 lakh to support its development. Krishnaa officially launched the brand in May 2021 with five varieties of millet noodles. Instead of immediately establishing an expensive manufacturing facility, she partnered with an existing manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu. She also invested approximately Rs 14 lakh in setting up a warehouse and packaging facility in Undri, Pune.
The brand uses nutritious grains such as jowar, ragi, bajra and foxtail millet to develop a diverse range of food products. Its portfolio includes millet noodles, pasta, sugar-free cookies and khakhra. Smart Eleven offers khakhra in 18 flavours, while its noodles and pasta are available in five flavours each. Its sugar-free cookies come in four varieties, providing consumers with convenient alternatives to conventional snack products.
The company's international journey began just three months after its launch, when it received its first export order from Norway. Subsequently, Smart Eleven expanded its overseas presence to markets including Nepal, Angola, Congo and the United States. According to the reported business figures, approximately 60 per cent of its sales came from international markets, while the remaining 40 per cent came from India. Its products were also available through online platforms such as Amazon and BigBasket, alongside offline distribution in Bengaluru.
Smart Eleven reportedly generated monthly revenue of around Rs 12 lakh in late 2023, highlighting the growing commercial potential of millet-based food products. Krishnaa's journey demonstrates how traditional grains can create opportunities for food innovation, entrepreneurship and international trade. Her business also highlights the importance of promoting millets, supporting farming communities and making nutritious foods accessible through modern product formats. As consumer interest in healthy eating continues to grow, millet-based brands such as Smart Eleven are contributing to the expansion of India's value-added millet food industry.
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