Bringing a Tangy & Spicy Kick to the Market

Markham-based mother and daughter duo, Madiha and Farida are hoping to bring achar to homes as a household staple condiment– similar to how kimchi and ketchup are must-have staples in many homes. Achar is made of preserved and fermented fruits and vegetables that are pickled in oil, vinegar or lemon juice and spices, and brings a mix of tangy, sweet and salty heat to meals. Nani’s Achar brings fresh artisanal gourmet achar (pickle/condiment) to the market. Madiha discusses the story behind the business, how the ShopHERE program supported her and some of the opportunities and challenges she faced as a small business owner. 

Nani’s Achar’s story begins with the name of the business. The meaning behind the name ‘Nani’ is grandmother in many South-Asian languages, and Madiha’s grandmother played a very influential role in her upbringing. 

“We remember our Nani always shopped at several grocery stores to make sure she had the best ingredients available for her recipes. She would spend hours in the kitchen preparing her achars and never taking any short-cuts.”

Nani’s strong passion and love for food has been passed down through the generations, even to Madiha’s children who now call Farida “Nani”. 

“Our goal is to provide small-batch, authentic, 100% naturally fermented, preservative-free achars to the market.”

Each achar is created with loads of love, premium ingredients and aromatic spices to ensure quality. Currently, their competitors' achars that sell in grocery stores are imported from overseas, mass-produced and are filled with preservatives. In comparison to mass-producing businesses, Nani’s Achar includes no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. All of their products are vegan, gluten-free, trans-fat and cholesterol free, low-sodium and contain no added sugar.

Madiha decided to join the ShopHERE powered by Google Program to receive support for the process of bringing her business online. Initially, she found the idea of creating a website very daunting, but after joining the program and with the support of her eCommerce Coordinator, she found the process to be straightforward. Madiha found the ShopHERE program to be very helpful, clear and the coordinator very easy to work with. Together, they were able to create a website exactly how Madiha had envisioned it to be, while also meeting the business’s needs.

Madiha states that her biggest challenge is meeting demand as a small business and her biggest advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to not give up! 

“Start small and just get that store up and running.”

Taking that first step in a digital transformation can sometimes be the most difficult part of the process, and the ShopHERE powered by Google program is here to support you through each stage. Madiha recommends this program to other business owners so that they can be well equipped with all of the necessary tools to be successful in this digital world. Now that the Nani’s Achar website is live, Madiha believes that the greatest opportunity with having an eCommerce platform is to be able to grow the business while also being able to manage inventory and assets within the business.

“If you love hot sauce or kimchi, and have not tried achars, you’re definitely missing out! If you can’t handle the heat and prefer sweeter condiments, we also have something for you!”

You can order your own jars of Nani’s Achar online on their website nanisachar.ca and have the options to pick up, have it delivered locally or shipped worldwide.

If you are a small business interested in taking that first step in a digital transformation and want to have support building your own website, you can sign up for the ShopHERE powered by Google program sur ce site.