Today we’d like to introduce you to Rina Chandarana
Hi Rina , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Years ago, I struggled with acne while experiencing a lot of stress. My Mom suggested a weekly homemade face mask of chickpea and turmeric-a skincare remedy passed down by my Great-Grandmother. Mom also said to drink karela (bitter melon) juice daily to “cool” my insides. To my relief, these Ayurvedic remedies worked. It was the first time I realised how inner and outer beauty are so connected.
Over the years I’ve experienced various health concerns like migraines and gut issues. After being bounced around from one doctor to the next (with a mounting pile of medical bills), I once again turned to Ayurveda to get to the root cause and heal.
Ayurveda is an over 5000-year-old holistic science to support mind, body and soul balance with practices like yoga, meditation, herbal remedies and spiritual connection.
My personal health and beauty challenges eventually led me to launch Chand & Radha. I kept talking to women who were also struggling and wanted to find natural solutions.
Chand & Radha’s Ayurvedic powder blends for smoothies and lattes are formulated with an Ayurvedic doctor to support women’s beauty and health since the two go hand in hand.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I first launched the business, I focused on Ayurvedic skincare. About two years later, I completely pivoted the brand to Ayurvedic powder blends which has been a fruitful move since sales jumped over 90% and we’re getting so many return customers and interest from retailers nationally. Ayurveda is a global growing market set to reach $76.9 Billion by 2023 so my business is in a huge area of growth. The tough part is that I’m bootstrapping Chand & Radha, so now I’m in the process of seeking investors to expand our product offering, increase marketing and IRL events, and boost direct to consumer sales. Bootstrapping was a way to ensure I had proof of concept before reaching out to investors.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Chand & Radha?
We’re shaking up ancient Ayurveda by combining time honored herbs with delicious ingredients in Ayurvedic powder blends for smoothies and lattes to support women’s health and beauty concerns. This is a modern approach to ancient Ayurveda. Ayurveda is time honored, but the problem is that most herbal remedies don’t taste great. I wanted to find a way to make Ayurveda more approachable and tasty to help the many women struggling with health concerns ranging from hormone imbalances, gut issues, autoimmune disorders to anxiety and sleep issues.
The first powder blend to launch was The Queen’s Nectar, a hormones and hair blend with ingredients like saffron, shatavari, rose and pistachio. I formulated this delicious blend with an Ayurvedic doctor to ensure all the ingredients combined would benefit women.
The flavor is rich and indulgent, similar to creamy Indian desserts called mithai. My Nani (Grandmother) taught me how to make traditional Indian food. The Queen’s Nectar is inspired by my Nani’s love for cooking and her delicious recipes, especially the creamy, milky dessert with pistachios and saffron that she used to make for us. Even the vintage-looking tin features my Nani’s photograph. I wanted to pay homage to her and my ancestors. Chand is part of my surname meaning moon, the moon connecting us to Mother Nature’s constant presence and our feminine energy and Radha is the name of my paternal Grandmother.
All future Ayurvedic blends will be inspired by the flavors of Indian drinks and desserts. I’d like to focus on longevity and gut health for the next two products.
Most of the ingredients are sourced from India, but packed at a lovely local manufacturer Trishna Tea in Houston. It’s been such a wonderful growing process to be able to bounce ideas back and forth with this local packer. Having her nearby has helped Chand & Radha grow.
The Queen’s Nectar has been featured in a few South Asian gift guides too.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My parents have been by my side through this entire process. When I first launched the business, I sold a chickpea and turmeric face mask that we use on all the brides in my family to enhance their natural glow. I used my Mom’s wedding picture in all the marketing. Mom was a little hesitant at first, but enjoyed all the compliments she got about her glowing bridal skin!
My Dad has never failed to encourage me to keep going with this business. He sees the massive potential in the Ayurvedic wellness space and is pleased that our family history, remedies and recipes are being shared with the world. Anytime I speak to him, he tells me to keep pushing because all my efforts will lead to success. I’m so lucky to have my parents!
My Grandparents left their tiny villages in India, traveling on a difficult boat journey to East Africa in the early 1900s. Years later my parents immigrated to London, followed by a move to Toronto in the 1970s. They really are the immigrant story of coming with nothing and building a successful life in a new country. When I hear about the immense challenges my grandparents and parents faced, I’m in awe that they survived and thrived despite the many heartaches and immense challenges. Although they’ve never asked for anything in return, I feel I owe it to them to build Chand & Radha so that their sacrifice of raising my sisters and I far away from family in a foreign country was worth it. Making them proud would be my biggest achievement, more important than any awards. I think a lot of kids of immigrants can relate to this sentiment.
I often feel my Grandmothers are guiding my business. That gives me the encouragement to keep building even on the hard days, so that I can help women feel their most beautiful inside and out with ancient Indian wisdom that my ancestors carried across the world.
Pricing:
- The Queen’s Nectar $24
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chandandradha.com
- Instagram: @chandandradha
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rina-chandarana-on-ayurvedic-inner-outer-health/id1055724809?i=1000672194633
