Fresh Start Wellness Cafe, along with its sister concern Y2K Tots Foundation, has won the Social Venture of the Year award instituted by the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR).
The recognition marks the companies’ expertise in millets and the usage of millets-based food products to combat child malnutrition, specifically targeting underprivileged communities nationwide, including government schools, orphanages, anganwadis, and tribal regions, a press release said.
The award was received by Renjith George, Managing Director, Fresh Start Wellness Cafe and Founder of Y2K Tots Foundation from Mijanur Rahman, Senior Director R&D South Asia Pacific region, PepsiCo.
The recognition highlights the two firms’ impactful initiatives, Good Food Thrive, which focuses on delivering millet-based nutrition to underprivileged children in marginalized areas and ensuring they receive vital nutrients for growth and development.
The Nourish Their Future project focuses on school-based interventions, promoting healthier eating habits and replacing unhealthy junk food with millet-based alternatives for the next generation.
Backed by the innovative Kochi startup FoodFlavours, which launched India’s first box-packed wellness diet food products in 2020, Fresh Start Wellness Café with its manufacturing base in Bangalore has been instrumental in leading this fight against malnutrition.
They have supported the initiatives by supplying nutrient-rich, millet-based food items designed to meet the dietary needs of malnourished children.
Renjith had formed the fresh start wellness café in 2021 with his experience of launching India’s first box-packed wellness diet food products through his startup Food Flavours in the year 2020.