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Meet Sagar Shah of Nature’s Guru in Artesia

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Sagar Shah.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sagar. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Nature’s Guru was founded over a decade ago grassroots from our family garage. Having an affection for tea (Chai), which has been passed down through generations, I knew that I had to share our exciting recipes with the world.

Although the challenge with these traditional authentic recipes was that it could never fit the taste profile and dietary lifestyle of an American palate; clean ingredients, fresh quality, nutritional, healthy, and foremost, free of pesticides! Therefore, I set myself on a long journey to the other side of the world, India. I decided to educate myself about the tea industry and spent years developing innovative products that were not only delicious but easy to prepare as well.

Visiting various tea plantations all across India, I was out to disrupt an established century-old business. Focused on creating a change that encompasses better working conditions for poverty-stricken farmers, sustainability, and new agricultural practices that promote pesticide-free export quality teas.

Over the years, we continued to listen to our customers to help build an extensive array of gourmet food products that are considered to be natural, organic, vegan, gluten-free, fat-free, low in calories and zero added sugars.

Fast forward a decade later, and now you can find Nature’s Guru products in thousands of retailers across North America. From big store chain stores to natural/organic specialty retailers, international grocery stores, and online.

Has it been a smooth road?
The arduous journey has definitely been a bumpy road! Full of highs and lows with numerous challenges on a daily basis. At the early onset, it was the lack of startup capital.

Constant overseas trips to learn the tea industry and procure credible co-packers and suppliers for various parts of the supply chain. Even more of a daunting task was to convince the overseas supply chain to believe in an unknown American entity with zero experience and credibility, and to invest their time energy and resources towards creating a new category of innovative tea products. Afterwhich, working with international regulators such as the Tea Board of India to allow exports of these products and local U.S. regulators such as FDA and USDA to allow about safely importing these products.

After spending thousands of hours just behind bringing a product to market was the challenge of finding a customer. Retail brick and mortar stores willing to purchase not only a unique product and brand with zero marketing budget; but also a product that wasn’t priced to scale for mass merchandise.

With a combination of determination and luck, our first major retailer was Whole Foods Market. This only happened by going store-to-store knocking on every door possible and literally using all of my initial remaining capital on inventory, which was completely exhausted just in shipping out samples to buyers.

To have to convince a large retailer to postpone their purchase order so that I could go back overseas and convince the supply chain to lend extended credit terms.

A few years later, after having a brand portfolio of multiple product lines and supplying to a handful of accounts, I decided to venture into international growth. Which required additional capital for not only inventory but to upgrade the existing manufacturing to speed up production to meet the demand.

I would say the most exciting part of the journey has been the challenges! I could never see myself doing a mundane 9-5 job. I’ve always been a constant life-long learner.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Based in Los Angeles, CA – I am the Founder & CEO of Nature’s Guru.

We’re a global tea company that specializes in innovative healthy food and beverage products.

Our signature product line includes our specially-formulated instant Chai lattes available in an assortment of 20 different spices. Using only all-natural ingredients, it’s a gourmet blend of milk, tea, and spices prepackaged in single-serve sachets. Simply add packet contents to hot water, stir, and enjoy Chai bursting with flavors! It’s quick, convenient, easy to prepare, and affordable. It’s gluten-free, low in calories, and contains zero added sugars.

As an entrepreneur, what I am most proud of is for the ability for us to give back in a variety of ways. Back in India, we’ve created sustainable farming practices and been an advocate for women empowerment, safer, and hygienic working conditions for poverty-stricken farmers along with free education within the plantations for their children. Here in the US, I recently joined with Forbes Business Council to help other fellow entrepreneurs. Along with being a regular guest speaker for the Specialty Food Association.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Los Angeles is an amazing vibrant city full of opportunities and diversity. The weather is absolutely amazing compared to many other cities and states. The growth has been tremendous for both tourism and businesses with the opening of LA Live and now, Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District. We’re seeing gentrification happening all over.

However, I’m appalled about growing homelessness and specifically, Skid Row in downtown LA. We need to bring a better awareness of the poverty I’ve seen and bring about change! Every Thanksgiving or Christmas day I spend feeding the homeless for the day and see dozens of other folks doing about the same. But, there is still a massive need to get them help and support on a daily basis including food, shelter, education, and jobs. Also, due to the higher cost of living, higher income taxes, and having the worst traffic in the county, folks have been shifting themselves and their businesses to other cities/states. I would love to see the continued growth of silicon beach and for us not just being known for the Hollywood industry.

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