With a bachelor's degree in business administration and an intense love for food and travel, Dimple Daryanani has been working with food, mostly cakes and other baked goods, since her teenage years. Born in Sri Lanka, she spent her younger years in Jakarta, Indonesia and New York, before she decided to come back to the motherland and start up an online page for healthy food: Bare by Dimplicious.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
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Dimple Daryanani[/caption]
What was your inspiration behind Bare?
It was during lockdown last year. I was on a keto diet (which is a high-fat, low-carb diet) for quite a long time, and decided to check my cholesterol. To my horror, it was absurdly high, and I knew any doctor would have put me on medication immediately. So instead of consulting a doctor, I decided to change my diet. I wasted no time in getting off keto and did a lot of research into foods that lower cholesterol.
I then realised that there were very limited snacks in the market that I could allow myself to eat. So I started making my own. I loved what I had created so much that I decided to start Bare to promote a healthier lifestyle and to spread the word that guilt-free snacking can be really yummy too.
Tell me about your most innovative product.
That's a hard one because everything on our menu is pretty innovative. But if I had to pick, I'd say the “Nutty by Nature – Low Carb Loaf”. I wanted to create something super healthy, but without any gluten, sugar, or dairy. It took a lot of experimenting with a lot of different ingredients, but I found a way of making the perfect loaf, one that slices without crumbling and is super tasty toasted with some butter, or nut butter, or any of the flavoured cheese balls in our range. It's packed with cashews, almonds, walnuts, and a variety of seeds, so it's really nutritious and filling too. Two small slices make the perfect breakfast.
Do you promote healthy eating? What is the importance of it?
Oh yes, 100%. Health is everything to me and Bare is a testament to that. It's so easy to snack on food that is high in carbs and sugar and has absolutely no nutritional value. This could lead to diabetes, heart disease, and a million other issues. Hopefully Bare will help change our mindset. Moderation is key. I'm a big snacker, as are the majority of the people I know.
The crackers, for example, are made with no added fat, meaning no added oil or butter, and no refined sugar. We use a small amount of jaggery in some of them, but that's it. So what you are getting are oats; fruit like cranberries, cherries, olives, etc.; nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.; and a variety of seeds. So why not make snacking guilt free?
How did you manage to run Bare during the pandemic?
The pandemic actually gave me a lot of time to experiment on different things. I started with the crackers and kept trying different flavours to see what worked. I don't think Bare would have been born if it wasn't for the world shutting down and forcing us to stay home.
Could you promote your products to people with diseases like diabetes?
All our products are organic; we don't use any preservatives or additives in our products. Only the good stuff!
Our SuperSeed crackers and Nutty by Nature loaves are very popular with the diabetic and gluten-free communities. We also do a Savoury Super Seed Mix jar that is basically a mixture of seeds (like pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower), baked with a blend of Middle Eastern flavours.
How do you source your ingredients?
Thankfully, I've got some amazing suppliers who import everything I need to make all the delicious snacks.
What were some of the challenges you faced?
As the majority of our ingredients are imported, the suppliers do run out of stock sometimes, and waiting for the new shipments can get frustrating. Lesson learned, however, as now we try to purchase enough at a time, so that even if stocks do run out in the market, we are okay for a few weeks, and by then we can usually restock.
What are your future plans?
With the rapid success we have experienced over the past few months and positive responses we are getting from our customers, we are realising that Bare is not just a range of products, but rather, a platform for change – change in the way we can snack and change in the way we reflect on the products we buy.
We have both online and offline solutions in the works that will not only scale Bare but hopefully will pave the way for an ecosystem of brands like Bare to thrive. More on this to share in the coming months!
Anything further you'd like to add?
For the moment, we stock our crackers and nuts at A Minute by Tuk Tuk at One Galle Face and House of Wines on Flower Road. Our clients can also pre-order directly from us via WhatsApp or Instagram, and we offer islandwide delivery.
And for those who were wondering, my cholesterol is at a really healthy level now, just by altering my diet. If I can do it, anyone can!
IG: @bare.sl
Whatsapp: 0777600100
Dimple Daryanani[/caption]
What was your inspiration behind Bare?
It was during lockdown last year. I was on a keto diet (which is a high-fat, low-carb diet) for quite a long time, and decided to check my cholesterol. To my horror, it was absurdly high, and I knew any doctor would have put me on medication immediately. So instead of consulting a doctor, I decided to change my diet. I wasted no time in getting off keto and did a lot of research into foods that lower cholesterol.
I then realised that there were very limited snacks in the market that I could allow myself to eat. So I started making my own. I loved what I had created so much that I decided to start Bare to promote a healthier lifestyle and to spread the word that guilt-free snacking can be really yummy too.
Tell me about your most innovative product.
That's a hard one because everything on our menu is pretty innovative. But if I had to pick, I'd say the “Nutty by Nature – Low Carb Loaf”. I wanted to create something super healthy, but without any gluten, sugar, or dairy. It took a lot of experimenting with a lot of different ingredients, but I found a way of making the perfect loaf, one that slices without crumbling and is super tasty toasted with some butter, or nut butter, or any of the flavoured cheese balls in our range. It's packed with cashews, almonds, walnuts, and a variety of seeds, so it's really nutritious and filling too. Two small slices make the perfect breakfast.
Do you promote healthy eating? What is the importance of it?
Oh yes, 100%. Health is everything to me and Bare is a testament to that. It's so easy to snack on food that is high in carbs and sugar and has absolutely no nutritional value. This could lead to diabetes, heart disease, and a million other issues. Hopefully Bare will help change our mindset. Moderation is key. I'm a big snacker, as are the majority of the people I know.
The crackers, for example, are made with no added fat, meaning no added oil or butter, and no refined sugar. We use a small amount of jaggery in some of them, but that's it. So what you are getting are oats; fruit like cranberries, cherries, olives, etc.; nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.; and a variety of seeds. So why not make snacking guilt free?
How did you manage to run Bare during the pandemic?
The pandemic actually gave me a lot of time to experiment on different things. I started with the crackers and kept trying different flavours to see what worked. I don't think Bare would have been born if it wasn't for the world shutting down and forcing us to stay home.
Could you promote your products to people with diseases like diabetes?
All our products are organic; we don't use any preservatives or additives in our products. Only the good stuff!
Our SuperSeed crackers and Nutty by Nature loaves are very popular with the diabetic and gluten-free communities. We also do a Savoury Super Seed Mix jar that is basically a mixture of seeds (like pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower), baked with a blend of Middle Eastern flavours.
How do you source your ingredients?
Thankfully, I've got some amazing suppliers who import everything I need to make all the delicious snacks.
What were some of the challenges you faced?
As the majority of our ingredients are imported, the suppliers do run out of stock sometimes, and waiting for the new shipments can get frustrating. Lesson learned, however, as now we try to purchase enough at a time, so that even if stocks do run out in the market, we are okay for a few weeks, and by then we can usually restock.
What are your future plans?
With the rapid success we have experienced over the past few months and positive responses we are getting from our customers, we are realising that Bare is not just a range of products, but rather, a platform for change – change in the way we can snack and change in the way we reflect on the products we buy.
We have both online and offline solutions in the works that will not only scale Bare but hopefully will pave the way for an ecosystem of brands like Bare to thrive. More on this to share in the coming months!
Anything further you'd like to add?
For the moment, we stock our crackers and nuts at A Minute by Tuk Tuk at One Galle Face and House of Wines on Flower Road. Our clients can also pre-order directly from us via WhatsApp or Instagram, and we offer islandwide delivery.
And for those who were wondering, my cholesterol is at a really healthy level now, just by altering my diet. If I can do it, anyone can!
IG: @bare.sl
Whatsapp: 0777600100