Nidhi Mittal, 29, from Haryana quit her PhD in June 2024 after about five years of study and built a healthy snacks brand around murmure, the puffed rice found in most Indian kitchens at tea time. Six months after commercial sales began, the brand, Puffd, has earned about Rs 2.5 lakh.
She registered the brand in October 2024 under Shri Shyam Cart and put in Rs 5 lakh from her own savings. She took no outside funding and built the business on her own money from the start.
The idea was simple. Murmure is light, familiar and cheap, but it is rarely sold as a proper branded snack. Nidhi decided to turn it into a healthy, affordable option for people who want something to eat with tea without reaching for fried snacks.
She began with three flavours, Turmeric Tadka, Masala Masti and Smoky South Twist. The range has since grown to seven flavours, all built on the same puffed rice base.
The spice pouch that fixed the flavour problem
The early packs had a problem with the masala coating. The flavour did not sit evenly on the murmure, and the taste was not consistent from pack to pack. Nidhi fixed it by adding a separate spice pouch, so buyers can mix the masala in themselves and get the same taste every time.
Commercial sales began in October 2025. By May 2026 the brand had sold over 650 packets, bringing in about Rs 2.5 lakh in revenue in six months, all of it from her own savings and effort, with no investor money behind it.
Rs 299 a pack, sold across India
A 130g pack of Puffd costs Rs 299. Sales run through the brand website, and orders come in from across India. Quick commerce is planned, which would put the packs on fast delivery platforms and reach more buyers in cities.
What comes next for Puffd
Nidhi plans to add makhana and chips to the range in 2026. The idea is to keep the same approach, familiar Indian snacks made healthier and sold at a price ordinary buyers can afford.
Her story is a reminder that a small business does not need a big investor to start. It started with Rs 5 lakh of savings, a kitchen staple and a problem she was willing to fix, and it now sells across the country.
