A couple of years back, Jodhpur-based Amit Soni was tasked by the PUSA Institute, short for Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) — to create millet-based confectioneries.
He decided to craft a chocolate truffle cake using bajra (pearl millet) — a grain often overlooked due to its lack of gluten and distinct taste. After a month of experimenting and refining his recipe, Amit’s millet cake was finally ready! He’d prepared a staggering 80 kilograms of this millet masterpiece, divided into eight massive 10-kilogram pieces.
“Some CAZRI (Central Arid Zone Research Institute) officials picked the cake. And I was surprised to see commandoes along with them. I had no clue where our hefty cake was headed after they dispatched it to PUSA in Delhi,” says Amit.
Little did he know that this audacious endeavour would catch the attention of the nation’s highest echelons. Two days later, he received a message with a video link.
Curiosity piqued, he opened it only to witness a sight that left him astounded — Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself was slicing into his millet cake. He was flanked by dignitaries like Narendra Singh Tomar, Kailash Choudhary, and Rajnath Singh.
Amit was overcome with disbelief and pride as he watched his creation being appreciated at such a high-profile event. “It was nothing short of a goosebumps moment,” he says.
But what led a simple baker from Jodhpur to have his creation celebrated at such a high-profile event? In conversation with The Better India, Amit reveals the surprising ways his culinary innovation made its mark on the world stage!
An ode to his parents
Born and raised in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, Amit came from a family of jewellery artisans, but he chose a different path. With a master’s degree in HR and marketing, he worked a variety of jobs — from a salesman in the electronics sector to an event manager — before finding his true calling in the art and business of baking.
His bakery career kicked off when he started working as a factory manager at a local company, where he learned the ropes of the business. “As part of my work, I would visit companies like Britannia and Amul to understand bakery works. But till then, I didn’t know B of Bakery; I only knew B of business aspects,” he says.
Although Amit was doing well in his job, he left it in 2017 to start his own business. “My previous company sold 400-500 cakes daily. I knew about quality and marketing works, but I had never tried making one on my own,” he adds.
Driven by his innate entrepreneurial spirit and hunger for knowledge, Amit headed to IHM (Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition), Mumbai for formal training. He later refined his skills in the exotic locales of Phuket, Thailand.
“I had got job offers from Canada and Saudi Arabia, but my father insisted I stayed back in Jodhpur. We had an overwhelming conversation, and he decided to help me in the business financially. My mother, on the other hand, helped me in perfecting my cookies and cakes. I wanted to dedicate this business to them,” he says.
In 2019, Amit took a leap of faith and launched his own bakery, RDz 1983 — a heartfelt homage to his parents, Ramesh and Durga. “Under their loving guidance, my dream was nurtured, and it quickly blossomed,” he adds.
When passion and perseverance bake together
The bakery initially offered bread and cakes, but a unique order from ICAR Rajasthan for a bajra chocolate truffle cake sparked Amit’s fascination with millet-based recipes. Later on, Amit also started focusing on cookies, brownies, and breads that have a longer shelf life than cakes.
But it was not easy to make cookies from pearl millet. Millets, though nutritious, present a challenge due to their lack of gluten and distinct taste. Amit embraced this challenge. “I failed 96 times before perfecting a gluten-free millet cookie recipe, and it took me three months to develop two varieties from sesame seeds and dry fruits,” he shares.
Today, his pearl millet cookies are a defining product of his bakery, sold extensively to over 100 hotels domestically and exported to Bahrain and Dubai.
Amit’s perseverance led to remarkable opportunities. The endorsement of his millet cake had already catapulted his bakery into the national spotlight, opening doors with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and numerous government institutions.
Following the Prime Minister’s symbolic cake-cutting, orders started flooding in, enabling Amit to provide millet cookies for UN meetings, government ministries, and high-profile events like the G20 summit in Udaipur. His cookies are replacing traditional maida-based ones, marking a shift towards healthier dietary preferences.
“With these millet creations, I not only want to cater to a growing health-conscious audience but also align with an ecological consciousness by reducing reliance on palm oil and maida,” he adds.
Amit’s bakery now churns out 150 kg of cookies daily, delighting up to 15,000 customers monthly. He is joined by his younger brother Dr Sumit Soni, a physiotherapist by profession, in the business.
With a passion for creativity, Sumit became involved in designing innovative bakery and health-conscious food items. “Our offerings include millet cakes and cookies in a variety of flavours, such as vanilla, blueberry, chocolate, cumin, dry fruits, and more. We emphasise the use of multi-grains in our products and ensure they are free from adulteration. As my brother often says, our secret ingredient is love,” he smiles.
Talking about joining his brother in the business, Sumit says, “My brother has been instrumental in helping me achieve my dreams, including supporting my education and career, and even the smallest of my desires. Through this family business, I wanted to honour our bond and find joy in advancing our family name together. There is no greater happiness for me than this shared endeavour,” he adds.
Meanwhile, these millet cookies and the burgeoning line of cakes have earned Amit an annual revenue of Rs 1.5 crore, expanding his reach into cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai. He even plans to expand to overseas markets in Ethiopia, Germany, and Georgia.
“I believe anyone can achieve immense success when passion and perseverance bake together,” Amit smiles as he prepares to cater to his next order of serving millet cookies to CRPF jawans.
Edited by Megha Chowdhury; All images courtesy Sumit Soni
