Daanika Sawhniey is the Founder and CEO of Ojas Ayurveda, a brand receiving rave reviews from customers in India and the United States for high quality natural and herbal supplements sourced from the foothills of the Himalayan Valleys in India. The herbs are grown in a pollution free environment using organic compost for the farming meanwhile providing employment and fair prices to the farmers in the local villages.
Daanika is no new comer to the world of business. After her under graduation in India, she pursued her master’s in Business administration (MBA) in Boston. Upon completing her masters, she worked for Thomson Financial (now Reuters) as a Financial Analyst in Massachusetts, USA, for two years. She then returned to India, to join her family business in stationary products as an export manager, traveling and participating in international fairs to expand the business globally.
Here is a sneak peek into her journey into the world of Ayurveda. During her childhood, Daanika spent many summers with her grandparents on a farm about two hours’ drive from Mumbai. Her grandmother introduced her to the wisdom of a 5000-year-old tradition, with an occasional face pack made of all things natural or quickly tossing an herbal paste to heal a wound while Daanika was playing and running in the fields on the farm. The Indian food cooked was flavored with the freshest of spices grown in house and time spent on the farm was most precious. Many years later, on a scuba diving trip to Maldives, a chef startled Daanika by spelling out her temperament and food choices upon meeting her for the first time. The Italian chef later joked and told her that he was only describing the principles of Ayurveda, incidentally he was trained in French and Ayurvedic cooking. She was so intrigued by the ayurvedic principles he spoke about, she returned from her vacation and read every possible book on the subject.
Daanika decided to live a few months in Kerala to learn about Ayurveda from an institute in Aluva, South India, as she felt a calling to this ancient science. During her research into the Ayurvedic supplements market, she quickly realized there is a gap in the quality of products offered hence the benefit derived were limited. She travelled extensively to North India for trekking, one of her many passions, and on her travels, she met with farmers in the Himalayan Region to understand the process of farming and how herbs and plants grown in the region are superior as they are nurtured in a pollution free environment.
Here was born the idea for Ojas Ayurveda, a refreshing deviation from a market saturated with ayurvedic products and deep pocketed corporations, Daanika decided it is time to take it back to the basics, developing a high-performance supplement brand that is pure and natural, yet performance driven to provide results. The supplements at Ojas are formulated by doctors, tested by professionals and manufactured under strict quality control guidelines. Most importantly, the supplements are made from 100% standardized extracts.
Herbal extracts contain compounds extracted from the plant – specifically their active ingredient. This ensures consistency and potency of active ingredient, compared to other brands that may use only the herbs or small portion of extracts. Additionally, Ojas herbal extracts are “standardised” to contain a certain amount of a beneficial substance. Standardization helps to ensure that every batch of an herbal extract contains the same amount of a beneficial compound, so no matter which pack you order, you’re getting a consistent percentage of active ingredient.
As a quality conscious entrepreneur, Daanika takes pride in providing the best products that are accredited with various certifications like GMP (Good manufacturing Practices), ISO 9000, HALAL, HACCP, Kosher, FDA registered manufacturing facility. The capsules are vegan, gluten free, free of pesticides and fertilizers, she designed a premium product where no plastic bottles are used for the packaging.
Among her other varied interests, she is an advanced scuba diver, yoga practitioner and loves playing basketball. She is also a trained Make-up Artist, with a MASA degree from London School of Beauty and Makeup.
The demand for Indian products is increasing all over the world and Daanika is driven by the slogan “vocal for local” and the immense potential for Indian farmers and small businesses. Her vision is that Ojas Ayurveda be valued as a Leading Global Holistic Wellness Ayurvedic brand in the near future.