When Asha and Vivek Kangralkar stepped into the entrepreneurial world, they learned a few life lessons that directly profited their new business. Both have electrical engineering backgrounds, but they chose to leave the steady paychecks of the corporate world when Asha couldn’t find the quality she wanted in the available cookware. Frustrated by sellers who couldn’t even answer basic questions, like “What material is this made out of?” or “Why is a rainbow pattern appearing on my pan?”, she decided they’d have to do it on their own.
From Startup to $1,000,000+
Asha and Vivek founded Avacraft in 2015 to sell cookware, like sauce pans, frying pans and mixing bowls. The following year, he left his job to join his wife full time. That lost income changed how they lived, and that directly affected their cookware: They set their food budget and put the cash in a drawer. Almost every month, the money ran low and the family had to get creative with leftovers and whatever is in the pantry.
Realizing this was not a problem unique to their family, they created cookware with added features: The mixing bowls, pots and pans have easy-to-read measurement marks inside. They are dishwasher- and refrigerator-safe. They have strainers built into the lids. This light-weight, high-quality, multi-function cookware was designed to be equally at home in the kitchens of right- or left-handed cooks.
The model is working — starting at square one just four years ago, Avacraft may crack through the $1 million in total sales barrier this year. Of course, not every cook works with severely limited budget, so Avacraft added accessories like carafes and measuring cup sets to their basic cookware line and new products are constantly under consideration.
Every Customer is a Guest and We’re Committed to Amaze!
Avacraft doesn’t just sell cookware, they want their customers to know how to use the products and to stay so healthy that they’ll be buying from the company for decades to come. In addition to recipes and advice on how to use stainless steel cookware, Avacraft takes every comment seriously, they contribute to the continuous improvement in the company’s endeavor to always offer the best!
Continuing to Create Quality Stainless Steel Cookware
Avacraft products are currently manufactured in China — Asha and Vivek made that decision after a long search for factories (currently, only two) that could deliver the high quality they demanded at a solid price point. These factories agree with our quality and process; Asha and Vivek visit them regularly and they quality-check every item! The company is now considering expanding — they may partner with a US cookware maker to manufacture some of their products in the United States. That would involve greater cost, but the success they’ve enjoyed so far suggests that a premium product line could be as successful as their current offerings. As the company grows, more employees bring more perspectives and, doubtlessly, new ideas for products and services that will enhance, expand and build on the company’s early successes.
Avacraft continues to add to its story of success, and will continue to do so as long as consumers keep buying their stainless steel pots, pans and accessories. The way things are going, that may be a very long time. You can check out the Avacraft creators telling their story in the Dallas Business Journal.