HYDERABAD: A young, passionate, visionary, Zonu Reddy has over three years of experience working in the fast-growing real estate sector. She is also an active participant and an inspiring youth leader in a pan-India real estate association, using her spare time to undertake leadership roles in the youth wing of CREDAI (The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India). Zonu Reddy completed her graduation from the prestigious UC Berkeley in Molecular and Cellular Biology in the year 2014. Her latest venture has involved bringing the franchise for NYC’s iconic Magnolia Bakery to India. Magnolia Bakery opened doors in the country with their first Indian outlet in Bengaluru, next was in Hyderabad and now they are gearing up for one in Mumbai. CE speaks to Zonu Reddy about her Hyderabad roots, passion for food and more.
Tell us about yourself.
I come from a background of real estate, but right now I am exploring another of my interests, which is food. And I am absolutely thrilled to introduce Magnolia Bakery to the Indian market. I have an active sweet tooth and I really appreciate a good, satisfying dessert.
Tell us about your roots in Hyderabad.
My ancestral roots lie in Hyderabad, but I had been living in the US for quite some time. I am back in Bengaluru now, and it made sense that we did the first Magnolia outlet there. But the next city had to be Hyderabad. It was easy for us to set up since it’s so close to Bengaluru, and most of us already had connections in the city who were happy to help us out. And of course, Hyderabad has great potential given its spending power. Plus, I am very aware of this city’s love for food!
What’s the most selling item in the city from your menu?
Right now it’s the Tres Leches
What are your plans regarding the Hyderabad market?
We have received some overwhelmingly positive responses for the Road No 45 branch and we are so excited to be here. We’re definitely looking to grow and expand within the city.
What inspired you to venture into the food industry with Magnolia?
My love for food! I have been a big fan of the brand since my university years in the US. So, when they were looking for collaborative partners in India, I just knew I had to be the one to do it. They wanted the brand to be represented with zero to minimal deviation in the Indian market, and I absolutely took the opportunity to introduce something that I really love.
What sort of challenges did you face?
So at Magnolia, we have very high quality standards — which means making our desserts in small batches, without any preservatives or stabilizers. We are very particular about sourcing our ingredients. Training the staff was an experience for sure because there was quite a bit of mindset-shifting involved. Our processes are quite different from traditional Indian bakeries.
How has the journey been?
Really positive! We did not expect to have the response that we actually got, when we opened. I mean, we did get hit by Covid-19 pretty early — but our customers just made everything possible. Their love and support has been so important to us as a business, and especially as a new brand in the city. And the journey has been absolutely worth it.
Where do you think the bakery scene is going in India
I think it is going to get more creative, and we are also going to see more niche options. As Magnolia gives you a taste of American desserts — I think we are going to see a variety of niche options like German, French, vegan, and healthy options. I think the market is very open to different specialised options.
What’s your favourite from your menu?
It would have to be the ice creams — especially the chocolate hazelnut ice cream in a waffle cone. We’ve actually created a special range of flavours for India, and I am really excited about them.
Apart from being an entrepreneur, what other interests do you have?
I think food and fitness really go hand in hand! So yeah, fitness is another one of my interests — especially weight training and spinning.
Future plans?
I think for the immediate future, we are focussed on launching the Mumbai branch. And we really hope to grow in our popularity and become everyone’s favourite dessert place. The food scene has such a
global quotient to it right now, and we are thrilled to be here.