Aavika and Utsav Chhawchharia’s love story was born at the BCom Hons classes at Hansraj College in 2008.
Then, together they pursued their Masters in Strategic Management from Cass Business School, London. And finally, they decided to marry in 2015.
“I am happy that we got along. More importantly, we were clear about it and even our families were in agreement,” recalls Aavika.
“Business was what I always wanted to do,” says Utsav, who was involved in importing petrochemicals and plastic when they tied the knot.
In time, Aavika felt Delhi had a lacuna for a bakery brand that encompassed all baked goods under one roof. As these 29-year-olds are big foodies and dessert is their favourite part of the meal, “we looked at the viability, made a plan, and took the plunge,” says Utsav.
The result: the first Honey and Dough outlet at Defence Colony in 2017.
The initial two years thereafter required a lot of groundwork – setting up a strong base and roping in key industry people.
“Now, we have eight stores in Delhi, and a team of 140 people managing HR, operations, and marketing. Everything is streamlined and we are tackling more strategic issues rather than operational issues,” adds Utsav.
By dividing the responsibilities, both share the load. Aavika heads marketing and product design, while operations, finance, and store management are Utsav’s area of expertise.
“When we launch a new product, both of us are involved in the tasting and feedback. If I have any suggestions about staff or made an observation at the store, I share it with him and he implements it. But we are still in the process of learning,” adds Aavika.
Just because they can end up talking ‘too much about work’, both function from separate offices.
“We make sure to have a healthy discussion about work and not enter each other’s space. And it’s a rule to not talk about work post-dinner,” says Aavika.
Utsav is still running his import business. “I try to push Honey & Dough matters post-lunch as the other business is more hectic in the first half of the day,” says Utsav, who likes starting his day early and winding up by 7:30pm. Aavika spends more time with their six-month-old daughter, Simaya, and pre-COVID, did outlet checks thrice a week, and weekly meetings with chefs, managers, and the teams.
Visiting new countries and trying out new places in the city is something both love to do together. Choosing to not open their outlets even for home delivery and takeaways after Unlock 1.0, the couple now has more family time on their hands.
“We do CrossFit workouts together, watch shows on Netflix and having all the more fun with our daughter,” says Aavika, who has been reading and cooking more. Utsav is mostly occupied with work, but Simaya has been getting more of his attention now.
“He made me understand that if we are busy with things that other people can do, then we won’t get time to expand and grow. I keep learning a lot from him,” signs off Aavika.
What you like about Aavika
Her nature and work ethics. She is very professional.
What you like about Utsav
He is very particular, organised and focused with his work.
Her quirks
Nothing comes to mind.
His quirks
I find it weird that he wakes up at 4:00am, works from his home office then he goes to the gym and then to work at 8:00am.