Thinking Through Numbers (and Karma’s Next Chapter)

Over the past few months, growing Karma Wellness Kitchen has been a crash course into the world of ecommerce business. Coming from a background more familiar with technology, I've realized that building a CPG brand is a completely different art and science.

If you're thinking about starting your own brand, take whatever business books you have and throw them out the window. Scaling a business like Karma has made it clear: you can’t run on a cookie-cutter playbook. You need a north star, a deep reason for why you’re even in the race.

Through a lot of conversations with, I’ve started to orient myself around three (currently semi-baked) pillars:

1. Bringing authentic Indian and South Asian food to the mainstream
Indian-inspired ingredients (like turmeric, ghee, or masala spices) have popped into the spotlight - but often in fragmented, trendy ways. We believe there’s a deeper richness to South Asian food culture that deserves to be shared more authentically, and it’s important that folks from our generation - and our parents’ - are part of telling those stories.

2. Not forcing "health" on you
There’s nothing wrong with pizza and drinks on a Friday night. Or snacks during a game. Health isn’t all or nothing; it’s a spectrum. Some people biohack everything. Others just want to enjoy a good meal and live their life. Karma’s products are built to meet people wherever they are: with quality, real ingredients that taste good and serve a purpose, whether it’s for health, convenience, or pure enjoyment.

3. Championing local businesses
Some of my favorite moments lately have been swapping stories with other small makers - whether back home in Michigan or at farmers markets. Local entrepreneurship is the heart of the American economy. It always has been. And after a rough decade, I believe with full conviction: the future will be built by makers, small brands, and communities supporting one another.

These philosophies are the foundation of what Karma stands for.

Over the past few months, our team has been working to grow Karma beyond just a product line - into a more cohesive brand and community.

One big update: we're going Prime on Amazon.

While I’ll admit - I’m not Amazon’s biggest fan (I’m also exploring other platforms - more on that later) - going Prime makes a huge difference. It allows us to streamline fulfillment, plan production runs more efficiently, and most importantly, reach a bigger audience that might never have found Karma otherwise.

Next up, we’re working with our amazing designer (s/o Saskya!) to launch new packaging, fix up our website listings, and continue growing our community - starting right here, through this newsletter.

Quick favor! 🙏

I want to hear from you.

What topics would you love to see us dive into for the Karma Club? (We might even turn your suggestions into some fun social media videos! 🎥✨)

Some ideas to get you thinking:

• How we validate new product ideas

• The benefits behind some of our favorite ingredients

• Food trends we're loving lately

Email us or comment below with your ideas for 10% off your next order! 📩 We would love to hear from you.

🌟 Brand Updates! 🌟

Mother’s Day is around the corner! 🎁💐
We’re offering custom Karma Gift Boxes — pick your favorite Pop flavors and build the perfect gift for Mom!

New Store Alert! 🛒
You can now find Karma Pops at Independence Market in Clarkston, Michigan!
📍 5820 Waldon Rd, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346.

Vinita on Panel! 🎤
Vinita will be speaking at the She Means Business panel, celebrating the opening of a new local bookstore in Chelsea, MI. It’s an amazing story of community support!
👉 Learn more and register here

Women Run MI Recap! 🏃♀️✨
We had an amazing time teaming up with Yelp at the Women Run MI event! Huge shoutout to our raffle winner, Yolanda Moore! 🎉

All Things Detroit at Eastern Market! ✨
We loved being part of this iconic event — special thanks to @askjennyfer for hosting such a great show. Congrats to our raffle winners, Tina Proctor and Pat Parker! 🎉

Come Hang With Us! 🍿👋
We’ll be at RiverTown Market on Saturday, May 10th from 12–3 PM for an in-store tasting. Come say hi and grab your favorite Pops!

Until next time,

Rishabh

Here’s a photo of me from my last visit to Michigan, helping pack some of your orders! 🙏