08 Mar Meeting the Founder – An Introduction to Mandy Chowdhary

Hello,

This month we are celebrating International Women’s Day & I thought I’d use it as an opportunity to tell you a few things about me as the founder of Goodness Goodies, & also to highlight some of my amazing female business clients. I have chosen three but there are so many more.

Five Facts About Me
Before we get into the facts here I am in front of some of the wonderful products that I retail – the wholesale part of the business is less pretty! I don’t really like having my photos taken, but I have been told so many times that I need to show my face, so here goes.

1. 1. I am a British Asian of Sikh ethnicity.
   2. I live in SE London with my husband and two children, but grew up in Harlow, Essex. This could make me an Essex girl, but I have lived in London longer than I lived in Harlow so that’s my reason for leaving behind the ‘Essex Girl’.
   3. I started Goodness Goodies when I was on maternity leave with my second child, back in 2013. It started very much as a side-line with a purpose of simply providing my family and customers with allergies, alternatives to what was available in the supermarkets. My long career in social housing however ended in May 2020 when I took the plunge to run with Goodness Goodies full time.
   4. For years I wanted to learn pottery and have now started a course and love making all things to do with clay. I just wish I had more time to spend on this new found hobby.  Keep an eye open on some of my social media posts as you may spot a plate or pot!
   5. I very much enjoy cake, more so eating it, than baking it.

Spotlight on Female Business Owners
Here are three fantastic woman owned and led businesses that Goodness Goodies either supplies wholesale to or they supply me with their wonderful products, why not have a look at their websites and learn more about their business.

Little Shop of Vegans
Little Shop of Vegans, a brilliant name of a shop in Norwich opened in 2016 by Rachel Cox, back in the days when it was difficult to find oat milk in a supermarket, let alone vegan cheese! Much has changed in the last 6 years and happily veganism is now more accessible than ever. A small business with a big heart.

Stroop Club
Amazing stroopwafel’s made by Stroopclub that we at Goodness Goodies import all the way from Texas, but made to an authentic Dutch recipe. Chantal is the risk taker, the dreamer, the jump-in-head-first type of gal, lucky enough to have Tako by her side, the risk-averse, detail oriented, wait-a-minute-and-think-about-it-first type of guy. As good a combo as wafels and stroop!

Harmless Store
Harmless Store was founded by Tami Jarvis in April 2018. Her vision was to create an ‘outreach shop’ where she could talk to the local community about the benefits of switching to a vegan lifestyle as well as reducing plastic and other forms of waste. At the same time, she wanted to provide the tools to sustain these ideals by offering quality everyday products, sourced from suppliers who met her ethical and environmental standards.

Hope you enjoyed this month’s International Woman’s Day themed blog.

Thanks for reading

Mandy