You see, architecture as a profession is much more than creating buildings. It is about creating and enhancing life on Earth. By profession, I am an architect. My years of upbringing and education have developed a certain vision in myself to think about humanity at large and how can small changes in environments and habits change lives.

The story of Zecca germinates from an obsession with health, productivity, and mindfulness. I was deeply conscious of how I want my mind and body to be, in order to maximize my productivity and use my life at its ultimate potential. During the college years, there was a time when I lost 17 kgs in a span of two months with extreme diet and exercise while maintaining excessive work schedule. The most prominent of the change in my lifestyle was completely avoiding sugar. It was something whose benefits I didn’t realize the first time. But over the years, I have been off sugar for months at a stretch, and the changes I have observed in myself during the time are unimaginable.

Once, at a cousin’s birthday party, I happen to be discussing my findings with my brother and co-founder Vasu. And a few days later he calls me and we discuss about how many of his friends have experienced the same profound changes. We decided then and there that this idea of zero sugar needs to be spread. We soon discovered that not all have the will power to completely drop sugar. So, we decided on finding alternatives, healthier and less harmful to the body. It took us no time to arrive at Jaggery, a complex and unrefined form of sugar that hasn’t been bleached, doesn’t have any harmful chemicals that are used in the refinement process of sugar, and has many micronutrients. Digging deeper, we also discovered a deep connection of Jaggery and Ayurveda. Benefits of Jaggery to cure certain diseases, to improve digestion, give strength, and much more. At this time, I was also looking to start a new business along with my architecture practice, and we decided we would go with something that would help enhance people’s lives.

This is where Zecca was born, with a core idea of enhancing lifestyle, and spreading awareness of the immense benefits of this traditional powerhouse of food. However, we were not yet completely satisfied as jaggery had its own drawbacks, and at the end of the day, it was just complex form of sugar. We wanted to enhance it further. After meeting with many doctors, dieticians, health coaches, and people from some big supplement brands, we started research on the idea of enhancing jaggery with essential elements that Indian body lacks. And the most prominent of them were vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Then started a process of formulating Jaggery powder with these elements. It was maybe the first time that jaggery was treated directly in a facility that made medicines and supplements. It was formulated and made into a supplement. A supplement that tastes, feels and is used just like sugar, but is million times better that sugar. Simply replacing one’s sugar jar in the kitchen with this powder would elevate their health immensely. After almost 18 months of research and work, we finally had formulated jaggery, a simple replacement of sugar that is profoundly better that sugar.

And this is who we are.