Moumita Mistry’s first all-women run momo-brand – GetBengal story

What’s the most popular street food in Bengal? That's a tricky question, but if there’s a choice, Momos can certainly vie for the top slot. Look around, and you will spot a large number of foodies queuing in front of roadside stalls or crowding around food outlets, relishing hot steaming plates of this Himalayan dish with a dash of hot chilli sauce on the side. Traditionally a dish from the Himalayas that made its way to India in the 1960s when a large number of Tibetans settled across the country in regions like Ladakh, Darjeeling, Dharamshala, Sikkim, and North Bengal, it soon caught the fancy of locals who homogenised it and made it their favourite snack.

Moumita ‘Momo’ Mistry, a young plucky entrepreneur in her mid-20s, has come to the fore with her wide variety of momos and has made quite a stir in the food and beverage sector with the phenomenal success of her ‘Momo Chitte’ brand.

This middle-class girl from Ajaynagar is propelling forward at a jet-set pace to fulfil the goal she has set for herself—she intends to cater to all those living in West Bengal with a taste of her own brand of exotic fusion momos. She is set to open 25 momo outlets before Durga Puja and 30 outlets by the end of the year. 

She comes from a family of white-collar job holders in the public sector. From a young age, she was taught to pursue government jobs to ensure stability and job security. Although Moumita’s professional roadmap was charted by her family, she always felt a need to do something different. The protracted lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic presented her with an opportunity.

But the very prospect of a girl from a respectable family ferrying food items on the streets in a handcart was scandalous and totally unacceptable to her relatives and friends, many of whom chose to boycott her and refused to step into her tiny shop and encourage her endeavour. However, those very critics are now proud of Momo Chitte and do not tyre of singing praises about Moumita and her success. During those initial days of struggle, Moumita had her parents's support, as well as her boyfriend and now spouse, Bidyut Halder, and her in-laws, who encouraged her ambitions.

Determined to succeed in her venture despite all the obstacles she encountered along the way, she finally fulfilled her dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur. She left her 9-to-5 job in a private company and is now providing employment opportunities to many people, especially women. Today, more than 50 families are earning their livelihoods thanks to the jobs provided by Moumita.

The 21st century has been the age of start-ups. New companies have been popping up almost every day. Startups, as we know, are young companies founded by friends, relatives, acquaintances, and co-workers who come together out of the urge to develop a unique product or service, bring it to market, and make it irresistible for customers. Moumita Mistry has built her own brand around momos.

In a tête-à-tête with GetBengal.com, she informed me, “'Momo Chitte' is the first woman-run momo brand in West Bengal, with 18 outlets already in operation. I started my business on the service road in a wheelbarrow adjoining the E.M. Bypass. Lockdown came as a blessing in my life. Had it not been for the lockdown, I might not have started the project at all.”

Within a short span of four years, Maumita has already turned into an icon and an inspiration. Nowadays, girls dare to come out of the confines of their homes to strive and fulfil their dream to make it big and turn into entrepreneurs like Moumita. Moumita does not view these young entrepreneurs as business competitors. Instead, she says, “They are all very close to me. We are like a big family. Some of them have started with simple fare like eggrolls and chowmein and hope to reach the next level with hard work. Whatever they are doing is commendable, and we need to encourage them all."

Maumita inspires scores of girls who are keen to work with her. Out of Momo Chitta's 18 outlets, almost all are run by women. Here, job aspirants are not required to flaunt any special degree or qualification to be hired. According to Maumita, her only requirement when hiring new hands is to see that those who are hired do everything neatly and aesthetically.

She continues, "Nobody is a master chef in these outlets. Girls working in these eateries are passionate about their jobs and perform their duties with utmost sincerity, but they might not have a professional degree or experience. Therefore, I have selected food items that can easily be fried or baked and served without elaborate paraphernalia. Along with momos, we also offer burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, fries, mocktails, etc.”

Maumita is a successful example that destroys the misconception that Bengalis are incompetent as entrepreneurs. Although these days there is a rising trend among people to turn into entrepreneurs and flaunt the 'Founder' tag with their profiles, statistics do not substantiate the claims. 

Moumita explains, “The current job scenario is very bleak. The paycheck does not commensurate with the service rendered. An average job in a private company gets you a meagre salary of Rs 10 to Rs 12 thousand a month. Speaking from my own experience, I can say that what can be earned by working under someone for 12 hours is possible to earn twice as much by working independently.”

What is the key to success in a startup? Moumita says, “Patience. When you start a new venture, people don't know you; they don’t know what you are doing, so they don’t come to you. However, you have to be resilient, hold on to your beliefs, and continue, and gradually, they will come. Offer genuinely good products, be polite, and keep cool when dealing with clients, and you are bound to succeed. Of course, there’s no denying the luck factor, which also plays a major rolee.“

Recounting her initial experience, she says, “When I started, I had no helping hand. I used to prepare momos all by myself from scratch. The service road beside the E.M. Bypass was a vacant plot without any shed overhead. Every day I would set up my temporary shop there under the scorching sun, facing the vagaries of nature, and wait patiently for customers. There were days when not a soul showed up, yet I did not give up. I knew I had to do something."
Moumita explains the reason why her brand, Momo Chitte, clicked and became a rage within a short span. “Momo Chitte was the first brand to introduce the ‘fusion momo’ concept to Kolkata in 2020. Now, other players have joined the fray. Right now, Momo Chitte offers 80 types of momos. Momo Chitte was a pioneer in devising a myriad of combinations and came up with the idea of offering different types of momos to customers based on their individual tastes and flavours. The next part of the scheme was the promotion of the product that I started on social media through my own profile. I did not seek assistance from food bloggers but entirely depended on social media. Soon I got a very good response from curious customers.”

"Do what you love and are passionate about," advises Moumita to young people who dream of starting their own business one day. “At present, I have more than 50 employees working in our different outlets. I started with barely Rs 39,000, and now my brand is paying more than Rs 3 lakh per month as salary. One has to take risks, have the conviction in one’s self-worth and the determination to succeed, and above all, one has to be patient. The person who is willing to give up a job that ensures a fixed monthly income and follow his or her inner calling sincerely is bound to succeed.”

Reminiscing about her initial days, Moumita recollects, “When I started my business, no one was familiar with the place." In the mornings, she would take down orders, and in the afternoon, Bidyut (her fiance, now husband) would deliver the parcels to the customers’ doorsteps on his scooter. "This is how it all started. Then demand increased before the Pujas in 2020, and we had to hire a small kiosk in Highland Park and shift to a new shop in Ajaynagar."

Moumita was intent on setting up her shop at a point from where ‘Momo Chitte’ would be easily visible to passersby. Accordingly, she rented a tiny 40-square-foot shop that fulfilled her requirements. However, due to some difficulties, the shop was shut down. Not one to give up, she reopened the shop at another site in Highland Park in December of the same year. This time she was better prepared and hired helping hands to increase production. She built a proper kitchen on the rooftop of her parents home. "That’s how my business started and has been going since then," said Moumita.

Momo Chitte started its journey in Highland Park, so she insists she will never give up the shop there, even if hundreds of outlets open in different parts of the city. Perhaps that’s why Bengalis are considered to be so emotional. 

Inspired by her story, thousands of women are shaking off their inhibitions and coming forward to create a business plan, hire labour, acquire resources, and start their own long and arduous journey on the path of entrepreneurship. Women in Bengal are slowly taking over the business scene. Moumita and other businesswomen like her are the new role models, holding the torch for millions of women. Enabling them to fight for their dreams.