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`It's fun to be healthy'
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Anu Hasan's Squash'd offers juices and smoothies in innovative combinations
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PHOTO: BIJOY GHOSH
EXCITING FORAY Anu Hasan at Squash'd.
When eating out, the first thumb rule to enjoy a meal is — never visit the kitchen. There are enough and more horror stories about what goes on back there to turn anyone's stomach.
Actor and producer Anu Hasan, who has never been shy of venturing into the world of business, hopes to provide us with an alternative — Squash'd, a chain of parlours that offers juices and smoothies in the open store format a la Jamba Juice, the fruit juice conglomerate based in the U.S.
Speaking at the launch of the first store in Adyar, Anu said the juices will be made right in front of the customer and by women from economically backward communities, which is one of the chain's selling points.
The cheerful 500 sq.ft space in this the first outlet of Squash'd will be followed by another in Egmore in the first week of September. The chain, despite having some seating area, will focus on takeaway and home delivery.
Coming to the fare, well, the milkshakes are thick to the point of being sinful, and the juices come in creative flavours. The Pineapple Zing, for example, combines pineapple and celery among other ingredients, and the Yoga Blend has four fruits and coconut milk. Anu said, "I want to show everyone it's fun to be healthy!" Each drink on the menu has a little note telling you which ingredient provides which vitamin, protein or essential nutrient as the case may be.
Anu is self-admittedly `a business woman first.' Having completed her physics/management course in Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), she started a company in Kolkata in 1996, which managed the outsourced marketing functions of credit card companies. More recently, she worked on the production of "Mumbai Express."
As she explains the recruitment process for Squash'd, a clear business philosophy unfolds. "The first thing I asked the girls when they came in was — what is your dream, and you would be surprised that not one of them answered `to make money.' These people have a desire for self-actualisation more than anything."
Having chosen her core team, Anu now looks to develop the leadership skill in them. "They get scared easily, but the bottomline is they are proud, you give them responsibility and they take it seriously."
As far as expansion plans are concerned, she expects to have 10 shops in one year, and at least 20 in two. The total investment in each is about Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 15 lakh.
"The volumes are generous, the portions are thick, and the girls make it right in front of you. We expect to do well," she smiles.
ABHINAV RAMNARAYAN
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