As humanity has come together on numerous occasions to fight the good fight against social evils, here is another attempt by 27-year-old Taanya Ravi. She is set to pull the plug on the business of animal slaughter for procuring different food products.
Taanya Ravi from Bengaluru is an inspired animal right activist who gave birth to a vegan brand called Live Yum. After completing a 3-year-long extensive investigation on animal cruelty in slaughter houses, poultry farms and cowsheds, she launched a vegan venture to provide and promote plant-based products that are an alternative to dairy products such as ghee and cheese.
As a part of her investigation for an animal welfare NGO named Mercy for Animals, Taanya visited many states wearing a button-camera to record and expose the ongoing cruelty in these slaughterhouses and farms. She was also threatened, chased by men and leered at but remained hell bound to not just expose the villainous business but also provide a solution.
Oreo, Tannya’s dog, made her more empathetic towards animals and strengthened her resolve to do something about the situation. “To me, it was as though countless Oreos were trapped in these facilities or on the chopping blocks. My conscience changed thanks to Oreo,” says Taanya.
Starting off in a niche industry of vegan products presented some challenges like revenue generation, R&D, etc.
Leaving her well-paid stable job at a leading MNC, Taanya’s vision for establishing a cruelty-free Vegan brand in the market was taking shape and finally coming true.
Vouching for Nature
Live Yum went a step ahead from other Vegan brands which used not-so-ecofriendly extraction methods for the used ingredients, for example, palm oil. Although palm oil is a plant-based product but huge areas of forest land are burnt down to grow palm plants, killing hundreds and thousands of animals. Nuts are not added to cheese for avoiding allergies and promoting consumer-friendly products.
Ghee, Cheddar cheese spread, Mozzarella cheese shreds and Cream cheese shreds are the four products offered by Live Yum Foods. They are prepared using ingredients like modified potatoes, refined coconut oil, inactive yeast, annatto (natural colour) and vegan natural flavor. Processes like mixing, moulding and shredding are used to prepare these products.
Live Yum Food products are available pan India and can be ordered online as well as offline. They can be ordered from the company’s website https://www.liveyumfoods.com/ or on Amazon and Big Basket. “We currently service B2B and B2C. We also cater nationwide to individual/institutional requirements for catering and events,” says Taanya.