The state plate: Your authentic food needs are now delivered right to your doorstep

The State Plate – a wish granted for every Indian longing for local food during the lockdown, working miles away from their hometown, or simply craving their ‘maa ke haath ka khana’. It is a terrific e-commerce platform on a mission to sell high-quality, authentic products from states across India, aiming to tap the deep-rooted network of vendors and homemakers engaged in preparing authentic regional food products, celebrating the amazing food diversity that our country has to offer!

“I finished my undergraduate education from Shri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi and was back home during the lockdown. Being a Marwari, at home, we eat a particular type of Rajasthani papad. There are only three or four Kirana stores in Bangalore which sell them and we had to get it delivered from a shop more than 20 km away from my house,” says Muskaan Sancheti, founder of The State Plate.

Muskaan then contacted her best friend from college, Raghav Jhawar, and the duo began researching the market for authentic, homemade condiments, snacks, sweets, and also ingredients that are hyper-local and not easily accessible in big box stores. They found that the market for such wares was highly unorganized and decided to start a website that could bring vendors selling homemade products in one single place thus creating, ‘The State Plate’.

They source genuine regional food from popular, nostalgic local brands across India, some of which are more than 70 years old, and not available anywhere else on the internet! All their sellers are Indian and they conduct proper quality checks to ensure the products are fit for their customer- scrumptious and safe! All orders are delivered within 48 hours and their prices are market-competitive, delivering product value for money just in time.

Apart from local vendors, they also have a network of homemakers making rare delicacies and nutritious homemade food. Promoting women empowerment they have tied up with Chaakri, a self-help group of over 80-100 underprivileged women in Maharashtra, who make myriad chakras. Further, they have connected to Utkrsta from Bengaluru, an organization that helps women aged above 60 years, in selling their homemade snacks. Being a woman entrepreneur herself, Muskaan wants to empower as many women as possible through the venture.

Launched in early August, currently, the website is offering tastes of Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. Their vision is to make The State Plate a one-stop website for regional food that is currently available only in specific states so everyone can taste and experience various cuisines.

The State Plate has set a benchmark to prove those wrong who think that there is anything a 21-year old duo can’t do. They’ve shown us that home is indeed just a call, or in their case an order away. The current pandemic may have posed various challenges but just how every dark cloud has a silver lining, The State Plate is exactly that for many!