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"People often say to me, 'why are you taking a product there, aren't they all vegetarians?' That's an absolute myth – 70% of India eats meat."
STEPHANIE DOWNS
I've been hearing about this plant-based startup in India called Good Dot for the past year. No website until recently, but people I've talked to were really excited about what the company was aiming to do. So I was really looking forward to talking with Stephanie Downs - one of Good Dot's 'three CEOs', as she puts it.
The other two are part of the core Indian team, which Stephanie joined when she was looking how to best leverage her past business experience with her desire to make an impact. And from the sound of it, Good Dot is absolutely making an impact in India - a country with more vegetarians than the entire US population.
And as for the rest (the 70% of people who aren't vegetarian) - a 'hardcore' meat eater in India may eat meat 3-4 times per week, according to Stephanie. Replace just one of those meals with their plant-based alternative, and you're 25% closer to another vegetarian.
We often point out the issues of food security when discussing vegan diets. But the fact remains that a lot of products on the market today are still very cost-prohibitive to a lot of people. That's one of the major points Good Dot is addressing, and I'd say of the major reasons for the excitement surrounding their launch.
This interview shows how plant-based foods can be brought to emerging markets, and how to build a vegan startup that's truly a force for good.
Main things discussed in this episode
Why 'vegan' isn't a very common term in India.
How Good Dot sold 350.000 units in just 2 months of operations.
Their Indian distribution network that makes this possible.
Making plant-based solutions accessible to everyone.
Building a business with the aim of scaling up.
The Indian startup ecosystem
Transcript
Stephanie Downs - Good Dot
Jerry Sever [00:21] Today we’re talking about the plant-based industry in the country with the highest percentage of vegetarians in the world, and the second largest population. I’m talking about India of course.
I’m joined by Stephanie Downs, the co-founder of Good Dot, which is a plant-based meat start-up that I’ve heard a lot about in the past year. Although, they’ve been keeping things under wraps until very recently. The wraps are off now, and I’m very happy for the opportunity to give you a better view of Good Dot’s mission and purpose. Stephanie, welcome to the show.
Stephanie Downs [01:12] Wonderful, thank you, Jerry. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Jerry Sever [01:15] Thank you for joining me, because like I said, I have been hearing things about Good Dot for the past 12 months. I’m really looking forward to learning more about it. Before we get to that, I’d to learn a little bit more about you. What’s your background, where are you coming from, what did you do before you decided to take on India’s plant-based meat industry?
Stephanie Downs [01:40] Sure. My past has been a little bit of a lengthy one as far as just finding what was really my personal path in life. My background is all from a business standpoint, primarily in marketing. I’ve worked for various high-tech startups and IBM.
In 1999 I started my own internet marketing company, and that was wonderful, but after a couple of years of it, I just didn’t quite feel fulfilled, so I started volunteering at an animal shelter, which was, I joke, my gateway drug into the animal rights movement. It was how I got started. I just went there to walk a couple dogs and hug some puppies, and the next thing I know I’m on the Board of Directors and running the annu...
