Meet the Northampton mum who went from corporate finance to making her own multi award-winning Italian relish

'It's been a lot of hard work... but the way it's been received has been amazing'
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While 2020 has been pretty awful all things considered, it has been quite the year for Gita Raikundalia.

The mother-of-two from Northampton has gone from a job in corporate finance to celebrating multiple awards for her homemade Italian relish: giardiniera.

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Her new business, Nakasero, launched in February when the coronavirus pandemic was barely a concern and spent lockdown in her kitchen with her family making the product.

Gita Raikundalia with her three Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and giardinieraGita Raikundalia with her three Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and giardiniera
Gita Raikundalia with her three Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and giardiniera

The easing of restrictions allowed Gita to hold tastings for the relish and word quickly spread from everyday customers to chefs and bloggers.

By November, Nakasero won two golds and three silvers at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drinks Awards as well as several other award nominations.

Her success is only continuing with the release of another product, an Italian chilli jam called marmalata, which is also going down a storm.

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Looking back on the past 12 months, she said: "I'm over the moon, it's been a lot of hard work and very difficult margins as it needs to be affordable but the way it's been received has been amazing."

Early days of making giardiniera in the kitchen with the familyEarly days of making giardiniera in the kitchen with the family
Early days of making giardiniera in the kitchen with the family

Gita admits she had no experience in making or selling food as a business having run an IT business with her husband, Rupesh, before working for an accountant's.

But last year, she decided to take the plunge and start selling her own recipe for giardiniera, which the mum had devised for her family and friends after falling in love with it on a trip to Chicago.

Friends and restaurateurs wanted to buy the vegan relish so she stayed up until 4am one night with Rupesh going over the numbers before deciding it was possible.

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"It was scary but I'd ran the family business for a number of years which I sort of fell into," she said.

Gita with the giardiniera in her first ever retailerGita with the giardiniera in her first ever retailer
Gita with the giardiniera in her first ever retailer

"Many people think about starting their own business but many don't as they're worried about the risks but I thought if not now, then when? So I was compelled to start."

Gita, Rupesh, their 18-year-old son Arya and 20-year-old daughter Tya all got involved in making as much giardiniera as possible, especially when lockdown started in March.

She was worried about whether launching the business was such a good idea but as more and more people found out about the relish, the more it sold, with the family doing the deliveries.

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The easing of restrictions in the summer meant even more people could try it, which is when things really started to grow for Nakasero.

Gita at the Love Northampton exhibition - their first ever exhibitionGita at the Love Northampton exhibition - their first ever exhibition
Gita at the Love Northampton exhibition - their first ever exhibition

Restaurants like Nuovo and The Pizza Hole started to use it in their meals while stockists saw their sales rising - Gita think it is because it is so unique and versatile.

But if people are not sure how to use giardiniera, Nakasero has a whole page full of recipes on its website to inspire customers.

Gita said: "Even so, sometimes I have to explain it to people as a premium, quality product that's like an Italian-style chilli jam - it's very different to anything else."

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When Nakasero first started, Gita dreamed of being shortlisted for the Northamptonshire Food and Drinks Awards as recognition of her product.

In the end, she was nominated for numerous awards and won two golds, product of the year and vegetarian/vegan product of the year, and a silver in the ones to watch category.

The praise has also helped to boost sales over the festive period and drummed up interest in the marmalata and the future products Gita is working on.

"We have a few we are working on which we are hoping to bring to market in the next few weeks, but these are really exciting times and I can't wait for the future," she said.

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