'We want to establish ghee as India’s essential superfood', says Nei Native's Nitya Ganapathy - Exclusive

Nei Native founder Nitya Ganapathy

For decades, India’s indigenous food wisdom has only lived inside home kitchens - in recipes scribbled in notebooks or ingredients sourced from local communities, and also in rituals that were practised long before the word 'wellness' came into the picture.

Today, as the world looks eastward for sustainable and ancestral nutrition, a new generation of Indian entrepreneurs is reframing that heritage through a contemporary lens.

Nitya Ganapathy, founder of Nei Native, says her approach to ghee and Indian superfoods sits at the intersection of memory, science, and modern mindful living.

In this exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, Nitya moves beyond the expected founder narrative. She spoke about childhood nostalgia, of generational memory, of the invisible labour of grandmothers, and of a wellness culture that India itself has forgotten to value.

During this course of conversation she spoke not just about ghee as a product, but about it as a cultural ritual and a symbol of continuity.

She also discussed India’s unexplored ingredient landscape, the tension between artisanal processes and scale, and the responsibility that comes with building a modern Indian wellness brand.

At a time when wellness is often reduced to fleeting trends and social-media-driven fads, Nitya's vision is ambitious yet rooted in humility: to reclaim what was always ours, to rebuild trust in ancient nourishment, and to present Indian wisdom with the dignity and design it deserves.

Here are some excerpts from her interview:

Ques: What was the core idea or personal turning point that led you to create Nei Native and root it so deeply in Indian wellness traditions?

Nitya: Nei Native was born out of a quiet, almost sacred realization. That desi ghee is not just another superfood to be rediscovered by the world. It is ancient Indian wisdom, a living, breathing tradition that has travelled through generations, carrying stories, healing, memory, and love. For thousands of years, ghee has been more than food; it has been comfort, ritual, medicine, blessing, and belonging.

There is a kind of nostalgia that only ghee can unlock, a warmth that rises unbidden, a memory of steel tumblers and brass dabbas, of festival mornings, of scraped knees healed with a mother’s touch, of grandparents who spoke in gentleness, of kitchens that smelled like home. Every Indian home recognises this emotional connect, yet somewhere along the way, many of us lost the ability to make ghee the way our mothers and grandmothers did — with patience, intuition, and reverence.

Ques: How do you balance ancient Indian wisdom with modern science when developing your products and brand philosophy?

Nitya: For us the tradition and science are not opposing forces but similar - one is giving wisdom and the second one gives clarity.

Together, they allow us to make products that are not just authentic, but genuinely transformative. We turn to traditional methods and artisanal techniques. Every choice is reinforced with stringent, contemporary research. We rely on nutritional profiling, micronutrients testing and quality standards that meet today’s health expectations.

What we offer is not just rooted in culture, but grounded in science, crafted with intention, and aligned with the way modern families choose to nourish themselves.

Ques: In a market full of fast wellness trends, what makes your approach to purity, sustainability, and conscious consumption genuinely different?

Nitya: We build slowly, intentionally, and with integrity. Sustainability is not a marketing line for us; it is visible in our glass jar, to be launched soon refillable steel jars, our hands-on supply chain, our small batch production, and our refusal to use shortcuts that compromise quality. It is also evident in every batch being slightly different as it is not mass manufactured or machine made- we even mention this in our label- minor inconsistencies might occur but the flavour texture and aroma will be superior everytime. While the industry may be chasing trends, we are restoring continuity. I like the term conscious consumption. We look at it similarly, with 'mindful living' which is a direct outcome of climbing Maslow's ladder.

Ques: Can you share how you research and revive lesser-known Indian superfoods, and what ingredients you believe India has still not fully rediscovered?

Nitya: India’s ingredient map is vast—layered with micro-climates, tribal lineages, ancient foodways—but so much of it lives only in memory. And much of this knowledge is undocumented. Our work begins here: listening, observing, and reviving recipes that were once passed down orally from one generation to the next. We prioritise sourcing from the region of origin, choosing ingredients that are indigenous, unaltered and still connected to the land that shaped them. But this journey of rediscovery has only begun.

Ques: How do you convey the science behind traditional practices to today’s youth and trend-driven consumers?

Nitya: Young consumers only value authenticity but they also expect clarity, and evidence. They’re curious, but they don’t want vague claims, or jargon. This is where our approach to storytelling begins. The wisdom stays Indian, but the communication stays contemporary. And we deliver this knowledge in the formats today’s consumers already love: short, snackable videos; Instagram-style carousel explainers; WhatsApp-friendly micro-learning nuggets; ask-us-anything Q&As; and simple, transparent breakdowns of ingredients, origins, and benefits. Instead of overwhelming them, we meet them where they are—with clarity, brevity, and respect.

Our goal is not to romanticise Indian wisdom or wrap it in nostalgia alone. It is to demystify it—to show that our traditions were built on observation, logic, and lived evidence. Because when story meets science, when emotion meets explanation, trust becomes effortless.

Ques: What’s your long-term vision for Nei Native — and how do you hope to shape the future of India’s wellness ecosystem?

Nitya: Nei Native’s vision is to revive India’s ancient nourishment wisdom and bring it back to the centre of modern living.