Jash Shah: Making healthy desserts

Jash Shah combined his love for ice cream and clean eating to set up Get-A-Whey
Image: Mexy Xavier
Stylists: Juilee Borse And Nidhi Agrawal; Wardrobe: Shirt - The Maroon Suit, Blazer - Jayesh Shah

 
Jash Shah, 26
Co-founder, Get-A-Whey

It’s probably true that some of the greatest inventions happen in a kitchen. Case in point: Get-A-Whey ice cream. When Jash Shah, 26, and his sister, Pashmi, 30, wanted to satiate their sugar craving with a healthy alternative post a workout, their mother, Jimmy, 52, whipped up some protein ice cream, sowing the startup seed in their heads.

In 2018, the trio launched Get-A-Whey ice cream, an “outrageously healthy yet tasty” dessert, says Jash. Each scoop, he adds, is high in protein with 10 grams of protein per serving of 75 grams to 80 grams. It doesn’t contain any added sugar and is made with real ingredients, he claims. He continues they use Erythritol, an organic sweetener with zero calories and sugars, usually found in melons and grapes. “I love working out and having protein. We are a family that believes in clean eating, but I also love ice cream. You’ll never find my refrigerator without it,” says Jash, co-founder.

Tips to run a business from their parents who manage their own ventures, and experience in marketing and sales from their previous jobs gave them enough leverage to set foot in the world of entrepreneurship.

“While studying mechanical engineering, I knew it’s not something I wanted a career in. I was sure I wanted to do something on my own,” says Jash. Every day in business has been a learning. “Every entrepreneur will agree that there are more lows than highs in the beginning,” he adds.   

Getting positive reviews from celebrities and nutritionists were the highs, while the lows were being rejected in retail stores in the beginning. “Without physical presence, it becomes difficult to create an online brand, especially in a market like India,” explains Jash.

After sailing through the early hiccups, the company has clocked in a revenue of ₹5 crore till date. It has expanded to Pune, Nagpur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru after initially being only in Mumbai. Recently, it even managed to bag a deal on Shark Tank India, worth ₹1 crore, for a 15 percent equity and roped in three sharks—Aman Gupta, co-founder and CMO of boAt, Ashneer Grover, founder and MD, Bharatpe, and Vineeta Singh, CEO of Sugar Cosmetics.

Healthy desserts may no longer be an oxymoron, but nutritionists warn diabetics to check their blood glucose levels after trying products that market itself as being low on sugar or that use natural alternatives.  “Erythritol essentially is a sugar alcohol. It is a powdered crystal which is about 100 times sweeter than sugar. It is an ingredient that passes through the body without getting absorbed or broken down, which is why it has zero calories. As of now there are no proven side effects, but certain people may experience gastric issues because of its inability to get digested,” says Dr Siddhant Bhargava, fitness and nutritional scientist, and co-founder of Food Darzee. “The ice cream may have nominal levels of carbohydrates and sugar, but having said that, just because it’s ‘healthier’ it does not mean one can consume many at one go.”