Pallavi Salgaocar, a dynamic entrepreneur, skillfully balances her roles at Geno Pharmaceuticals and Desserts n' More, bringing innovative and customised baked delights to Goa
BHARATI PAWASKAR
A chartered accountant, executive director (finance) at Geno Pharmaceuticals and founder of the bakery chain in Goa, Desserts n' More, Pallavi Salgaocar wears many hats. She has authored a cookbook ‘Desserts First’ and not to forget, she was a participant of Goldman Sachs 10k Women Entrepreneurship program and is also certified by Stanford University, USA on completion of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Professional Certificate.
Currently a managing committee member of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and Assocham – Goa Women Empowerment Chair, Pallavi is a familiar face and name in Goa. She has ably carved a niche as a prominent entrepreneur in the business world with her expertise in dealing with multiple tasks with equal ease. A woman of substance, Pallavi is also the director of the Bicholim Urban Cooperative Bank and Goa Chair of G 100 – Food Systems Innovation and Resilience Wings as well as an executive committee member in Laghu Udyog Bharati (Goa Chapter).
Her association and participation in the activities of GCCI has led her to various responsible posts which she shouldered with ease. Certified as an independent director by Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, under the Ministry of Corporate affairs, this first-generation-entrepreneur started a bakery chain a decade ago. Dividing her time between her responsibilities as the finance director of Geno Pharma and the entrepreneurial venture of ‘Desserts n' More’, Pallavi admits that it is not possible to quantify the time but she is available 24x7 for her venture.
‘Desserts n' More’ offers a variety of products in cakes, savouries, cookies, breads and desserts. Apart from regular cakes, there’s also a vertical ‘Premia’, designer made-to-order cakes and wedding cakes along with the concept of edible ‘photo’ cakes. “In regular cakes we have the most popular Dutch truffle, red velvet, caramel, butterscotch, fruit gateau amongst others. In the Premia section we have Belgian cake, white chocolate cake, Cadbury silk cake, rainbow cake, lotus biscoff cake, choco-blueberry cake. We also make cakes with a ‘desi’ twist like the rasgulla cake, gulab jamun cake etc,” shares Pallavi. A wide range of desserts delighting the pallet – Serradura, mousse shots, cashew nut macarons, choco delights, brownies, tiramisu, baked cheesecakes and savouries like puffs, rolls, wraps and sandwiches adorn the shelves. One can also pick from 20 plus varieties of cookies including khari, toast, shrewsbury, wine cookies and cheese straws.
“We were amongst the first in Goa to make designer customised cakes and that still is our mainstay. To our advantage we have our loyal customers who keep coming back to us and recommend us to their friends. We also have a health vertical called wholesome bites. Also, we were the first ones in Goa to start the concept of healthy wheat and millet based cakes. We make brown, multi grain breads, as also wheat, oats and millet based products in cakes, cupcakes and cookies,” adds Pallavi.
The season’s special like Christmas goodies, plum cakes, marzipan fruits, marshmallows, jujubes during December; Easter eggs and bunny themed cakes during Easter; chocolate modaks during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali cakes during Diwali and heart-shaped delicacies on Valentine’s day are the ‘Desserts n' More’ USPs. “Festival and special day offerings are a big trend in the bakery business of late. We also have a mascot Miss DNM who’s the face of the brand,” quips Pallavi who oversees the entire division ‘Dainty Delights’ (the bakery and food division of Geno Pharma) along with a team of 25 others in production, counter staff and support personnel. We regularly participate in exhibitions, marathons and other events, she adds.
The sweet journey of ‘Desserts n' More’ marks the tie up with Swiggy and Zomato across select outlets apart from making the products available through a network of self-operated shops, franchisees, express counters and supermarkets across Goa. There is a counter present at Caculo Mall and Mall de Goa. With a factory outlet based at Tivim Industrial Estate, cities like Margao, Shiroda, Morjim, Parcem, Bicholim, Sanquelim, Calangute are offered the goodies. Cookies are available through supermarkets. An express counter at Dodamarg on the Goa-Maharashtra border also caters to the customers.
Amongst her challenges Pallavi re-counts the covid days as the most trying times with all the outlets shut. “We started operating as essential services selling breads and cookies through home delivery and pivoted to online from physical outlet presence. Also the competition in this sector is intense, hence innovation and ability to retain customers, holds the key,” concludes Pallavi.
