Parveena Dahari,
Lulu’s Heavenly Delights, Mauritius
Parveena Dahari lives passionately and it is her passion for cooking which led her to start Lulu’s Heavenly Delights in October 2016. Lulu’s Heavenly Delights is her entrepreneurship venture to raise awareness on veganism and share her delicious creations.
Parveena of artistic nature, has a background in customer relations, administration and holds a Bachelor in Commerce with a Major in Informatics. She has working experience in the outsourcing sector.
How did she become vegan?
Nearly 8 years ago, she recalls not feeling comfortable eating red meat and chicken meat. At that time, her decision had been influenced by her exposure to the manufacture of industrial meat, which resulted in her distaste of consuming meat. She could picture the animal as a living being and sensed the pain, the torture involved in the killing of the animal, even more, given the way animals were bred, often being heaped up. Though she was not personally involved in the process, she did not want to indirectly support the system by feeding herself on meat.
When she moved to Ireland almost 8 yrs ago, she lived with her sister and her partner who were already vegan. They were sharing the same meals and she witnessed the cooking style. During her exposure, she realised that it was not at all difficult to be vegan, she had a lot of options in terms of vegetables, vegetarian meat, plant-based milk and she even learnt how to prepare tofu. Parveena saw and felt the health benefits of no longer eating meat and eventually she made the shift from omnivore to vegan. Without any doubt, both her sister and her sister’s partner have been of a great influence in her decision to completely embrace a vegan lifestyle.
Parveena through Lulu’s Heavenly Delights wants to create a consciousness about the origin of the food we consume and shed light on how industrial food is processed and produced. Her desire is to educate us that as human beings we are not superior in the animal kingdom and the food pyramid and it does not warrant us with the right to kill.
She draws a clear distinction between being vegetarian, which is mainly about refraining from the consumption of any kind of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood and any other animals) which can be for various reasons (animal cruelty, religious beliefs, personal preferences) and being vegan, which encloses a larger spectrum regarding a certain way of life and a specific diet. More precisely veganism is a philosophy of life which is against the ill-treatment, exploitation, cruelty and abuse of animals for the sole purpose of food production, clothing and other accessories (use of leather and fur). As well, veganism seeks to reject the mistreatment of animals which can be in the form of game hunting, zoos, entertainment shows (circuses, dog and horse races) and in cases where mostly wild animals are held in captivity and no proper care and treatment are provided.
Moreover, it is also about showing respect for the well-being of animals and treating them as sentient beings, and this regards the dairy industry as well. She explains that the initial purpose of cows’ milk (as for any other mammals too) is for feeding their young ones, and not for human consumption. In her opinion and shred by vegans alike, the dairy industry perpetrates such animal exploitations where cows are impregnated repeatedly, thus modifying their natural reproductive cycles so as to have them produce more milk than they are supposed to.
How did she start her business venture?
Upon her return to Mauritius, working from home for an outsourcing company, she had more free time to think about the type of career she truly wanted. Being at home and feeling less pressured, she learned about new products, explored different cooking techniques, devised creative recipes, and baked original cakes.
In so doing, she realised that there was a gap when it comes to provision of products and food for people who had specific food intolerance and/or who had chosen to eat differently. She observed that the consumer behaviour had changed and people were more health-conscious, geared towards organic food and vegetables. Through this venture she was also filled with the desire to educate about alternatives that exist to have a balanced diet, with a variety of vegetables and plant-based food products. As well, she noticed that there was more and more awareness and an interest regarding vegetarian and vegan food, when interacting with groups of people on social media and meeting relatives at family gatherings.
The idea to start baking cakes and taking orders for special occasions came to life when she participated in an Environmental and Ecological event that was organised. Together with some other vegans from the Vegan Society of Mauritius group, they held a stand there to share information and raise awareness about Veganism. The cupcakes that she prepared for the free vegan food tasting were greatly appreciated and in no time, a friend ordered a cake from her. With the encouragement and positive feedback she received from friends and family, she put her hesitation aside and became determined to go further with the business. Based on the responses and interests from customers, she decided to provide a mixture of both sweet and savoury products, among which her specialities are the chickpea tofu, coconut milk cheese, veggie burger, birthday cakes and cupcakes.
Given that the food is prepared at her place in the home-made style and not heavily processed, she has no need to make huge capital investment and renting of a location. However, the challenges she faced was to adapt her kitchen in an efficient way and being quite limited in provision of delivery facilities, relying for the time being on the help of her parents.
Though at the moment she is operating on a small-scale, Parveena manages to be financially sustainable and be customer-oriented by proposing products according to the season. Her main marketing channels are social media via her facebook page where reviews are most welcomed and also by word of mouth.
She intends to grow her venture outside the non-vegan circle so as to reach out to people who might be interested to eat more plant-based foods, learn more about the ingredients/products, and offer alternatives
for people who might not consume meat on specific days. In doing so, she is hoping to raise awareness among the non-vegan community by promoting plant-based food and providing suggestions for healthy and balanced meals, and to embrace a cruelty-free way of life as much as possible.
Through this venture, Parveena is living her passion; her love of cooking and developing her culinary talent. She is living with a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and making others discover a new type of cuisine. Most importantly, she enjoys the freedom of not relying on someone else to feed herself. She is producing something from scratch and creating something out of her own hands.
Her message to every woman who aspires to become an entrepreneur: “If you have a passion, take initiatives, educate yourself, seek advice, develop it, grow, share this passion…It is within You”
Parveena of artistic nature, has a background in customer relations, administration and holds a Bachelor in Commerce with a Major in Informatics. She has working experience in the outsourcing sector.
How did she become vegan?
Nearly 8 years ago, she recalls not feeling comfortable eating red meat and chicken meat. At that time, her decision had been influenced by her exposure to the manufacture of industrial meat, which resulted in her distaste of consuming meat. She could picture the animal as a living being and sensed the pain, the torture involved in the killing of the animal, even more, given the way animals were bred, often being heaped up. Though she was not personally involved in the process, she did not want to indirectly support the system by feeding herself on meat.
When she moved to Ireland almost 8 yrs ago, she lived with her sister and her partner who were already vegan. They were sharing the same meals and she witnessed the cooking style. During her exposure, she realised that it was not at all difficult to be vegan, she had a lot of options in terms of vegetables, vegetarian meat, plant-based milk and she even learnt how to prepare tofu. Parveena saw and felt the health benefits of no longer eating meat and eventually she made the shift from omnivore to vegan. Without any doubt, both her sister and her sister’s partner have been of a great influence in her decision to completely embrace a vegan lifestyle.
Parveena through Lulu’s Heavenly Delights wants to create a consciousness about the origin of the food we consume and shed light on how industrial food is processed and produced. Her desire is to educate us that as human beings we are not superior in the animal kingdom and the food pyramid and it does not warrant us with the right to kill.
She draws a clear distinction between being vegetarian, which is mainly about refraining from the consumption of any kind of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood and any other animals) which can be for various reasons (animal cruelty, religious beliefs, personal preferences) and being vegan, which encloses a larger spectrum regarding a certain way of life and a specific diet. More precisely veganism is a philosophy of life which is against the ill-treatment, exploitation, cruelty and abuse of animals for the sole purpose of food production, clothing and other accessories (use of leather and fur). As well, veganism seeks to reject the mistreatment of animals which can be in the form of game hunting, zoos, entertainment shows (circuses, dog and horse races) and in cases where mostly wild animals are held in captivity and no proper care and treatment are provided.
Moreover, it is also about showing respect for the well-being of animals and treating them as sentient beings, and this regards the dairy industry as well. She explains that the initial purpose of cows’ milk (as for any other mammals too) is for feeding their young ones, and not for human consumption. In her opinion and shred by vegans alike, the dairy industry perpetrates such animal exploitations where cows are impregnated repeatedly, thus modifying their natural reproductive cycles so as to have them produce more milk than they are supposed to.
How did she start her business venture?
Upon her return to Mauritius, working from home for an outsourcing company, she had more free time to think about the type of career she truly wanted. Being at home and feeling less pressured, she learned about new products, explored different cooking techniques, devised creative recipes, and baked original cakes.
In so doing, she realised that there was a gap when it comes to provision of products and food for people who had specific food intolerance and/or who had chosen to eat differently. She observed that the consumer behaviour had changed and people were more health-conscious, geared towards organic food and vegetables. Through this venture she was also filled with the desire to educate about alternatives that exist to have a balanced diet, with a variety of vegetables and plant-based food products. As well, she noticed that there was more and more awareness and an interest regarding vegetarian and vegan food, when interacting with groups of people on social media and meeting relatives at family gatherings.
The idea to start baking cakes and taking orders for special occasions came to life when she participated in an Environmental and Ecological event that was organised. Together with some other vegans from the Vegan Society of Mauritius group, they held a stand there to share information and raise awareness about Veganism. The cupcakes that she prepared for the free vegan food tasting were greatly appreciated and in no time, a friend ordered a cake from her. With the encouragement and positive feedback she received from friends and family, she put her hesitation aside and became determined to go further with the business. Based on the responses and interests from customers, she decided to provide a mixture of both sweet and savoury products, among which her specialities are the chickpea tofu, coconut milk cheese, veggie burger, birthday cakes and cupcakes.
Given that the food is prepared at her place in the home-made style and not heavily processed, she has no need to make huge capital investment and renting of a location. However, the challenges she faced was to adapt her kitchen in an efficient way and being quite limited in provision of delivery facilities, relying for the time being on the help of her parents.
Though at the moment she is operating on a small-scale, Parveena manages to be financially sustainable and be customer-oriented by proposing products according to the season. Her main marketing channels are social media via her facebook page where reviews are most welcomed and also by word of mouth.
She intends to grow her venture outside the non-vegan circle so as to reach out to people who might be interested to eat more plant-based foods, learn more about the ingredients/products, and offer alternatives
for people who might not consume meat on specific days. In doing so, she is hoping to raise awareness among the non-vegan community by promoting plant-based food and providing suggestions for healthy and balanced meals, and to embrace a cruelty-free way of life as much as possible.
Through this venture, Parveena is living her passion; her love of cooking and developing her culinary talent. She is living with a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and making others discover a new type of cuisine. Most importantly, she enjoys the freedom of not relying on someone else to feed herself. She is producing something from scratch and creating something out of her own hands.
Her message to every woman who aspires to become an entrepreneur: “If you have a passion, take initiatives, educate yourself, seek advice, develop it, grow, share this passion…It is within You”