Tasha & Girl

Hello.

It’s been a while.

It's also been the best and the worst of times for us in the last 5 years since we started Tasha & Girl. It is time we took a break. It has been a tough couple of years with many ups and downs. This is our big goodbye-for-now post.

We will be gone for a while. We have no clue if or when we may come back, and most likely we will not be wearing work pants anytime soon.

We started from a tiny kitchen with Tasha wanting to gift something personal and handmade to friends and like anything three people from the 80s with no big plans and a pot full of the most delicious spreads in the world would do, we asked ourselves if we could do this for a living.

Well, after 5 years of relentless pursuit of an answer to that question, we can safely say: No. We can’t. Someone else may be able to, but we definitely are not those who can do this for a living.

You see, this business of FMCG requires more than hard work and good intentions, even if one has a kickass product and a well-loved brand. It requires patience and deep pockets. And patience requires deeper pockets. So, given the depth of our pockets and our inability to dig further without literally tearing the bottom out, we thought it might be better to accept reality and see the last 5 years as an exciting time of fast-tracked learning about how, despite having the love of thousands, what one actually needs to survive is the money of millions! We could not find it. And so, here we are, writing our Sayonara post.

What next for us?
For now, Tasha has taken up leadership and executive coaching, taking on a few select clients in and outside Pune, and is learning to enjoy the success and recognition it has brought with it, even if she’d have been happier if that came through Tasha & Girl’s delicious spreads. One takes what one gets. And works with it.

Kedar is back to consulting, teaching, and writing. And helping startups from the lessons he has learnt in his 32-year-long career in entrepreneurship.

Karthik, who was always based in Bengaluru, now has moved into doing things only he can sometimes explain. Just know that it involves research, design, and a whole lot of solid waste. If you ask him to describe what he does, you will make an enemy of him.

And for the girl? Well, nothing’s really changed for her. She still gets the spreads we make and hopefully will for as long as we make them in our kitchens.

So, this is the final goodbye. Not fully. But definitely.

We still believe this is a good thing to have existed and should exist. We just know we aren’t the ones to run it like a business. The company is going to continue to be around, and we might post stuff every once in a while we think of a bad joke to share.

But that is that. For now. So long, and thanks for all the sweet love. We leave you with lines from our new favourite song, and hope it brings to you what the spreads used to.

Do not let this thing you got go to waste
Do not let your heart be dismayed
It's here by some random disclosure of grace
From some vascular, great thing
Let your life grow strong and sweet to the taste
'Cause the odds are completely insane
Do not let your spirit wane

Listen to Tasha in conversation with the lovely Candy Zodinsangi, being , telling our story, how we do what we do, and more importantly, why we do what we do. Our backstory, our trials & tribulations, and our hopes & fears. It's all there, now immortalised on YouTube. Sweet!

https://youtu.be/EQ17-tv-ln4

#candidwithcandy A chat with Natasha, co-founder of Tasha&Girl, the brand that employs 100% women! What are the top 10 reasons why people work for XYZ companies? I won't be wrong to say that this is a highly searched question on google today ... I think th...

As someone running an all-women brand from start, we are glad to welcome Ola Electric to the all-women factory league.

Now, if only your facility dealt with jams that you could get out with a spoon instead of the traffic kind.

https://www.indiatoday.in/auto/latest-auto-news/story/ola-futurefactory-to-employ-over-10-000-women-will-be-world-s-largest-women-only-factory-1852307-2021-09-13

Ola Futurefactory to employ over 10,000 women, will be world's largest women-only factory The Ola Futurefactory will employ over 10,000 women, making it the world’s largest women-only factory and the only all-women automotive manufacturing facility globally.

Dear ,

You have paved the way for countless girls and women to follow in your path. You have shown us the strength to get to where you have gotten to, the will to continue against all odds, and the grace & joy with which you celebrate the work you have put in.

The outcome be damned. In our books & hearts, all glory is in getting there.

Yours lovingly,
Tasha & Girl

P.S: And yes, Coach Sjoerd, we love you too!

Here we are now, adding more and more places to our online presence. Go, get your fructose high at What The Froot.

As you can see: Good fruits spread joy. Great fruit spreads. Naturally.

Most times, we are second-guessing ourselves to a point that we are no longer sure of any decision. Will Strawberry go well with Lavender, will Mangoes & Chillies tickle someone's palate, or is 400g too much or too little? Should we continue to push against the wind of synthetic, artificial, and extremely cheap, flavoured sugar jellies, or should we stop to breathe a bit, or maybe quit? Are we making any difference in anyone's life at all, or are we seen as just another brick in the supermarket's wall-like displays?

And then there are times when someone we know tells us that a random stranger bought our fruit spreads and liked them so much that they are excitedly telling their friend about this 'discovery'. These moments, and occasions, are few and far between (mainly it is existential questions interspersed with fatigue), but they do come. And when they do, we know that what we are doing is touching the life of someone who does not know, or need to know, us with so much positivity that it makes them smile.

That, right there, is why we do what we do. So that one day, when we lay down never to get up again, we can close our eyes knowing that it was all worth it.

To everyone subjected to our dad jokes: We got them from our fathers. They'd be proud if you blamed them for this display of fatherly wit and humour. But they'd be even prouder of you on if you'd 'spread' it around.

You get it? Spread. Like .

If the berries do all of this well, they finally end up in our spreads, and then onto your breads.

Now you know what we mean when we say, 'This is what happens to fruit when it makes all the right .'

Image: https://bybroersen.nl/

In keeping with the tradition of celebrating obscure things at Tasha & Girl, happy to you, intergalactic traveller, sitting on a rock circling a medium-sized star swinging around a galaxy in what feels like circling the drain. But let us not dwell on that too much; the infinite perspective vortex is no one’s friend. We have been through things and then some this last year. But unless some of you have seen singing dolphins fly into the sky thanking you for the fish, we think we can live under the illusion that we are going to sail through this with flair characteristic to the Homo sapiens. We live in a world of endless possibilities; survival is definitely one, and who knows, maybe at the end of it, we will even thrive.

May you have your towel handy and a bottle of spreads wherever you can find it quickly. For believe us when we say so: You’re in for a ride.

Dear Mr.Malviya,

Jams are hard to produce.

But you don't save lives with jams. You don't export them when the demand is at home. And you don't hide findings for a PR opportunity.

Even when we don't make life-saving products, we have more considered responses to increased demand.

Sincerely,
Tasha & Girl

P.S: You might want to consider not trivialising the suffering of millions of people in a pandemic by comparing it to cooked fruit. Even we, a small startup with zero financial or other muscle, are not posting about selling more jams in times such as these, though heaven knows we need the money.

We know. It’s this year. It’s doing that thing we hated from last year, but only worse. Everyone is doing their bit to ensure help is available and in plenty. This is us doing our bit.

For every donation to a local organisation, group, or individual that you think is worthy, we will ship you a couple of bottles of fruit spreads. On the house.

Our personal suggestions are:
1. https://fundraisers.giveindia.org/projects/wastepickers-of-pune-call-for-support-in-the-devastating-times-of-covid19
2. http://adivasilivesmatter.com/covid19

But you don't have to give only them. And no, we don’t need to see your receipts, or proofs of you having given. Just tell the world the work they are doing and that you donated what you could. Tag us so we know, and DM us your address so we can ship you the bottles.

Or if you know someone doing good work and you want them to know they are appreciated, we would send some to them too. These are bleak bleak times. And we are hoping this helps you spread some much-needed joy and sweetness.

As people who know a thing or two about how to unjam the lids stuck too tight on our fruit spreads, we feel you, .

You have brought out all the emotions we had bottled up inside.

This could be the inside of an empty spread jar (a nightmare for most of you fruit-lovers, we are sure).

But it’s Mars, the (sp)red planet.

All the best, NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover. You're a rock star! No really.

We know we are late to the 'pawri' and that this viral boat has probably sailed. But we reckon it wouldn't hurt to join in the fun.



P.S: Are we allowed to throw around the word 'viral' casually now? Or is it too soon?

In our last post, as we do in most of our communication, we made an obscure reference, this time to a 1985 film, ‘Back to the Future’, but left it there without explaining it. Why? Because you people, the lovers of Tasha & Girl, are too smart not to get it.

Why do we do obscure references at all? Because we can. And we think you love us for it. After all, we presume that intelligent, well-read, well-travelled folks with good taste, like yourself, are the ones who buy and not just consume the products we make, but also identify with our communication style, with its unique flavour, and that the jokes we crack are the jokes you ‘get’ and enjoy without us having to explain ourselves. Ever. Because we are just like you. And you, like us.

So, here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. Oh, wait. That line is taken by another fruit company! Well, you know what we are saying, right?

By the way, before we go, here’s a nice picture of some plain crackers & cream smothered with our experimental Strawberries & Nothing fruit spread with low sugar and large chunks of strawberry left intact within (Psst!: That is coming next season).

Cute animal, meet jam. Jam, meet cute animal.

This Twitter thread has some of the best animal-jam crossovers we have ever seen. And even while knowing very well that they aren't , we are still here for it. Bring us more.

https://twitter.com/blondieatlanta/status/1346474107764789250

SeaweedTea Drinker on Twitter “Somebody found this Corgi puppy laid out in a shop surrounded by claret. They thought he'd been attacked and was hurt and bleeding... It turns out he'd eaten and entire jar of Jam and passed out on the floor in a sugar crash...😂😂😂”

Winter's here. And so are apples. Strawberries to follow. Our marketing team is prepping for the annual ‘Why can't we call them jams?’ whinge.

Yes, we know apples constitute < 3% of the ingredients in our spreads. But can we just enjoy our first sight of fruit without worrying about nuance, please? Danke.

that there's a suburb of Jamshedpur (also known by its nickname, ) named Mango. And last night, someone from Mango ordered 2 jars of Mangoes & Nothing fruit spread. Yes. Mangoes to Mango in Jampot.

Seems like we've finally reached .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango_(Jamshedpur)

How much not-jam would a not-jam person jam to if a not-jam person jammed to not-jam? Frankly, my dear, who gives a fig?

Guess who spent the last 2 weeks toiling over design, images, spelling, syntax, look, flavour, and placement for A+ content on the Amazon India product listing page?
And guess who’s so proud of the result that they cannot help crowing about it on social media?
Us! Yay! Go visit. www.tinyurl.com/TAGAmaze

Whenever someone orders the Confiturière's Half Dozen (which has 7 flavours, because that is how we count), the Girl takes it upon herself to write the receiver a note politely asking them to enjoy the jams.

We started it as a way of keeping her occupied once her (online) classes are done, jam sandwiches polished, and whatever it is she wants to be that day decided (today, she was a balleri-baker, which is a ballerina who bakes...or maybe it is a baker who is a ballerina...can't say). Slowly, it became a regular thing.

And now we have a problem: her art's getting better and we really don't feel like sharing. So, if you've got one, it is either that we really really like you (like rajma-chawal types), or that she has made even better art that we didn't feel like sharing. Go figure. But first, go order.

And yes, "Enjoy the jams. Love The Girl."

Get the Confiturière's Half Dozen here: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07P8HYBSN

Finally!

After the virus put a spoke in our wheel, and all that drama with locusts and cyclones and earthquakes, with Australia on fire (the showoffs!) and half of 2020 behind us (whew!), it’s that time of the year again. The girl's approved our toil of months and is ready to let us share the spoils. The lids are screwed on tight, labels stuck, and bottles polished. We are ready to roll. Again.

From tonight, we start shipping Season 3, Year 4. Why the number mismatch you ask? Well, it’s like the gap year that the Beatles took. Or Harper Lee. Or Paul Rudd. We went searching for inspiration and (unlike the Beatles, or Harper Lee, or Paul Rudd) sales though not solace (like the Beatles, or Harper Lee, or Paul Rudd). Are we repeating ourselves? You bet.

Which brings us to this: We realised that we have the combinations perfected. We don’t need to change a thing. In a way, we were back to where we started Season 2. But then, isn’t that what happens to every long journey. You arrive, refreshed, wiser, a bit older, and back to the place you started.

The point is: All our 7 flavours are now available once again on Amazon. Because we know you love us just the way we are.

Get yourself to https://bit.ly/fruitspreads now and order away! And once you order, receive, and partake, repeat.

On the 51st anniversary of the setting up of the first ever extraterrestrial human presence at (Lunar 00°41′15″N, 23°26′00″E), here's a useful guide should you bump into an alien house-hunting on Earth.

No point offering them fruit spreads because we aren't sure if aliens have taste buds. But as a peace offering, it can't hurt to showcase the best we have on Earth.

As for our advice, do what the graphic suggests: in this case, are better than a .

Why did Apple skip the iPhones 2 and 9?
Why did George Lucas go straight to Episode IV?
What’s so special about Taxi Number 1729?
Why can we not go faster than 1080000000 kmph?
Why is the answer to Life, Universe, and Everything 42?
Would you like to know?
So would we.
Watch as we skip answering any of these interesting questions and launch Season 3 in our 4th year of operation.
Coming soon. To an online platform near you.
Tasha & Girl. Season 3.
Same brilliant spreads. Great new season.

There're times when our posts are a 4-day process of back and forth. There're also days when it comes to us naturally. And then, there's today: our favourite customer (basically anyone who buys our more than once in more than one bottle) just says the perfect thing and saves us all the thinking, designing, yelling, disagreeing, and then making up over, what else, .

A jam-lover (you know who you are, mate) very eloquently wrote, "Good mangoes have to spread," and it all fell into place. That just made our day. A bit light. A bit sweet. A bit spicy. A bit mischievous. In every bit, golden. And authentic. Like our Ratnagiri Alphonso jam infused with specks of Sankeshwari & Byadagi Chillis. .

Now, if only we could outsource this to all you people, where you come up with a good line and give us a break from trying to be witty and funny and still all markety, and we will put it up here, next to a simple-looking illustration like this one. Or without it. Whatever.

Anyways, FWIW, here goes: We make smooth spreads from mangoes that spread smoothly. Try them.

Here's hoping that the next time an alien journalist, a field researcher for the Guide, and not an out-of-work actor from Guildford, who having originally planned to spend a week on Earth doing research, but winds up being stranded for 15 years prior to helping a thoroughly confused human escape the planet when the Vogons demolish it, decides to update the entry for Earth, they leave it unchanged.