Company Founder Harinee Sampath originally came up with the idea behind Prayani. She had been making raita yogurt dips at home for many years with recipes passed down through the generations from her family in India. As an immigrant to the U.S. she wanted to bring a part of her culture and history to America. The goal was to offer rich and vibrant flavors that transport customers to an Indian vacation, all while they’re in the comfort of their homes.
While studying at University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Harinee worked with a team to develop a line of raita yogurt dips, conducting extensive market research through taste tests, focus groups and surveys. After seeing this very promising market research, Harinee jumped right into figuring out how to launch the product.
After earning her MBA in 2015, Harinee recruited one intern and her family, including her then two-year-old son, to help bring Raita to life. The very first batch was made with the help of my father and one other person, with my husband joining us at 11 PM and going until 2 AM, after having started production at 5 AM the previous day. Here's a picture from that first run!
Our team now consists of a small band of Prayanis to make and market the our raita yogurt sauces.
As a mom, it's been important for Harinee to develop products that her son would enjoy. At Prayani, we will continue to develop full of flavor foods that are better for you. We now have a wonderful crew making Prayani. They still add spices to every cup and hand label every cup for you, so you can continue to enjoy the most authentic flavored raita available today
On all of our products, you may have noticed our Reduced Plastic Impact seal. We are a proud member of IMPACT COLLECTIVE, a group of forward-thinking brands committed to making an immediate and positive environmental impact by neutralizing our plastic footprints. Together we are empowered to be responsible stewards of our planet while providing you with the same high quality products. By participating in certified plastic projects, Prayani has taken our commitment to sustainability even further. Learn more at impactcollective.eco.
Our mission isn’t to save the world from the scourge of plastic. And yet, we do this because it’s, simply, the right thing to do.