As India’s economic sectors pick themselves up in the hope of a better future ahead (which is the essence of capitalism – that things will be better in the future and therefore people must work hard in the present in order to make that bright future a reality. Note: this is a highly simplified version of capitalism and often does not pass muster in reality); health and wellness brands focused on preventive healthcare seem to have made a lot of ground with regards to getting the attention they deserve from people. Many individuals have formed new habits rooted in a healthy, active lifestyle; while many if not a habit, have at least started thinking and exploring their mind and body in their own way; helped of course by the internet and peers.

India, a country with a large population of individuals with chronic diseases, needs its people to be healthy and create healthy communities. The often-touted economic growth is rooted in several must-haves, the least being education and healthcare; with the key industrial sectors tagging along in tandem. The country’s median age is less than 27 and we’re the youngest country in the world by that measure. Therefore, the more preventive healthcare interventions there are in the present moment, the better it is for all our collective well-being in the future.

Today, at Bangalore Insider, we spoke to Sindura Borra, founder and CEO of Cleanse High, an innovative healthcare service program that pushes individuals to harness the power of plants and liquids to flush out toxins from their bodies, and rejuvenate in the literal sense of the word. Below are the excerpts from our interaction.

Give brief info about your startup.

Cleanse High was founded in early 2014 by Sindura Borra, a wellness enthusiast.

Cleanse High offers Juice Cleanse Program, a naturopathically designed all-day juice diet plan that helps the system replenish itself internally.

The Liquid -diet has 8 Elixirs per day – Super smoothies + Botanical Tonics + Healing Soups + Herbal Teas. Made fresh and delivered every morning of the program. Each juice is made using the finest of raw food ingredients drawn from ayurvedic and folk wisdom.

The three goals of Juice Cleansing is to flush out old waste and toxins, repair tissues and nourish cells when it enters the state of autophagy while fasting on juice.  The program comes in 4 Levels- 1 Day| 3 Days | 6 DAys | 15 Days.

What made you start your startup, and what problem does it solve?

We have been there! Chronic lethargy, lack of vibrance in health generally,  foggy mind, figuring out this crazy ride called life. In 2013 I discovered the power of juice cleansing and had personally enjoyed the transformation it could bring about. When we physically let go of waste from our system, it has a positive string of effects on all areas of our life through the juice cleanse process.   With the support of a knowledgeable team of nutritionists, Ayurvedic physicians and food technologists, a practical + powerful Body cleansing program was created. Since then, we’ve proudly helped thousands of people feel lighter, cleaner and brighter; All with our naturopathically designed, results-driven, nutrient-dense juice cleanse programs. 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

I was raised and educated in Hyderabad, India. I have completed Masters in Computer Sciences from the USA. I have always enjoyed working on ideas and taking up leadership roles of all sizes and kinds. 

After graduation, I have worked for a year and then moved back to India to begin my entrepreneurial journey. I have a strong penchant for two things in general; Design & Wellness. My first company is a Brand Design Agency, where we focused on packaging design for FMCG products. We built a portfolio of 38 Brands before we exited in 2017. Parallelly I have been exploring the wellness industry. After a few months of stirring ideas, the exploration stopped at Juice Detox- A wellness ritual that solves a pressing and long-ignored problem of clogging the system with toxins. Cleanse High Liquid Diet Solutions was conceived. 

Where is your startup based? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

Hyderabad, because I belong here. Now we have expanded our operation to Bangalore.

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

In the initial days, delivering the box of juices on time and keep the quality level high used to be my concern. However, it doesn’t keep me awake at night anymore. It is still a necessary standard that we as a team do our best to meet every day. Thanks to the years of experience and my wonderfully dedicated team. 

Who are your competitors, and how are you better than them?

Cleanse High was conceived in 2014, a time when India hasn’t seen Juice detox programs yet. As years passed by, many players entered the market and have become seasoned cold presses Juice companies. However, most of them have pivoted to delivering single cold press juices for everyday consumption. Cleanse High, since its inception, is all about resetting the body with a Juice cleanse experience, a wholesome rejuvenation program. Each elixir in the box is made with the finest botanical ingredients, plant matter and healing herbs with a dose of leafy greens and enriching fruits. Till today we stick to the core values of the detox program; being on an all-liquid diet for 3-6 days. Hence the consumers come back to us for the focused program we have created.  

How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder, and how do you manage it?

Given today’s startup environment, it’s easy to mistake work for life. Although I sometimes buy the super ambitious mindset thats’ everywhere today -” Work on your company all the time, and it will manifest into something big”, I disagree that ” all the time ” is the only way. I make sure I have a life outside work and can be a person despite work to enjoy that piece and my work.  I think it’s not very hard to strike that balance if we procrastinate less during work hours, be more organised, and practice the delegation technique if we can afford a good team. Again, it might largely depend on what success means to you and your past relationship with it. It is entirely a personal choice and priority that defines the balance.

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If not, then please tell us if you are looking to raise. 

 At Cleanse High, we haven’t raised funding as of yet. Our model since the beginning has been self-sustainable and profitable. We have gently worked on building a community of active people who come back to us regularly to cleanse their system. This year, we have spread our reach and started serving Bangalore. Bangalore has welcomed us well, and the people are actively participating in the ritual of Cleaning and reviving their system. We aim to open up our operations in a few other cities very soon. At this point, we are looking for a strategic investor who can be involved in the operational growth.   

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

If the question is about Cleanse High- 

Some people think of it as a mere fruit or veg based cold-pressed juice company at first glance. However, in our conversation, we enlighten them that we serve Cleaning rituals with Juices that are botanical tonics, soothing soups, brewed teas and potent smoothies. 

If it’s about me?

I am an introvert most time. People take it as either shyness or coldness. However, it’s neither. I like to observe more and generally bad to small talk, outside work. 

What gets you excited about this company?

Convincing Indians to Skip eating solid food for 3 Days to cleanse their system with Liquid nourishment is the most fun part of their business. It gets even more exciting when these same people come back to us and share how refreshed they felt after the program, some share how hard it was on Day 1 to skip food, and some refer us immediately to their family members. The entire team at Cleanse High thoroughly enjoys this cycle with every client. 

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from when you get up till you hit the bed at night.

As soon as we wake up, I bask in the sun with my husband, my 2-year-old toddler and 6 yr old beagle. I then hit the gym for an hour and head to work. The first hour is spent on customer responses and conversations. I then have meetings with my Marketing team to discuss strategy and ROIs.  After these, I head to the production unit to discuss operations. The 2nd half of my workday is spent on new products that we have been working on through covid. They are in R&D as we speak. 

I come back from work around 6 pm and spend time with family, read something or catch up with friends over the weekend, attend a book club meeting etc.  Rinse and Repeat.

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

The Key members of the Production, Operation and Logistics team have been with me since its inception. We have together travelled the journey and now understand the high lows very well. The bond has made it easy for me to delegate important stuff and build efficient teams under them.  

I do not have a co-founder. 

Author