We had the good fortune of connecting with Arpitha Neravetla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arpitha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I grew up in Hyderabad, a vibrant South Indian city renowned for its rich and flavorful cuisine.The heart of Indian cooking lies in its spices — fresh, aromatic, and perfectly balanced.

When life brought me to the United States, I found myself longing for the bold, familiar spices of my childhood. The store shelves were lined with mass-produced spices, their flavors dulled by long journeys and distant expiration dates. The authentic blends I craved were nowhere to be found.

Driven by a deep desire to reconnect with those beloved flavors, I began experimenting in my own kitchen. I started handcrafting spice blends using high-quality, thoughtfully sourced ingredients — not just for myself, but with a dream to make them accessible to others too. And so, during the quiet days of the 2020 pandemic, Spicytude was born.

At Spicytude, we make Indian cooking simple and approachable with our all-in-one spice kits. Each kit contains expertly blended spices in just the right proportions, along with easy-to-follow recipe cards and video tutorials. From picking your ingredients to serving up an authentic Indian meal, we guide you every step of the way.

We also craft our signature Chai Masala — a perfectly balanced blend that delivers a warm, aromatic cup of comfort.

What should our readers know about your business?
My dream with Spicytude is simple — to make flavorful Indian cooking easy and accessible for everyone.

Through extensive research, I noticed a clear gap in the spice market. Most spice companies stop at just selling the spices. Customers are then left to buy multiple individual spices and figure out the rest on their own — from finding the right recipe to guessing the correct proportions. This often leads to flavorless results or cooking experiences that feel overwhelming, especially for beginners.

At Spicytude, we set out to change that.

To eliminate the hassle of buying multiple spices, we offer all-in-one spice kits.

To ensure quality, we source premium spices from around the world.

To preserve peak flavor, we blend spices locally in Dallas, Texas.

To guarantee taste, we measure each spice in perfect proportions and package them into ready-to-use kits.

To guide you step by step, we include easy recipe cards and instructional videos with every product.

We make sure you have everything you need for a flavorful, stress-free cooking experience.

Building Spicytude came with its share of challenges — sourcing high-quality spices, mastering the art of blending, designing the product, creating packaging, and learning how to sell. My daughter helps me with small-batch manufacturing, and my SCORE mentors were instrumental in guiding me through the business-building process. Farmers markets have helped us reach customers directly.

We’re still navigating challenges like increasing online sales, securing funding for further growth.

Some of the key lessons I’ve learned:

Bootstrap your finances and be willing to experiment until you find your niche.

Persevere — the first few years are tough, but the progress is worth it.

Listen to your customers — they’ll tell you what works and what needs improvement.

Invest your time and energy wisely; every small step counts

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite fun place to hangout is Barcelona wine bar,
I love Selda for the best Turkish food,
Uchi for Japanese and
Kessaku for the view.
Dallas arboretum is a must visit and the museums in downtown.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to give a big shoutout to my husband and our two daughters for their constant support in everything I do.

A heartfelt thank you to my SBA Score mentors, Tom Baumgarten and Charles Rudnick, for their invaluable guidance in the early days.

Envizon Designs, who created our brand identity, product packaging, and website, also deserves a big shoutout.

Huge thanks to Taylor Vaughn from @taylorvaughfilms for the beautiful product photos and recipe videos.

I’m grateful to all the farmers markets in and around Dallas, Texas, for providing a platform that supports small businesses like ours.

Thank you to the GoTexan program for helping and guiding local Texas businesses.

There are many others who have supported me on this journey, and I’m forever grateful to each and every one of them.

Website: https://spicytude.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicytude_spices/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/95580683/admin/dashboard/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spicytude/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@spicytude

Image Credits

1. My profile picture where I looking at spices and
2. the one where my hands holding green cardamom are by Jordan Fraker.

3. Taylor Vaughn films deserves the credit for all the other pictures

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