Mumbai, December 2 : While India’s rise as one of the world’s fastest growing economies continues unabated, there are also new-age entrepreneurs and innovators that are leading a new age of responsible brand creation and social upliftment, changing lives and inspiring generations.

At the conclusion of the two-day India Food Forum, Alina Alam’s Mitti Café hogged the lime-light not for its growth story, but for her community driven café that has brought smiles to the special needs people by empowering them with employment and livelihoods at their cafés.

Mitti Cafe was bestowed upon an award at the Pepsi IMAGES Food Service Awards 2024, in the category of IMAGES Most Admired Retailer of the Year: Speciality for spearheading a social movement

Mitti Cafe works towards economic independence and dignity for persons with disabilities. The organization’s outreach initiative helps create awareness about inclusion and disability rights.

A non profit organization committed to the cause of employment and livelihoods for people with special needs, Mitti Cafe works towards economic independence and dignity for adults with physical, intellectual and psychiatric disabilities and persons from other vulnerable communities. The organisation’s outreach initiatives also help create awareness about inclusion and disability rights.

Alina herself is a 4-time TEDx speaker and has been featured in the Forbes list of 30 under 30 Asia. She is a Commonwealth Youth Awardee and has received the Niti Aayog-Women Transforming India Award, Helen Keller Award, and United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award.
She has also been conferred with the Times of India-She Unlimited Award, Rotary Exemplar Award, and Tiecon Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award, among many others.

Mitti Cafe, which started with zero capital and commenced business with a second hand flask, has served over 11 million meals across its 47 cafés by empowering a disabled job seekers with essential skills and attitude to help them start their careers and earn with dignity.

These cafés are housed inside top notch institutions and public places including Supreme Court of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Gujarat High Court, Bangalore-Mumbai-Lucknow International Airports, India Coffee House, Wipro, Infosys, Accenture, Wells Fargo, ANZ Bank, IQVIA, Hansraj College, and IIM Bengaluru.

The café also provides corporate and personalized catering services and also serves nutritious meals to the under-privileged, by those who were once perceived to be in need.

Other entrepreneurs from emerging retail chains too shared their struggles and success stories at the concluding evening of the two-day India Food Forum, which in its 17th edition attracted stakeholders from across the spectrum.