From A Daily Wage Laborer to Food Entrepreneur: Inspiring Journey of Assam’s Diganta Das – News18

Starting off as a daily-wage labourer, Diganta Das has risen above the odds to become a successful food entrepreneur. Today, he stands as the proud owner of DFF- Daily Fresh Food, a new sensation in the world of ready-to-eat parathas. Twelve years ago, Diganta’s life revolved around finding odd jobs to support his family. He did everything, from working as a daily-wage labourer earning a meagre Rs 300 to being a coal mine worker and even dabbling in cooking.

Diganta’s fate took an unexpected turn in 2012 when he joined the iD Fresh Food in Hoskote, Bengaluru, reported India Today. Starting as a manual labourer, unloading cargo and performing various tasks around the facility, an opportunity presented itself when some staff members went on leave, and Diganta was asked to assist with packaging. Soon, he was trained in mixing the dough and eventually promoted to handle the preparation of multi-layer parottas.

Fast forward to 2017, Diganta and a close friend decided to venture into the food business. They moved to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, where they spotted a golden opportunity. The market showed no competition for parottas, prompting them to establish their company, DFF – Daily Fresh Food, on January 12, 2017.

The business gained traction after some initial struggles and showed immense promise. However, as fate would have it, the pandemic hit and like many others, their business faced a tough time. The lockdown forced them to temporarily shut down, and Diganta found himself grappling with financial challenges.

However, Diganta’s indomitable spirit refused to give in to despair. He resolutely joined a carpenter workshop to support his family during the trying times. While working as a carpenter, he closely observed the local market and recognized the potential demand for parottas in the area.

Diganta then reached out to Faizul Haque, a former supervisor at iD Fresh Food, who was already manufacturing parottas in Guwahati. Haque kindly extended his support by providing packets of parottas to Diganta for sale in Biswanath Chariali.

Emboldened by the positive response from customers, Diganta decided to revisit his past and contacted his friend in Andhra Pradesh to discuss the lucrative prospects of establishing a partnership enterprise in Assam. In September 2022, their joint venture, Daily Fresh Food, took off, marking a tremendous success for Diganta and his team. Today, DFF produces 1,400 half-baked parottas daily and employs ten dedicated individuals.