About us

Illuminaati is a secret society for homegrown food. We’re a specialty foods retailer connecting indie brands to urban consumers. We find the aunt whose pickle people beg for, the hostel-kitchen cookie that sold out, the fusion snack nobody else is making. Then we put the maker’s name and face on the pack. We’re early, small and a bit mysterious, and you’ll work directly with the founders.

The role

You’ll be our eyes and our palate. Half your time goes to finding makers worth betting on, and half to helping their products get shelf-ready.

What you’ll do - 2 tasks

1. Scout makers

- Hunt for home entrepreneurs and small-batch food makers on Instagram, WhatsApp groups, markets, college circuits and cooking communities.
- Start the conversation, explain what we do, and bring promising makers into our application process.
- Maintain a tracker of every maker you meet: product, city, stage, X factor and your score.
- Spot the story behind each product, whether it’s a generational recipe, a hostel bestseller or a travel-inspired fusion.

2. Help co-develop products with our makers

- Taste samples and evaluate them against our scorecard: taste, X factor, consistency, shelf life, packaging and scalability.
- Write clear, kind and useful feedback for makers.
- Research gaps and microniches in snacks,



cookies, desserts and regional foods.
- Help makers refine recipes and plan batches.
- Support pack basics: ingredient lists, allergen information and the maker’s story.

You might be a fit if you

- Are obsessed with food and curious about regional Indian cooking.
- Have a sharp palate and can explain why something is valuable or bad.
- Are comfortable sending cold DMs and talking to strangers, and good at making makers feel valued.
- Are organised and handy with Google Sheets.
- Have a feel for Instagram, trends and what Gen Z wants to eat.
- Write clearly in English. Hindi or Kannada is a bonus.
- Come from hospitality, culinary school, food science or nutrition. This helps but isn’t required.

What you’ll get

- Hands-on experience in how an indie food brand finds, vets and launches products.
- A direct line to the founders and real responsibility from week one.
- Your scouting finds on the shelf, with credit for the makers you brought in.

How to apply

Answer the screening questions with care. We read every one of them.

Please find the link here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBqhKsnKxpL-eJGHtk_CK3Wudi0xN-ZARAvQuAyx66NVTtWw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

📌 Culinary R&D Intern (Bengaluru)
🏢 illuminaati
📍 Bengaluru