Sugandha Saxena
Chef-Entrepreneur, Founder, Laddooh & Okhli
Laddoo (noun): a traditional Indian sweet, usually spherical, made from flour, grains, nuts, seeds, and sweeteners, offered during celebrations, rituals, and moments of joy. Well, this is what the dictionary defines Laddoo as.
But a laddoo is never just a sweet.
So What’s in a Laddoo?
In India, it is an instinct. A reflex. A language of affection that needs no translation. It appears at the threshold of every milestone. Sankranti mornings marked by sesame and jaggery, weddings sealed with sugar and blessings, birthdays where wishes are made before the first bite, successes celebrated not with words but with a laddoo gently placed into a loved one’s mouth. Add to that laddoos as ‘neivedyam’ and ‘prasadam’. Divine! That simple, globular form carries with it warmth, abundance, and the promise of sharing.
The Warmth of Laddoos
Few sights are as tender as that moment. Fingers dusted lightly with sweetness, laughter hovering in the air, a quiet intimacy exchanged over something so small and yet so deeply meaningful. Laddoos have always belonged to the heart of Indian culture: humble, festive, deeply symbolic, and endlessly adaptable.
Laddooh by Sugandha Saxena
It is this emotion, this quiet joy, that Sugandha Saxena taps into with Laddooh. Trained at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland and celebrated for bringing Indian luxury mithai and Kayastha cuisine to a global audience, Sugandha’s journey bridges tradition and refinement. Through her ventures, Okhli and Laddooh, she reimagines familiar flavours with care, intention, and a sense of occasion, without losing their soul.
At Laddooh, the sweet becomes more than dessert. It becomes a memory-maker. A gesture. A reminder that some of the most profound pleasures in life come wrapped in the simplest forms.
Laddooh, by design, is a thoughtful venture. The power of Laddooh lies in its lure, its authenticity, its honest and untampered recipes tested time and again in Sugandha’s kitchen.
Laddooh specialises in offering hand-crafted traditional laddoos, and modern Indian desserts which are compatible to Indian palate for bespoke and exclusive weddings. Laddooh is for the discerning, yet it is for people who prefer highest-quality products using handpicked ingredients. Its flavour-conscious consumers and amazing vendors, have that special relationship with Laddooh which makes the brand their preferred choice for all celebrations!
In the ever-evolving space of designer mithai today, Laddooh is different from many other premium and luxury mithai brands. It’s more bespoke. “We prefer quality over volume. We only take orders through appointment and we do limited retails. The main focus is on bulk handcrafted orders for weddings, celebrations, and corporates”, says Sugandha.
The bestsellers range from the timeless besan laddoos to a contemporary red velvet laddoo finished with gold leaf, while halwas are enjoying a moment this season and the kheers remain irresistibly indulgent. True to Sugandha’s philosophy, the packaging mirrors the spirit of what lies within. It’s thoughtful, celebratory, and refined.
In this indulgent conversation, we step, step by step into Sugandha’s world. We witness her passion, her philosophy, and her belief that even in an ever-evolving culinary landscape, there is enduring magic in a laddoo shared with love.
Origins and Memories
Let’s talk about the origins and memories of Laddooh. Do you remember the first laddoo you ever made, or the first one that stayed with you?
I remember it very clearly, and almost unexpectedly. I’ve never really been a sweets person, so the moment felt like an epiphany. It was as if something quietly whispered to me, this is it. I remember the warmth of ghee on my palms, the aroma of slow-roasting besan, and the patience the process demanded. That laddoo wasn’t perfect in shape, but it carried care and intention, and that stayed with me.
Interestingly, the very first batch I made, without any intention of starting a brand, became Laddooh’s first sale. It travelled purely by word of mouth and went viral across Delhi almost instantly. Looking back, that moment quietly marked the beginning of everything.
Laddooh centres itself around a single sweet, yet the world of laddoos is vast. What drew you to this form as a lifelong pursuit?
The laddoo is deceptively simple. It looks modest, but it carries centuries of technique, nourishment, and emotion. There is depth in its simplicity, and that depth made it endless for me.
Was there a moment when Laddooh shifted from an idea to a calling?
Yes. When people began sharing memories instead of just feedback. When someone said, “This tastes like home,” I realised this was no longer just about making sweets. It was about holding emotion and memory.
How did culture, family, or childhood rituals shape your relationship with sweets?
Interestingly, sweets were never a central part of my own family rituals. My relationship with them wasn’t inherited, it was discovered. What shaped Laddooh was less tradition at home and more an inner calling that surfaced over time.
That said, growing up in India, laddoos are everywhere; in celebrations, rituals, weddings, and moments of gratitude. Even if they weren’t part of my daily life, they were culturally omnipresent. Laddooh was born at the intersection of that collective memory and a personal pull to create something meaningful.
While laddoos weren’t a regular part of my home growing up, they always symbolised celebration in the larger cultural sense. Over time, they came to represent offering, intention, and togetherness, the meanings I’ve consciously carried forward through Laddooh.
Laddooh as a Venture
Coming to Laddooh as a venture. What was Laddooh’s purpose before the laddoos?
Before the laddoos, the purpose was twofold. One was preservation, of traditional methods, of patience, and flavours that were slowly being lost to shortcuts and speed. The other was belonging.
I always wanted Laddooh to be part of people’s celebrations, especially weddings, which hold deep cultural meaning for us. From intimate milestones to large family gatherings, the idea was to create something that naturally finds its place in moments of joy and togetherness.
Laddooh fills the gap between memory and modern life. It brings back sincerity, slowness, and emotional connection to sweets that had begun to feel transactional. It refuses to be rushed, gimmicky, or trend-driven. It refuses to dilute tradition for novelty. I’d say it’s a hand-crafted Indian sweet made with patience, balance, and intention, meant to be shared and remembered.
What makes a Laddooh laddoo unmistakably yours?
Restraint. Balanced sweetness, honest ingredients, and flavours that feel familiar yet refined.
How important was it for you that the brand felt rooted, not trendy?
Very important. Trends fade, but roots last. I wanted Laddooh to feel timeless and trustworthy.
Craft, Process, and Passion
Then there is the craft, the process..What does your day actually look like when you’re deep in creation?
Quiet, repetitive, focused. Roasting, tasting, adjusting, letting the ingredients guide the process. The process is part intuitive, and part disciplined. It’s a balance. Discipline gives structure, intuition gives soul.
Are there laddoos that take longer to perfect because they carry emotional weight?
Yes. Some flavours hold cultural or personal memory, and those demand more time and care. But, patience is central here. Without it, laddoos lose depth and character.
When do you feel most connected to what you do, is it during preparation, shaping, or tasting?
When someone tastes a laddoo and pauses. That pause tells me everything.
Health, Balance, and Conscious Indulgence
Sweets are often labelled indulgent or unhealthy. How do you personally define balance?
Balance is intention, eating thoughtfully, not excessively. Choosing quality over quantity. The thing to remember is, laddoos were always about nourishment, made with ghee, grains, and nuts to provide energy.
How do ingredients, sourcing, and portioning factor into your philosophy?
They’re fundamental. Clean ingredients, honest sourcing, and mindful portions are non-negotiable.
Can a laddoo be both celebratory and mindful?
Absolutely. Celebration doesn’t require excess, it requires meaning.
How do you address evolving conversations around health without losing cultural integrity?
I return to original recipes, because tradition already understood balance. Even when we create modern or fusion laddoos, the foundation remains deeply Indian.
Our Modern Love section is an evolution, not a replacement. It’s contemporary in expression but rooted in Indian flavours and sensibilities. It’s about modernising with respect, not reinventing for novelty.
Festivity, Memory, and Meaning
Why do laddoos hold such a central place in Indian festivals and milestones? What else does Laddooh offer?
Laddoos are easy to share and symbolise blessings and abundance. Along with laddoos, Laddooh also offers halwas and traditional mithai crafted with the same philosophy of patience and authenticity.
Is there a festival or occasion where laddoos feel most alive to you?
Laddoos feel alive across all Indian celebrations, but weddings stand out the most. They are layered with rituals, emotions, and togetherness, and laddoos naturally become part of those moments, shared and remembered.
Do customers ever share stories with you that move or surprise you?
Very often. People speak of grandparents, family traditions, and lost homes. Those stories matter deeply to me.
What are people really seeking when they order from Laddooh?
They’re seeking something personal. Weddings and celebrations form a large part of what we do, and every box is customised, right from laddoo selection to packaging.
Even when we create in volume, each laddoo is still crafted by hand, with every detail personally overseen by me, so it feels warm, considered, and truly special.
In a fast-paced world, what does it mean to slow down and shape something by hand?
It’s an act of care, and quiet resistance.
Women, Work, and Ownership
As a woman entrepreneur, what has building Laddooh taught you about confidence and courage?
That consistency and quiet conviction can be just as powerful as loud ambition. There were moments of doubt, so many of them. I learned not to fight doubt, but to listen and move through it patiently. And it’s important to protect the creative energy while running the business, by choosing restraint, and saying no when something doesn’t align.
Looking Ahead
How do you see Laddooh evolving without losing its soul?
By growing slowly and intentionally, never at the cost of quality or values. There are flavours, traditions, or stories still waiting to be explored. Regional laddoos and forgotten techniques that deserve revival.
What would success look like for you, beyond scale or numbers?
Longevity, trust, and being remembered fondly. If Laddooh were remembered for one thing decades from now, I would hope Laddooh is remembered for its consistency, for never compromising on taste, quality, or customer trust, and for keeping sweetness sincere.
And.. a WWeaV Signature Question
What does sweetness mean to you, beyond sugar?
Sweetness is care. It’s about time taken, intention given, and something made with warmth, even when life isn’t sweet at all.
Laddoos will keep evolving, may modernise further, and go international, but they will always remain the humble sweet that brings joy and grounds our celebrations in tradition.
