Sugar, spice, and everything nice—The founder of The Mellow Yellow Co shares her recipe for success

Ever wondered what goes into creating that perfect cookie? For Sana Nair, it’s a mix of nostalgia, patience, and a whole lot of trial and error. From her go-to sweet treat to the wildest cake request she’s ever received (spoiler: it involves paan!), Nair gets candid about the highs, the challenges, and why she’s always sneaking a peek into the oven.

Cosmopolitan India: What inspired you to start The Mellow Yellow Co, and how did the journey begin? What’s the story behind the name?

Sana Nair: The Mellow Yellow Co was quite simply born out of my love of feeding and being fed! I owe my love of food to my grandfather, who was the most wonderful and diverse cook and baker, and like him, I’m happiest when cooking for others. I would bake at leisure for family and friends whenever I had the chance, taking their feedback very seriously, and after a point, I could only see myself doing something food-related.

Fresh out of business school and all of 20 at the time, I enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu, London, for cuisine and patisserie studies, and there was no looking back. After working in a few professional kitchens for a couple of years, I decided that if I was going to work tirelessly for endless hours, it was going to be for myself and that I was ready to put all that I had learnt so far to use. I had many ideas and concepts in mind that I would only have the freedom to work on in my own space, so I decided to take the plunge and start The Mellow Yellow Co.

As for the name—yellow has always been my colour. It’s warm, joyful, and full of sunshine, just like how I want people to feel when they eat my desserts. After playing around with fancier names in different languages, I went with Mellow Yellow because it’s fun, catchy, and, most importantly, it just felt easy and true to both me and my brand.

C: What’s your go-to dessert off the menu?

SN: My love of cookies started back at university, where I discovered artisanal cookies—thick, gooey, and packed with flavour. On returning to Delhi, I realised there was a gap in the market for these cookies, and that’s when I decided that I wanted to come up with something that not only brought joy to others but also felt nostalgic and personal to me. So, my go-to product and perhaps the one that I worked the hardest on is our Nutella Sea Salt Cookies. This was one thing I was obsessed with getting right, and I worked on it for almost six months to get the right balance of flavours and texture.

C: How do you feel about AI-generated recipes—could a robot ever out-bake you?

SN: I haven’t tried an AI-generated recipe yet, so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine they work pretty well. AI analyses tons of data to find ingredient pairings, techniques, and proportions, so it can probably generate some interesting ideas.

But here’s the thing—baking isn’t just about following instructions. It’s about intuition, love, and understanding flavours on a deeper level. Every recipe we create at The Mellow Yellow Co goes through months of trials and adjustments before it makes the cut. AI might be able to generate technically sound recipes, but it can’t taste-test, make adjustments on the fly, or truly understand the nuances of individual customers’ tastes and preferences (at least not yet!). That said, I do think AI and robots would make fantastic kitchen assistants—imagine one helping with prep work while we focus on creating something amazing!

C: What’s one baking rule you love breaking?

SN: I suppose the one thing a baker definitely shouldn’t do—but I end up doing a lot—is opening the oven too often because I’m always impatient for a sneak peek. There’s something so exciting about watching a cake rise or cookies get that perfect golden edge—I just can’t resist.

C: What are some of the biggest challenges you faced when you first started out?

SN: Every startup has its own challenges, but for me, one of the biggest struggles was ingredient availability. When I started 10 years ago, sourcing high-quality baking ingredients in India was much harder than it is today. On top of that, I had to wear every hat—chef, communications manager, accountant, logistics head, inventory manager… you name it, I was doing it. And honestly? I still do a lot of it! Running a business is a constant juggling act, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

C: What’s the most outrageous cake request you’ve ever received, and did you make it happen?

SN: Believe it or not, someone once asked me to make a paan-flavoured cake! I try my best to accommodate all kinds of requests and love experimenting, but this was one I just couldn’t bring myself to do!

C: What are some of your favourite bakeries in Delhi NCR apart from The Mellow Yellow Co, of course?

SN: There are so many amazing bakeries and patisseries in Delhi NCR now, and I love trying new things. But if I’m being completely honest? I find myself craving an old-school Mala Bindra chocolate cake more often than I’d like to admit. There’s something so nostalgic and comforting about it!

C: What advice would you give to someone who is starting off their journey as a baker?

SN: Baking professionally is not nearly as easy as it may look, so make sure to get some hands-on work experience in a professional environment to get a feel for how the industry really works before you start your own venture. Learning from experienced professionals how to think on your feet, deal with work pressure, and adapt to different situations in the workplace will really help you in the long run.

Also, the food industry is constantly evolving. Customers’ tastes, preferences, and demands are ever-changing, so keep experimenting, innovating, and improving—all while staying true to your style of baking.

All images: The brand 

Also read: Pooja Dhingra on overcoming challenges and running a successful business

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