From Home Kitchen to ₹1.2 Crore Dessert Brand: The Inspiring Journey of Miss Cheesecake

What started as a small experiment in a home kitchen has now grown into a promising dessert brand. Miss Cheesecake, founded by Pooja Balani in Jodhpur, is a story of passion, persistence, and the power of social media in building modern consumer brands.

Pooja Balani, who pursued an MCA degree, initially followed a traditional career path and worked in a marketing job for a few months in 2023. However, she soon realised that the job wasn’t fulfilling. At the same time, she was facing pressure from her family to get married.

“In 2023, I was about to turn 25, and my family started asking me to get married. They even gave me a deadline that by the end of the year, my engagement would happen,” Pooja shared in an interview.

Uncertain about her future, Pooja kept searching for direction. The turning point came when she visited Jaipur with her friend Narpat Singh Rathore for an exam. During the trip, they tried cheesecake for the first time and were instantly impressed.

“I realised that many people in Jodhpur had never experienced cheesecakes. That’s when I decided to learn how to make them,” Pooja said.

With just ₹5,000 from her savings, she bought raw materials and small 225 ml jars and started experimenting in her kitchen. By late 2023, Miss Cheesecake had officially begun.

In November 2023, Pooja started selling her cheesecakes in jars at weekend stalls in Jodhpur. That month she earned around ₹7,000. Encouraged by the response, she continued selling at exhibitions and events, including a stall at a polo event in December.

Recognising the brand’s potential, Narpat Singh Rathore officially joined as co-founder in May 2024. He invested around ₹5 lakh to open the brand’s first physical outlet, a compact 100-square-foot store in Jodhpur.

While building the outlet, the duo documented their entrepreneurial journey on Instagram through reels. Their storytelling quickly caught attention online. One of their videos went viral, eventually reaching over 61 million views, while several others crossed 10 million views.

Today, Miss Cheesecake operates two locations: a dessert store in Jodhpur and a cloud kitchen in Jaipur that delivers orders.

The brand follows a unique chefless model, in which Pooja prepares the cheesecakes with a small team. All products are eggless, vegetarian, and gelatin-free, making them accessible to a wider audience.

Despite appearing on Shark Tank India Season 4, the founders did not secure a deal. However, the exposure helped strengthen brand awareness.

The numbers tell the story of their growth. From May 2024 to December 2024, Miss Cheesecake generated ₹48 lakh in revenue. By 2025, annual revenue had surged to ₹1.20 crore.

From a ₹5,000 home experiment to a fast-growing dessert brand, Miss Cheesecake stands as a powerful example of how passion, creativity, and digital storytelling can turn a simple idea into a thriving business.