How KWERKY is redefining sustainable food innovation through customer‑led design

KWERKY began with a personal problem rather than a business plan. In 2020, Suhani Bhudia and her co‑founder discovered dairy allergies in their families and struggled to find plant-based milks that were both tasty and nutritious. 

There are loads of milks that tasted really nice, but then they lacked a nutrition. And the ones that did have the nutrition, they just tasted very awful. 

Drawing on their Indian heritage and the everyday use of peas and lentils, they explored pea protein as the basis for a milk that could deliver taste, nutrition, and sustainability. Peas proved not only nutritious but environmentally friendly, supporting regenerative farming without nitrogen fertilisers. 

Listening to customers reveals hidden challenges 

Early success came through foodservice and B2B channels, where chefs valued the high-protein profile. But professional kitchens highlighted challenges most consumers never see: managing multiple milk types for different allergies, watery consistencies, short fridge life, and leftover waste. 

Rather than pushing the original product harder, Suhani listened and pivoted to a powdered format that could be mixed to order, reduce waste, and give chefs control over consistency. 

We went to the customer first and understood their pain points and then came out with a product to solve the problem, rather than going the other way around.”

Structure turns instinct into scalable growth 

Before joining the Amazon Innovation Accelerator, Suhani’s approach was instinct-driven: listening closely to customers, spotting pain points, and pivoting products accordingly. The programme gave her a framework and language for what she was already doing intuitively. She learned how to break big ideas into manageable steps, validate concepts quickly, and prioritise multiple innovation paths with confidence. 

Suhani also gained inspiration from a visit to Amazon’s Dartford Fulfilment Centre, where she saw first-hand how scale, efficiency, and automation could transform operations. 

I’ve never seen so many robots in action… within five minutes, that order is out. 

These experiences cemented a Working Backwards mindset across KWERKY: products, marketing, and operational decision starts with the customer and is validated before launch. 

Winning the AIA Challenge Prize reinforced the value of her approach. It wasn’t just funding - it was validation for KWERKY’s product and the business model, giving partners confidence in an idea that had never been done before. 

It’s given us more of a validation… giving them more confidence… because it’s a big thing to validate something that’s never been done before. 

Real innovation requires courage to pivot 

With national distribution secured and a year of strong traction behind them, 2026 is set to be a major growth year. KWERKY demonstrates that meaningful innovation starts by listening to customers — and having the courage to follow where those conversations lead. 

Thinking about applying? 

The Amazon Innovation Accelerator transforms entrepreneurial instinct into customer‑validated, scalable innovation, making it a powerful opportunity for any business ready to learn and grow.