Sunita runs a small homemade laddoo business from Kolhapur. Til-gud, besan, coconut—festival season keeps her busy. Every Diwali she used to send the same WhatsApp message:

“Diwali Offer – Fresh Homemade Laddoo

₹320 per kg

Limited stock”

Orders came. Then stopped.

Every year, same cycle.

Last year, she changed only one thing.

Instead of an offer, she sent this message:

“This year my mother is again helping me make laddoos.

Same recipe she used when I was in school.

We are making only what we can finish in two days.”

No price. No discount.

By evening, her inbox was full:

“Book 2 kg.”

“Please keep aside 1 kg for us.”

“Send to Pune also.”

Lesson (simple, usable):

Warmth beats promotion.

Stories stay longer than schemes.

👉 Try this yourself:

Next time you message customers, don’t sell.

Tell one true thing about today’s food.

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How this decodes the “big wisdom”

“Once upon a time” in food is not fantasy.

It’s memory, routine, care, and limits.

ROI-only thinking asks: What did this message sell?

Warm storytelling asks: What did this message make people feel?

My blunt opinion

Small food businesses already have stories.

They just hide them behind price lists.

If food feels like a warm hug,

people return—even without reminders.