Alumnus testimonial
Amit Choudhary - Business owner
I followed the MME master, and specialized in Sociology of Consumer and Household (SCH) After my bachelors in Economics from India, I wanted experience abroad. Wageningen was interesting as it offered a 2-year master, including an internship and thesis. This was more attractive me to than a one-year master which most universities in UK offered.
Since graduating from Wageningen, I always had a passion to do something related to sustainable and healthy food
Since you graduated, what kind of jobs did you have?
I got recruited through the Career services at Wageningen for my first job. I was assistant to the technical manager of a fruit import company. I worked there for 2.5 years and was responsible for all technical aspects of fruit import, along with different food safety audits the company needed to maintain. After that I got an opportunity to work as a business controller with Refresco, but this was rather short lived as I quit during the trial period. I then started a small business together with my wife.
What is your current job? And how relates that to your study at Wageningen?
Currently, I give plantbased cooking workshops together with my wife through our company Hey Groentje. We have been following a vegan diet for a long time now, and now we share our passion for the Indian plantbased cuisine with a wider audience. We introduce people to the world of Indian food, and try to show them why it is one of the best suited cuisines for vegans. Since graduating from Wageningen, I always had a passion to do something related to sustainable and healthy food. I followed many interesting courses, and during one of the courses by Professor Hilde Bras, I came across the book Hungry Planet. I was really amazed by the food choices that people make around the world. I would later learn by myself, and through other courses in my programme how these choices affect not only the environment, but also our health. Through Hey Groentje we show people that healthy food can also be delicious, and choosing a diversified plantbased diet can not only do wonders for one’s health, but also have a positive impact on the planet.
What experiences did you really like during your study?
A highlight of my study was the ACT (Academic consultation Training) course I followed in a group of 6 international students. We had two students from Ghana, two Dutch, one German and one Indian (me). We worked on the challenges faced by the leather industry in India. I even got the opportunity to travel to India to gather data, and carry out interviews. It was my first-time visiting leather tanneries and processing factories. It was an eye opener and throughout the 6-week course I learnt a lot.
If you want to play a part in the transition towards a more sustainable world, what does your part look like? How do you express this in your career?
I would like to focus on the choices people make when it comes to what’s on their plate. One of the main reasons why people don’t want to change what they eat is because of convenience & addiction to taste. I would like to continue giving workshops on a bigger scale to help people identify tasty, healthier, options that is going to positively affect their health as well as helping tackle climate change.