World in a Cup
Amar Patel 34 OWNER Buttercup Cupcake, Ahmedabad
All through graduation, from Nirma University in Ahmedabad, he was a gold medallist. And even before he completed a double master’s from the Univeristy of Wisconsin-madison and Illinois Institute of Technology, Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading construction equipment manufacturer, picked him up. It’s hard to believe all this when you know Amar Patel sells cupcakes for a living. “Working for a big company and moving up the ranks did seem like a smart thing to do. But nothing was more important to me than being close to my parents,” he says. The transition from turbines,
diesel engines and mining trucks to baking cupcakes was stark but smooth. Patel had no clue what he’d be doing when he decided in 2011 to pack his bags in the US. Caterpillar’s India office was ruled out: It is in Chennai. “one day, my wife Darshini baked me an exquisite cake with orange zests,” he recalls, “and I thought to myself, if she can do this, why not make a business of it? So here we are, baking cupcakes in India after spending 11 years in a different country.” Just two months into Buttercup Cupcake setting up shop in Ahmedabad in February, and Patel is doing business worth Rs 5.5 lakh a month, selling up to 500 cupcakes a day. The bakery has got a great buzz, with inquiries coming in from other cities like Hyderabad and Delhi as well.
Past Life
Patel holds a US patent for Product Design Optimisation Method and System, issued on August 31, 2010.
Baker’s Dozens
Patel loves meeting the people who flock to his shop daily. “As an employee I never got to interact with so many people,” he says.“i am a cakewalla now.”
Amar has always been a positive person. No matter what he chooses to do in life, he will shine at it.”
Vikasla khera, Professor, Nirma university