The Times of India · 23 Oct, 11:30 · Business briefing

She walked away from a Rs 1 crore Dubai job to bet on oat milk; How Aarohi Surya built Dancing Cow into a

Aarohi Surya resigned from a lucrative one crore rupee position in Dubai to establish Dancing Cow, a venture focused on oat milk production.

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The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

Aarohi Surya resigned from a lucrative one crore rupee position in Dubai to establish Dancing Cow, a venture focused on oat milk production. This decision highlights a significant career pivot from high-level corporate employment to entrepreneurial risk-taking within the plant-based food sector. The narrative underscores the growing viability of alternative protein markets and the personal financial stakes involved in founding niche consumer goods brands. For professionals, it illustrates the tangible trade-offs between stable, high-income roles and the uncertain but potentially rewarding path of building a sustainable food startup from scratch.

Employer demand for Sustainability management skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This story signals that specialised knowledge in sustainable food systems and alternative proteins is gaining commercial traction. You should assess whether your current role offers exposure to supply chain innovation or product development in the plant-based sector. If you value autonomy over security, consider building expertise in niche consumer markets. Smart professionals will upskill in sustainable sourcing and brand storytelling to differentiate products in crowded markets. Evaluate your risk tolerance and financial runway before making drastic moves. Instead of blindly following trends, analyse the operational challenges of scaling food startups. Focus on acquiring skills in regulatory compliance for novel foods and direct-to-consumer sales strategies. This shift rewards those who can blend entrepreneurial agility with deep industry knowledge, making cross-functional expertise in food technology and marketing increasingly valuable for career resilience.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Sustainability management, Supply Chain, Small Business Marketing and Business And Management — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

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