Samosa is a simple yet versatile product concept with proven market and huge competitive advantage. Samosa is the most preferred snack for over 2 decades without any heavy advertisements & corporate backing. Samosa is the most popular Indian snack in the USA, UK and European countries and due to its overwhelming popularity, it is conferred the title of, “International Snack.”
Samosa Singh aims to target the highly unorganized Indulgent Snacks Category. The founders’ motivation to start the business was Huge Market potential and unmet need in the market History and the love associated with this product and the market gap for hygienic samosa. It was launched on 26th January, 2016.
Their goal is to take street foods of India, to the corners of the world and unite cultures and people in their love for food and celebration of life. The initial and continued love and support they received from their friends and family, their patrons and associates and their beloved customers has helped them to grow. As the orders kept growing, scalability became the name of the game and they were on to something…The risks were paying off!
About the founders
Samosa Singh was co-founded by Nidhi and Shikhar Veer Singh. The partners handle the dynamic functions in the organization with Shikhar as our Founder and CEO and Nidhi taking on the role of Co-founder and COO for the company.
We are publishing an interview with Ms. Nidhi Singh – Co -founder, Samosa Singh.
Q.: How you see your team evolving over time?
Ans: We are a small organization and everyone from the bottom of the pyramid to the top are part of the core team and share a special bond with each other. The organizational structure can be compared to flatarchy and everyone is easily accessible.
Our team has grown with us and are with us since inception. Our team constitutes 60% of women and there are several key departments led by them.
Q.: Tell us about the Product / Solution. How did you get your first customer? Explain how you went about the Product-Market Fit Process.
Ans: “We started from a 300-square-foot kitchen,” says Nidhi. “I used to deliver samosas,” says Shikhar. Our first outlet in Electronic city was a cute vibrant set up that attracted corporates, students, young children and families.
Our first order was for a beautiful 8 year old boys’ birthday party. We were so happy to receive our first order which was 80 samosas. We brought the option of delicious yet healthier snacking to Indian street foods. The innovation resonated with the masses.
Keeping up with the consumer trends and the focus on healthier and productive lifestyles, biting into the snacking industry worked perfectly for us. Quality and the relish of our product paved the way for the future of our company and became two pillars that define our offerings.
Q.: What is your USP?
Ans: Every startup has something unique about itself and it derives it from its founders. Samosa Singh and its employees have a special energy and passion which it gets from its founders. This translates to a common love for food, a passion to serve and a need to co-create and innovate. Our samosas and menu items have several USP’s and to list a few:
- Our samosas are more crispy and crunchy than the regular samosas
- Our every cloud kitchen involves cooking against the order–so everytime you order you received freshly cooked samosas
- Our samosas are indulgent yet healthier. The unique encrusted shape of the samosas allows them to surface float thereby making them lighter (about 50% less fat) without compromising on the taste.
Q.: What were your assumptions when you entered the market, learning that you have? Who in your mind is your ideal customer? Do you have at least one of them signed up?
Ans: What we always knew is that Indians love snacking, every region has some variety of local snacks and then there are the common ones available everywhere with local ingredients in them.
- Samosa is the most preferred snack for over 2 decades without any heavy advertisements & corporate backing.
- Samosa is the most popular Indian snack in USA, UK and European countries and due to its overwhelming popularity, it is conferred the title of, “International Snack.”
- There were many food joints that promote International snacks like pizza, burger etc. Yet our humble samosas and chaats were still unorganized.
- Another major reason why people preferred them over Indian snacks is because of the ‘cool factor’. With advertising, these brands have created a recall value so strong that now when we think of snacking we think of these giants.
- Our Ideal customers are everyone who enjoys food.
Q.: What has been your biggest failure as an entrepreneur and what did you learn from it??
Ans: We did our share of mistakes in our entrepreneurial journey however that is part & parcel of every entrepreneur lifecycle. We are learning each day and trying to get higher than before after all these learnings.
It is imperative to have like-minded people with you and create a strong team with a clear vision.
Q.: How are you pricing the Product? What is the logic behind it? What is the model you are following – Free / Freemium / Premium etc. ? Explain your thought process.
Ans: We want our products to be enjoyed by everyone without having to pinch the pocket much. Hence we have been very cautious with how we are pricing them. Our menu items range from Rs. 20 – 180. Samosa Singh kitchen takes that extra step to ensure each product meets the standard.
Q.: Please tell us about the investors (if any)
Ans: We recently raised a total of USD 2.7 million (INR 17 crores) in a Series A funding round led by SHE Capital, along with continued participation from follow-on investors Fireside Ventures. The funding round also saw participation from early-stage fund Equanimity Investments, Japan-based AET Fund, and Better Capital.
Q.: Is there any interesting success story of your startup? If so, please write about it. ?
Ans: Every opportunity for a startup comes with a humongous challenge. Just 3 months into our business and entrepreneurial journey we received a great opportunity that was turned down by several other big companies. It was 100X of our capability then.
Taking up that challenge was one of the biggest risks we took. We put everything into making this order possible.
- Was selling our home easier? No
- Were we scared?? Ohh Yes!
- Why did we do it? Self belief
- And most importantly were we successful? YES!!
- Taking up this challenge and making it possible made our capability 100X within a few months of starting our business and that was our MASTERSTROKE!
Q.: Since inception, give us a sense of the value of business done by your venture.
Ans: We had humble beginnings, got our customers love and are growing to match up to their expectations. Till date we have sold over 25 million samosas and counting….
Grew from a team of 4 to 150 and over 25 locations.
Q.: What is the big picture of your startup? Is this Product/service leading to something bigger? If so, how?
Ans: Our vision, “India’s SnacKing with Samosa Singh” We are on the quest to make Samosa Singh a household name.
Samosa Singh was born from a simple realisation – in India, leisure time and snack foods are both inextricably linked to the country’s cultural fabric. And what food better exemplifies our country than the versatile samosa. Through Samosa Singh we’ve found a way to strengthen this bond, and by positioning ourselves as leaders in the underpenetrated and fragmented gourmet snack market are poised for immense growth. We are biting into and fighting for the Indian snacking industry to now take on world domination.
Q.: Who do You Perceive as Your Competition? How do you differentiate yourself from them?
Ans: We do not have any direct competition, but many local players in the un-organized sector.
Our strong product differentiation (Delicious & Crispy with Flavorful Crust, Healthier alternative) is our biggest value proposition. What makes us different is the fact that we are bringing back something which is very Indian in its roots. Samosas and other indian snacks are deeply ingrained in our eating habits. It’s not just about the taste it’s also about the whole nostalgia of consuming something every Indian kid has grown up eating.
We are one of the biggest manufacturers of samosas in South India and our model is highly scalable.
Samosa Singh is the only Indian snacking startup with scientific core team with 100,000 + research hours behind it’s products
Q.: What would be your goal to accomplish in the next six months? Any other information you would like to share?
Ans: Samosa Singh aims to expand in 100 plus cloud kitchens by the end of 2020 with multi-city entry.
Q.: What message do you want to convey to fellow entrepreneurs?
Ans: Being an entrepreneur means that you often have to blaze through many challenges. Our tips on being able to run a successful business will be to always keep the big vision in sight, perseverance, have a plan but be flexible to curb out obstacles when faced, and most importantly embrace your expertise and own it completely.
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Thanks Nidhi. All the best!
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