The Surprising Reason VEEBA is Conquering the Indian Food Market?

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VIDEO INTRODUCTION:
In today's episode of the Indian Business Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Viraj Bahl, the visionary founder behind Veeba Foods. From his early days as a failed restaurant owner to building a 1000 crore sauce empire, Viraj’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. He shares his remarkable transition from navy training to the sauce industry, the critical lessons learned from his initial business setbacks, and his strategies for achieving success with Veeba Foods. Tune in to discover the secrets behind effective sales, the challenges of outsourcing, and how to navigate the complex world of product pricing and market penetration. Viraj’s story offers valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts.

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Timestamp:
00:00 - Introduction
5:10 - How did you switch from navy training to starting a sauce Company?
11:13 - What is a pocket full?
12:30 - Why did you fail in the restaurant business?
13:40 - Important Lessons to Start a Restaurant Business
16:08 - Why is sales more important than creating a system?
19:46 - Three lessons to learn from failed Restaurant
22:49 - What's the Difference Between Constructive and Destructive Frugality?
24:10 - How I Went on to Build Veeba
27:00 - What's the Difference Between Building a Product In-House vs Outsourcing It?
31:05 - What Can Go Wrong When a Sauce Company Outsources Its Manufacturing?
34:47 - How Much Does a Company Have to Go Through to Deliver a Quality Product to Consumers?"
47:29 - Lesson on Quality Policy
49:37 - With So Little Market Awareness, Why Did You Start a Chipotle Sauce Company, and How Did It Become Successful?"
51:38 - The Different Prices of Sauce
51:48 - What Is the Most Affordable Price Range for Sauces? Decode the Sauce Market Concerning Pricing Today.
1:01:22 - How Did You Get Domino's as a Client?"
1:06:50 - What Exactly Is General Trade and Modern Trade?
1:17:56 - What Lessons Can We Learn from D2C Failure?
1:19:59 - How Does Your Sauce Transition from Manufacturing to Reaching a Small Store in a Remote City? What Is That Journey Like?
1:25:35 - How Did You Convince Retailers and Penetrate the Market?
1:27:30 - What Advice Would You Give to D2C Founders Today?
1:31:29 - How Did You Approach and Convince Your First Retailer?
1:34:51 - How Did You Convince the First 10 Stores to Carry Your Product?
1:47:30 - How Do You Design for Diverse Taste Preferences?
1:52:33 - What Questions Do You Ask Consumers for Feedback?
1:54:42 - How Do You Identify What Consumers Need?
2:03:11 - What Is a Healthy Gross Margin?
2:03:54 - What Do You Think Is a Healthy Net Margin?
2:04:20 - What Is Hygiene Marketing?
2:04:36 - What Is Explosive Marketing?

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[theyogeshkasana]

I Join his company in my struggling days for 12k salary p/m [At Keswana rajput (Kotputali), Jaipur ] & this guy talked with us at Deepawali 2023 but I leave after 2 months, Now I am running my own AI agency. Literally Viraj is genuine person ❤

[Usershine]

Your words "I am ready to beg for getting work done" what a positive attitude towards work leaving everything behind❤

[kaushal]

Hi - I am founder at Vedic Garden n was waiting for this episode since I saw a reel of this on insta. So much to learn for food startups like us. Btw my family is into fmcg distributiin busienss since last 80 years (1937).

[nishakushwaha]

My few keytakeways from his viraj sir's journey
1. First get your product right then location(primarily for restraunt)
2. sales first system later
3. Firstly proof of concept later on proof of scale
4. Be frugal in necessities
5. Not compromise on food safety
6. Constant innovation in product and packaging
Do you agree???

[manikantansrinivasan]

A successful self made entrepreneur has an aura and this man really makes me realise that. Such a strong presence and humility!

[banthiamahak]

Bhai saab aap dono ne Veeba ki puri botal kholdi. I think his trust on his product is so high that he had no problem in speaking about it in such detail

[yashpallicha]

Dear Ganesh,

I just had to reach out after watching your podcast on YouTube. I can’t tell you how much I learned from it – I was genuinely blown away. It’s easy to take for granted the work that goes on behind the scenes, but listening to you dive deep into the process really opened my eyes.

Your constant recaps and how you kept bringing the speaker back to the basics – that was a game-changer. It made everything so much more relatable and clear.

And then there was Viraj… Wow. His authenticity and honesty were so refreshing. You could just feel his passion. I’m not just a fan of his products now, I’m a believer in the story and integrity behind them.

Thank you for creating such a powerful platform. Watching this has motivated me more than you know.

[manasshukla]

This video's title should be '120 minute MBA'! Every aspiring entrepreneur must watch it not just once but 100 times to get priceless and practical insights. Thanks a lot Ganesh for bringing Viraaj :)

[Senthil-kk]

What a detailed podcast. I worked for one of worlds largest beverage company and was able to relate to every aspect of the discussion, which covered the nuances of all the verticals in the 2 hrs discussion.
Appreciate the prework of Thinkschool and the openness of the guest Viraj

[AbM-wv]

How humble the founder is... Amazing man. I would love to see the plant in rajasthan since I am in jaipur. Sir... All the best to you and we all love veeba.. and your harrisa is amazing..that goes in dominos zingy parcel ❤

[tenzinnamdol]

This is the most insightful business content on YouTube IV seen so far. Wow... really the blueprint of veeba's business 😅

[tanushigupta]

This 2-hour long podcast didn’t bore me; it was so interesting. Viraj is such a fervent entrepreneur. Ganesh, keep bringing more great podcasts like this!

[sujathakowalczyk]

I love strawberry chilli vinaigrette Viraj be careful- the way Ganesh is asking questions, looks like he is trying to launch sauces.

[chiragmachhi]

We have restaurant in poland and i completely agree with him on quality. we have the same rule since we started(2020), if the food which we are preparing/Serving, are we going to eat ourselves or will we serve it to our kids? If answer is YES, then it will go to customer otherwise we will prepare it again. it helps us to maintain quality and we never heard a single bad comment about quality of the food.

[vyomshah]

Thanks Think school for bringing Viraj In.
I hope someone from thinkschool or Veeba is reading this comment.
We need the products in USA Market. We need it badly. At least start in NJ, the market is great and people will love the amazing

[pavitrabawa]

Veeba is amazing.. he's absolutely right. We needed the subway sauces at home. Its like anyone who likes subway or similar sandwiches would love these sauces. And that is sort of a parallel indicator of potential of the sauce market. Thanks viraj. I say that as a pleased and satiafied veeba customer

[BrajSankalp]

00:05 Veeba Sauce founder went from failed restaurant to 1000 crore business
02:07 Founder's success in building a 1000 crore sauce company
06:13 Transition from Merchant Navy to family business
08:52 Transition from failed restaurant business to successful sauce company
13:35 Importance of product and location in restaurant business
15:36 Focus on product quality and marketing instead of just location
19:34 Lessons learned from failed restaurant to successful sauce business
21:30 Frugality leads to financial viability
25:08 Identifying market gap and starting a sauce company without seeking parental help
27:00 Outsourcing vs building in-house
30:48 Manual intervention in manufacturing increases overheads
32:38 Maintaining high hygiene levels is crucial for a successful business
36:26 Importance of maintaining hygiene in food manufacturing
38:34 Emphasizing the importance of in-house production for quality control
42:58 Food safety is non-negotiable in the sauce business
45:04 Consistent quality leads to greatness
48:56 Viba started as a quality sauce company to stand out in the market.
50:54 Veeba focuses on catering to the premium market and not being a me-too company
55:10 Diversifying upscale products usage
57:14 Building Veeba as an aspirational brand despite challenges
1:01:38 Challenges faced in establishing Veeba Sauce
1:03:45 From struggling to getting big clients like Domino's, KFC, and Taco Bell
1:08:01 Quick Commerce gaining more sales over e-commerce
1:09:53 Strategy of starting with salad dressing for a brand's success
1:14:04 Maintaining low gross margins to deter competition
1:16:00 Key factors for a successful sauce company
1:19:38 Challenges in distributing sauces in India
1:21:33 Challenges in appointing distributors
1:25:38 Faced cash shortage, gave less stock, gained trust
1:27:46 Building trust with retailers is crucial for long-term success
1:31:51 Approaching retail requires significant manpower and financial investment.
1:33:44 Understanding the retail hierarchy in sales
1:38:46 Importance of consumer experience in gaining retailer's trust
1:40:48 Building a successful business based on customer demand
1:44:39 Established unique distribution system for efficient supply chain management
1:46:38 Understanding the consumer's influence on the market
1:50:46 Importance of feedback in product development
1:52:55 Stringent product testing in less than a month
1:56:43 Veeba Sauce has a structured approach to product development
1:58:43 Veeba sauces provide a healthier alternative for daily salads
2:02:45 Healthy gross and net margins for launching a new sauce
2:04:59 Veeba Sauce is not just a sponsor, but also an integral part of Master Chef India.
Thank You

[badrinarayanaperla]

The quality of this podcast is like a case study . Not simply admiring the promoter. I love the presenter and the entrepreneur. It is a video lesson. Free for the viewer. Thanks a lot.

[parisharana]

Think school not only teaches you about businesses but also motivates you to be better by talking or quoting underrated thinks or character/personality traits

[afradahsan]

Damn, such a wholehearted person, viraj is! Took almost a week to completely watch this, keep rolling! Thank you!