Samosa Singh: An Idea Which Pushed Founders to Give Up Jobs to Build Desi Brand With Turnover in Crores

India’s massive fresh snack food market is expected estimated to cross $51 billion by 2023. Samosa Singh is one of India’s leading food and beverage services companies and fastest growing online fresh snacking start-up, aiming more than 8X revenue growth in next 16 months

In an exclusive interview with Sakshi Post, the brains behind this idea (brand), Shikhar Veer Singh & Nidhi Singh, tell Reshmi AR about the makings of this yummy snack’s success story!

Everybody dreams of having an abode of their own. But you chose to sell your flat to start a business. What made you take the risk?

It was an instant decision and a thought that came considering that the business needed that money for the upcoming expansion—and we were sure to make Samosa Singh big. We do not regret our decision and with this move—we were able to get to a bigger facility with some automation and within a few months, became one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of samosas in South India.

With imported food coming in and health consciousness at a high like never before, there's a plethora of options for snacking. Why choose Samosa?

SAMOSA—such a wonderful word that immediately takes you down the memory lane.

I still haven’t come across anyone who doesn’t love this product. People get nostalgic and cherish their memories of samosas.

There are many theories around the evolution of samosas, where is originated, how it travelled to the world and back to India in various avatars, impact of the traders and colonial powers and finally food evolution, post-independent India etc. Whatever it is—we firmly believe that we don’t have to claim the origin of the foods we love so much—the samosa which is very much Indian, true to its roots, eaten the traditional way—deep fried and served hot with chutneys…Yumm!

In fact, due to its overwhelming popularity, samosa has been conferred the title of an “International Snack”.

Also, another amazing fact—samosa has also travelled to the space! Yes—Space! It was carried to the space by Sunita Williams!

So, this adds to the privileged list of facts associated with samosas!

So, when I decided to embark on my entrepreneurial journey—what better than samosas. A lot of people ask me why samosas and I quip, “Why not samosas?” 

When we decided to adopt the one snack that bound this country’s cultures, we went a step ahead and decided to surprise ourselves…we just didn’t give it a new look. We didn’t just give it a new taste. We didn’t just give it a new feel…We gave it a surname Singh. Samosa Singh. And we made it a part of our family!

The rebirth of the Samosa as Samosa Singh is a story of innovation, aspiration and finally, of the love for legacy.

Did your biotech experience come in handy when you did R&D on samosa in terms of increasing its shelf life and keeping it fresh longer?

Yes! Certainly

Science is all around us and food tech is an integral part of our training. Samosa Singh is the first Indian snacking company with a scientific core team and hours of research behind it. Re- branded for the modern age, Samosa Singh adopted the Samosa to invest almost 100,000 plus man hours of R&D to give it a unique triangle interlocking shape making it less oily and lighter. A gourmet avatar with proprietary technology that lets it stay crispy for more time.

Samosa Singh intends to target the disorganized category of Indulgent Snacks. We hold all the necessary certifications and take pride in manufacture products that combine innovation, quality, and taste. Their samosas are healthier and non-greasy, yet have the satisfying crunch, warmth, and flavor of India's favourite snack.

What makes your samosas different? Tell us about the unique varieties you have to offer

Samosa Singh provides "value addition" to India's massive, unorganized samosa business. Samosa Singh’s USP lies in our unique triangle interlocking structure that prevents oil from seeping within, resulting in a lighter product. We have sold more than 50 million pieces of Samosa. Samosa Singh is the first Indian snacking company with a scientific core team and over 100,000 hours of research behind it.

What sets us apart, the Strong Product Differentiation:

• Delicious & Crispy with Flavorful Crust
• Healthier Alternative: 56% less fat, 45% fewer calories
• Innovative: Intuitive fusion of traditional recipes with modern textures & flavours.
• Varieties like shahi aaloo samosa, kadai paneer samosa, corn and cheese samosa are the top sellers.

How did you scale up to increase revenues?

Samosa Singh has helped the local snack progress from its basic street food origins by improving the familiar joyous experience. Samosa Singh today is one of India’s leading food and beverage services companies and fastest growing online fresh snacking start-up, aiming more than 8X revenue growth in next 16 months.  We are a positive company with all our 8 cities being positive and revenue generating.  We are now starting our offline presence (QSR stores) across South and West India.

What's your customer base now— loyal vs new ratio?

Owing to our business model and product USP—the brand stands apart. Our business has a 85% repeat order rate. Targeting India’s massive fresh snack food market, estimated to cross $51 billion by 2023, Samosa Singh has emerged as a leading player in the indulgent snacks category. Over 100,000 man-hours of R&D has resulted in samosas that are 56 percent lower in fat than the traditional counterparts. Among the brand’s unique offerings are the Kadai paneer samosa, chicken tikka samosa and masala corn samosa among the many exciting flavor options with a strong focus on the intersection of indulgence, healthy and fresh.

Samosa Singh became the fastest growing Fresh Indian Online Snacking Brand post covid. How did you manage to turn the company around after the pandemic?

There were tough days—really tough ones—including Covid-19 which changed the entire dynamics and overnight the revenue stumped to almost zero! But we never gave up and worked the hardest during these years and as of today, we have managed to tread on the path of building a multi-million dollar business with our passion. As rightly said, If you want the rainbow, you have to deal with the rain.

Our love for the Samosa & our fiery pride in the Indian street food credo drives us each day to establish a global space for the rich and eclectic street food of this country.

What other challenges did you face while setting up your business? Is there any instance when you regretted your decision to give up your jobs?

It has been a long and an eventful journey of being a scientist and then giving it all up to actually build a high-growth successful business. As first-time entrepreneurs who quit jobs to pursue our dream, put everything we made and had into the business and a soul to commit oneself to it, so, truthfully—we have seen it all!

From a working couple to entrepreneurs, from a single outlet to a multi-city status, from selling a single samosa sold to over 50 million pieces and from a two-member team to a fired up team of almost 180 youngsters, we have crossed our first frontiers as we look at the future with bright eyes.

Hyderabad and Bangalore are good markets, how about Tier II and Tier III cities? With the QSR launch,  how do you see your growth in the  future?

We are a positive company with all our 8 cities being positive and revenue generating. We are now starting our offline presence (QSR stores) across South and West India. Samosa Singh’s acceptance in Tier 1 & 2 cities –supports its expansion scale across India