With the vision of building a unique F&B brand for 21st Century India, Nilgai Foods Private Limited was initiated by Arjun Gadkari to promote Indian culinary arts, and deliver unique flavours of India to people globally.

The Key People behind Nilgai Foods

Nilgai Foods is run together by Arjun Gadkari and G Sarvagna.

The MasterMind behind Nilgai Foods

Arjun Gadkari: Born in New York to Indian parents and raised in London, Arjun’s upbringing gave him the international exposure that would define his global outlook and vision for Nilgai Foods. After graduating from Oxford University, Arjun moved to Mumbai where he began his exploration of India’s rapidly changing food industry, first through a Mumbai-based PE firm and shortly after as the founder of Nilgai Foods. Today Arjun runs Nilgai’s International business out of London, UK, that has grown to cover the USA, UK, Singapore, and Australia.

The belief behind initiating Nilgai Foods

Nilgai Foods has been built on the belief that India’s superior agricultural ingredients combined with a millennia-old food culture are a winning combination that India holds but hasn’t yet capitalized on, at a global level. The company values trust & honesty combined with high ethical standards as paramount when building a sustainable business.

Products that Nilgai Foods produce

Today Nilgai Foods owns and distributes two differentiated food brands:

• Cocofly – a premium coconut health food brand.
• Pico Sauces – a creative range of Indian hot sauces, ketchup, and chutneys.

Both brands have an Indian as well as an international presence and prioritize quality ingredients, international safety standards, and creative packaging design as the driving force behind their respective success.

Success story even in the pandemic situation

“We have never left hope, and the result of our strong faith in our product paid us back, which is motivating us to go a long way with renewed energy and high spirit“

“Our company has doubled its sales in the last 12 months during the pandemic and is on track to triple across this current financial year. Our international sales have quadrupled in the last 12 months and we are on track to grow exponentially for the next few years to come.“– says Arjun Gadkari.

Recently Entrepreneur Insights got a chance to have direct interaction with Arjun Gadkari and had a quick Q&A round, and we are amazed by the insights that he has put to know about the brand better. www.entrepreneurinsights.in

The biggest challenges faced and how you overcame those

Funding has always been a major challenge for us. We see our two food brands as a complementary pairing that can grow off each other’s strengths, but many investors in the past have been turned away by the fact that they occupy very different categories and markets. The result is that we have had to run our operations on a shoe-string budget and have often battled with the dichotomy between pursuing an optimal strategy versus rolling out what we could afford.

One thing that you wish you’d done differently

If we were to start from scratch, I would prioritize fundraising and bringing in investors earlier in our journey rather than trying to do everything on our own. Investors not only bring in capital, but also experience and expertise that can complement the skills that the founders bring to the table.

How has the industry changed over the years?

The Indian food industry has blossomed in the last 10 years. Manufacturing units have improved dramatically and reached international safety standards thanks to the introduction of a more codified FSSAI system. The result here is that Indian-produced products are now able to compete for shelf space on a global scale in a way that wasn’t practical previously.

The adoption of online grocery purchases has made it easier than ever for small brands to get noticed amongst the larger and more traditional FMCG giants that still dominate India’s retail markets.

Tell us about the client base.

We sell to professionally organized distributors who can meet our ethical standards and share our enthusiasm for streamlining operations using the technology available. Through a vast network of distributors and wholesalers, we have been able to scale our business into over 10 states in India and 5 countries overseas. In terms of our end consumer, we find a natural fit with young urban professionals – our products stand by the highest safety standards and we refuse to compromise on quality to lower our price to the market. We, therefore, look for a discerning customer who can understand the differences in quality and can make informed decisions.

When it comes to the company, what are you most proud of?

Over the years we have built a loyal and passionate team, who have stood by us during some extremely challenging times, most recently during the pandemic. Our vision and dreams as founders would have remained on paper if it were not for the hard work and consistent enthusiasm that has been put in by every one of our team members.

What do you see as the most difficult task in being in your Industry?

We compete against billion-dollar brands that have built their reputations over more than a century. It is very difficult to shift that kind of brand loyalty without pouring Crores into large-scale marketing campaigns. But that has never been our ethos. And I have always believed that a good product presented to the right audience compellingly will find a way to become a profitable business over time.

What do you do when you are not at work?

I compete in triathlons and train hard for these events. In my spare time, I find junkyard bicycles and restore them, really just as a hobby.

I am a passionate cook and experiment in the kitchen every single day, using my family as my guinea pigs. I love adventure travel and have spent my younger years backpacking and sleeping rough across Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia.

What are the most important decisions you make as a leader of your organization?

Sometimes the most important decisions are some of the smallest decisions that almost go unnoticed but that leave lasting impressions on the people you work with. I make sure that the actions I take day in and day out reflect the values upon which we have built our organization. Every decision is a reflection of who you are as a leader and this matters to people in the company as well as the wider community that you rely on for running the business.

How do you encourage creative thinking within your organization?

I try where possible to empower our team members to make decisions for themselves. Often creative thinking is not about carrying out a particular task but about knowing that you can be creative and giving people the freedom to create.

What are some of your future endeavours?

We will expand our footprint in India to cover all the major metros and begin our expansion into Tier 2 and 3 cities. Outside of India, we are aiming to enter the EU, Gulf, and South African markets within the next 12 months. Our North American operations continue to expand rapidly and we hope to be a dominant household brand globally in the next 5 years. Our brands are inherently global, and so is our vision.

What is the best advice you can give to our readers?

Adapting and Thriving in this changing environment is the way to go and this is the world in which we live in & need to succeed