Episode Description
In this episode, I'm speaking with Abhishek Asthana, co-founder of Shivani's Kitchen, who has spent the last decade learning what it takes to put an immigrant food brand on national shelves.
When Sobeys came knocking during COVID and offered to carry their products across Atlantic Canada, it felt like the break they'd been waiting for. They ran the financial numbers, hired a consultant, and went all in.
Abhishek talks about driving through downtown Halifax, pointing at a business that was doing well, and thinking that a year down the line he'd buy it out, before he'd done any market research on who he was really up against.
And then the spices got run off the shelves by a cheaper alternative.
Abhishek and I chat about the mistakes they made and:
Why his co-founder and wife, Shivani Dhamija calls the business her MBA
Why opening their own facility early was a mistake
What it felt like to let good people go
The rule he follows now on when to hire
How they landed on paneer as the product that finally worked
Dozie's Notes
A few things that stuck with me as I listened through this week's conversation:
A big retailer saying yes can feel like the finish line when it's only the beginning of a long, hard journey. I kinda understand the rush. Especially because as immigrants, it always feels like we are running against the clock. But keep in mind that the drive and hunger that got you those opportunities can also make you skip the boring homework you need to succeed.
The reason a lot of us overwork is that immigrating already put us behind, or feels like it did (I mean I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do). But I am beginning to wonder if that same need to make it up and get back to some semblance of who you were before immigrating also takes away our evenings and children and families. We tell ourselves it's for the family, right up until the family is the thing we miss the most. Worth mulling over.
Official Links
✅ Connect with Abhishek Asthana on LinkedIn
✅ Check out Shivani's Kitchen
✅ Read Shivani Dhamija's story