We recently sat down with Mehek Khera, founder of Niramaya Foods, a fast-growing company that's fusing Indian flavors with American formats. Her journey from fashion industry professional to CPG entrepreneur offers valuable insights for brands navigating retail distribution, co-manufacturing partnerships, and capital-efficient growth.
Bridging Cultural Gaps Through Innovative Products
Niramaya Foods is built on what Mehek calls "heritage-inspired nutrition" — taking traditional flavors and recipes from her Indian background and adapting them to modern American preferences.
"We are trying to marry the two cultures together in a way that speaks to the average American consumer," Mehek explains.
"The American population feels nostalgia from their childhood and they get to experience flavors and nostalgia from my childhood as something new that doesn't exist."
Her innovative naan pretzels perfectly embody this philosophy — cleverly combining the familiar American pretzel format with Indian naan influences. These fusion snacks deliver exactly the cross-cultural experience Mehek envisioned. They also pair extremely well with Niramaya’s existing line of Indian-inspired dips.
Strategic Distribution: Managing Growth as a Bootstrapped Brand
When discussing the realities of working with large distributors, Mehek highlights how services like Glimpse have been essential to her operation.
"Organizations like Glimpse that exist to help companies like me manage deductions are so important."
Rather than avoiding distribution due to deduction fears (a common concern among CPG founders), Mehek recommends doing the math:
"It's better to take it on a case-by-case basis and assess how that works for your business. If you have enough margins for a distributor — because they're going to take their percentage, then their deductions, then their other fees retailers pile on — doing that math is really important before you sign."
For bootstrapped brands like hers, scaling strategically can actually improve cash flow:
"Sometimes taking on a little bit more scale helps us turn the cash cycle around. And we are really confident in those markets like Denver, Texas, Chicago, West Coast — Indian products perform really well."
From Kitchen to Co-Packer: Building Manufacturing Relationships
With no prior food industry experience, Mehek spent two years moving from kitchen recipes to commercially viable products. Finding the right co-packing partner was particularly challenging.
"I started by cold calling people from the directory that I had in my apartment and just asking silly questions and not being embarrassed.
Five hundred phone calls later, I found my co-packer after a suggestion from a fellow founder."
Her advice for founders:
- Get recommendations from other founders
- Ask whether your goals align
- Confirm they meet your quality standards
- Avoid contracts with unrealistic volume minimums
- Make sure they have proper food safety certifications
Expansion Beyond Borders
Mehek is eyeing international markets like the UK, where Indian-inspired products are already well understood — much like Mexican products in the US.
She’s leveraging a New York food export program to explore these markets:
"Definitely exploring opportunities in Europe and the UK is something that we want to do next," she notes.
"Australia is also on our radar for the snack product line."
Building a Capital-Efficient Business Model
As a bootstrapped founder, Mehek has built Niramaya using a lean, expert-partnered structure:
- Drawn (design agency) for branding
- The CPG CFO for part-time finance
- Glimpse for managing deductions
- Kedia Consultants for fractional COO support
She’s also exploring non-dilutive capital — including grants for women-owned businesses, pitch competitions, and trade financing.
"As long as you have a PO, you have a lot of options opened up to you.
The bare minimum is having a PO and having a good margin. As long as you have that, you can turn that cycle around."
Where to Find Niramaya Products
- Dips: Available on niramayafoods.com, Instacart, and at Sprouts, Albertsons, and Safeway (including Vons, Pavilions, Jewel Osco, Tom's Thumb, and Randall's)
- Naan Pretzels: Now available nationwide at Sprouts
Mehek’s story shows how founders can leverage strategic partnerships, capital-efficient growth strategies, and cultural authenticity to build successful CPG brands in today’s competitive marketplace.
Her naan pretzels demonstrate how innovative product development can create entirely new subcategories within established markets.
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