How the Founder of Veeba Who Turned a Failed Restaurant Business Into a FMCG Brand that Clocked ₹1,000 Cr in Revenue

Every successful startup has a backstory. 

Some begin in boardrooms, others in dorm rooms. But Veeba? It started in the middle of a kitchen crisis - with a failed restaurant, a frustrated founder, and a gaping hole in the Indian food industry.

At its heart, the Veeba story is something every aspiring entrepreneur in India should know. Not because it’s perfect but because it’s real.

Meet the Founder

Viraj Bahl isn’t your typical FMCG entrepreneur. He’s calm, hands-on, and fiercely detail-oriented.

“I never set out to build a sauce empire,” he said. “I just wanted to make something I’d proudly serve to my kids.”

After completing his engineering in Singapore and working in the Merchant Navy, Viraj joined the family’s small food business. When that business was acquired by a multinational, he took his learnings and decided to branch out on his own.

But it all started from rock bottom.

His Journey

Before entering the world of entrepreneurship, Viraj spent his early in the Merchant Navy. 

It was a disciplined life—structured, challenging, and often isolating. But it taught him resilience, attention to detail, and how to lead under pressure - traits that would later define his approach to business.

After completing his engineering in Singapore and working at sea, he decided to return to India and join the family’s food export business. It was here that Viraj got his first real exposure to food manufacturing, international quality standards, and the complexities of running a business.

“My father gave me space to experiment but also demanded results. I had to earn my place. That early pressure helped me grow fast,” Viraj recalled.

The business eventually grew and was acquired by a multinational. 

Viraj stayed on for a year but found the corporate environment stifling. He was ready to build something of his own—from scratch.

“I knew I wanted to build something. Something from scratch,” he said. 

So he turned to what he loved - food.

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Failures in the Restaurant Business

In 2011, Viraj started his own chain of restaurants called “Pocketful,” built around the idea of Indianized fast food - stuffed naan pockets filled with butter chicken, paneer, and masala fries.

Customers who tried it loved the food.

“We had a great product. Everyone who ate at Pocketful gave us amazing feedback. But great food doesn’t automatically mean great business,” Viraj recalled.

The challenges were many: poor location choices, over-investment in backend systems, and rapid expansion without proven unit economics.

“I was trying to build the Indian McDonald's. What I didn’t understand was that it’s not enough to have a great product,” he admits. “You need the right location, marketing, and operations. I got most of that wrong,” Viraj recalled in a podcast. 

He scaled too quickly, opening six restaurants in four years. 

“We opened six outlets in four years. Three were profitable on their own, but the business as a whole wasn’t. I was building scale before building sustainability,” Viraj said. 

It was also a deeply emotional period.

“When your restaurant is empty, the failure is very public. Friends see it, family sees it. You feel exposed," he shared.

Eventually, the strain became unsustainable. After pouring most of their savings into the venture, Viraj had to shut it down. 

“We had just bought a house. I asked my wife if we could sell it to fund something new. She said yes without blinking. That kind of support gave me the courage to begin again,” he shared. 

The experience taught him some of his most important entrepreneurial lessons: focus on cash flow, test before scaling, and never mistake excitement for a plan.

Starting Veeba

One big insight from the restaurant failure stuck with him: India lacked access to quality sauces.

“Even basic things like Caesar dressing or Southwest Chipotle weren’t available. We were importing them at insane prices,” he recalled.

This insight sparked Veeba. 

“I was obsessed with sauces like Southwest Chipotle and Ranch. But I couldn’t find them locally. So I thought—why not make them?” he shared. 

But instead of contract manufacturing - a common startup choice, Viraj built his own factory in 2013 in Neemrana.

“If I’m putting something in a bottle with my name on it, I need to control every part of it,” he said. 

The plant was built to global standards, complete with hygiene zones, metal detectors, and microbiological testing.

It was a gutsy move - expensive, risky, and against all advice.

But it gave Veeba complete control over quality, something Viraj treats almost spiritually.

“Our company’s quality policy is simple,” he said. “If I wouldn’t give it to my sons, Rajveer and Ranveer, I won’t give it to anyone else’s kids.”

The Domino’s Breakthrough

Once the manufacturing plant was up and running, Viraj set his sights on one client: Domino’s Pizza. 

But getting into Domino’s was like scaling a wall. For six months, he showed up at their office weekly.

“I must have visited their office five times a week for six months,” Viraj recalled. “The receptionist probably thought I was crazy.”

But finally, the breakthrough came. Domino’s agreed to audit the plant. It passed. Soon after, Veeba received its first big order—20 tons of mayonnaise.

“That was our entire month’s production back then,” he laughed. “Today, we make that in 20 minutes.”

Soon big names like KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Burger King came knocking.

“Once you crack one big client, the rest follow. Domino’s was our turning point,” Viraj said.

Retail Launch

Even while Veeba was thriving as a B2B supplier to top QSR chains, Viraj had much bigger plans - retail shelves. But instead of diving into ketchup or traditional condiments where competition was fierce, he took a bold, strategic bet.

“We started with Caesar dressing, Southwest Chipotle, and other international sauces. Everyone said we were crazy,” Viraj recalled.

These weren’t everyday flavors in Indian kitchens, and that was the point. 

Retailers assumed Veeba was an imported brand and often placed it in the premium or international aisle. That positioning created aspirational value from day one.

Over time, once trust was established with consumers, Veeba expanded into mayonnaise, ketchup, and Chinese sauces - crowded categories, but now approached with credibility and brand recall on their side.

This ‘top-down’ retail strategy allowed Veeba to stand out in a sea of sameness and build demand before scaling breadth.

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Distribution Channels

The real secret behind Veeba’s retail success? Distribution.

“We didn’t rely on D2C hype. We built an old-school, boots-on-the-ground distribution network,” Viraj said

He and his team would walk into the stores they wanted to be in like Society Stores in Mumbai and ask: “Who’s your distributor?”

Then they’d pitch that distributor, supply inventory, and personally convince shopkeepers to try their products.

“Distribution is hard. It’s slow. But it’s where real, scalable, sustainable business happens in India,” he added. 

Today, Veeba operates in over 100,000 retail outlets across India. Their split: 70% general trade (kirana stores), 20% modern trade (big retail chains), and 10% e-commerce and quick commerce.

Investment

In its early days, Veeba raised external capital to build out its manufacturing infrastructure and support its entry into the B2B space. 

But what makes the brand stand out is how little capital it needed beyond that. Since its last fundraise in 2017, Veeba has remained profitable - and has used its own earnings to fund growth.

“In the beginning, we needed support to build our foundation. But once we got past that stage, we became very deliberate about every rupee we spent,” Viraj explains.

Unlike many startups that burn through investor money chasing top-line growth, Veeba focused on margins, operational efficiency, and sustainable expansion. 

This discipline stems from Viraj’s earlier failure in the restaurant business, where overspending came before real scale.

“Frugality isn’t about cutting corners,” he said. “It’s about not spending on things that don’t move the needle.”

Revenue

Veeba crossed ₹1,000 crores in annual revenue in FY24 - an astounding number for a company that began just in 2013.

They started retail after hitting ₹100 crore in revenue from B2B alone.

Retail wasn’t just the dream. It was the brand’s identity. But B2B gave them the stability to get there. 

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Marketing Strategy and What Worked

Despite being in the FMCG space, Veeba didn’t splash toom much on advertising.

“Our marketing was product-led. Great taste, quality packaging, and word-of-mouth,” Viraj said.

They benefited from food influencers showcasing the sauces in recipes and quick commerce apps showing instant availability.

Also, positioning mattered.

“We looked imported. So we were perceived as premium. That helped,” Viraj shared. 

But Veeba had  one standout campaign - 'Aaj Kya Khaoge?' 

This campaign tapped into a common household question - what to cook today? Instead of marketing sauces as side items, Veeba positioned them as everyday meal enablers. 

The idea was simple but relatable: Veeba sauces could help make routine meals more fun, creative, and time-saving. It resonated especially with young families and busy professionals, reinforcing Veeba’s role as a helpful, modern kitchen companion.

Cutting Out Competition 

Veeba operates in a crowded market filled with legacy brands and aggressive newcomers. What helped the brand stand apart wasn't just good products—it was the thoughtful, long-term strategy that built real staying power.

• A Broad Product Portfolio: Veeba didn’t rely on a single bestseller. With over 100 SKUs ranging from international salad dressings to Indian cooking sauces, the brand ensured it had something for every shelf and every customer.
  

• Control Over Manufacturing: Unlike many competitors, Veeba chose to manufacture everything in-house. That meant tighter control over quality, consistency, and safety - allowing them to set their own standards instead of relying on third-party suppliers.
  

• Smart Pricing for Scale: Operating at slightly lower margins than the industry average gave Veeba flexibility. It allowed them to offer high-quality products at accessible prices - something tough for new entrants to compete with.
  

• A Culture of Quality: From rigorous batch testing to strict hygiene protocols, Veeba embedded food safety into its daily operations. This wasn’t a one-time setup; it became part of the company’s identity.

These choices weren’t flashy - but they made Veeba incredibly difficult to copy.

“If someone wants to compete, they’ll need to match us on quality, scale, and price. That’s not easy,” Viraj said.

How Veeba Built Consumer Trust

Early perception helped. But real trust came from what was inside the bottle.

“We built Veeba’s factories like operation theatres. Every shift started with a cleaning ritual. Every batch was tested,” Viraj explains.

This obsession showed in product consistency. Also, because of Veeba’s B2B roots, customers had unknowingly already tasted the sauces at Domino’s or KFC. So when they saw the bottles in stores, it felt familiar.

Trust wasn’t bought. It was earned - through taste, safety, and consistency.

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Lessons New Founders Can Learn from Veeba

Veeba’s journey offers important takeaways for future FMCG startup founders: 

• Start With Sales, Not Structure: Veeba focused on demand before building out management. Sales validated their product long before systems came into place.

• Quality Before Scale: A microbiology lab and rigorous quality checks were built early. Trust was earned through consistency, not claims.

• Own the Core: By keeping manufacturing in-house, Veeba controlled product standards and created a real moat.

• Distribution Before D2C: Instead of going digital-first, Veeba invested in kirana store visibility - where real volumes live in India.

• Consistency Over Hype: No viral moments or funding sprints. Just daily improvement. 

Veeba didn’t launch with a viral campaign or a celebrity endorsement. It didn’t raise hundreds of crores or chase headlines. It quietly built quality, trust, and consistency.

“Boring is sexy,” Viraj said. “Just show up every day, do the same thing better, and keep your head down.”

In a world chasing hyper-growth, Veeba is a refreshing reminder that real brands are built on grit, not gloss.