Anushka Jaisinghani, the dynamic founder of Snack Me and LJ Snacky’s, has an audacious dream: to become India’s “Samosa Queen.” Anushka’s journey from an HR professional to a leading figure in the snack manufacturing industry is as fascinating as the samosas she passionately creates. Her story is not just about business success but also about resilience, innovation, and an unyielding commitment to quality.
Anushka began her career in HR, accumulating 14 years of experience before deciding to venture into the world of snacks. “I needed to do something I was passionate about,” she recalls. In 2010, leveraging her corporate skills and experience, she launched a small snack business with a kiosk model. This modest start, offering just three to four varieties of snacks, laid the foundation for what would become a significant enterprise.
Over the years, LJ Snacky’s expanded its offerings from a handful to 50 varieties of snacks, catering primarily to the corporate sector in Bangalore. By 2020, her company, erstwhile called Snackys was the preferred corporate snack partner in the city, serving 10,000 packs daily. “We grew close to 25 times in ten years, which I am really proud of,” Anushka notes.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected challenges, halting the corporate catering business. Faced with a standstill, Anushka pivoted to the frozen snack segment, launching the Snack Me brand under LJ Snackys. “We moved from ready-to-eat to ready-to-cook snacks, embracing technology to ensure our products remained fresh and healthy without added preservatives,” she explains.
The shift to frozen snacks opened new horizons for Snack Me, enabling them to cater to a pan-India market and even explore exports. Today, Snack Me runs two successful manufacturing units: one for corporate catering and another for frozen snacks, both reaching pre-COVID numbers.
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However, Sindhi by birth and foodie by nature, Anushka’s fascination with samosas is at the heart of her business. “My hero product is samosa. I wish to have 30 varieties of samosas by 2025. We currently offer about 20 varieties,” she says. The versatility and mass appeal of samosas make them a staple across generations, unlike more niche snacks like pizza or pasta.
Statistics show that 6 million samosas are sold daily in India alone. Meanwhile, organized samosa sales in India amount to about INR 100 crores a day, and this doesn’t even account for the unorganized sector. This reinforces Anushka’s belief in the samosa market, “This staggering figure highlights the vast potential of the Indian market. It gives me confidence that we’re in the right segment—even capturing just 5% or 10% of this market would be incredibly rewarding,” she says.
Snack Me’s strategy is to focus on B2B manufacturing, partnering with brands rather than competing in the consumer market. “I want to partner with brands and say, ‘We will manufacture and white-label for you.’ I don’t want to compete on the front end, which requires significant cash flow and different segmentation,” she elaborates.
Efficiency and Innovation in Manufacturing:
This approach has proven successful, with Snack Me manufacturing samosas for 8 to 10 prominent brands exporting to Dubai and the US. “We have mastered the art of manufacturing samosas, achieving 98% efficiency with only 2% wastage, even though they are handcrafted,” Anushka proudly states.
Snack Me’s product development is driven by a blend of market intelligence and culinary creativity. “Along with the classical Punjabi aloo samosa, which is our best-seller, we also make patti samosas and experiment with various fillings,” Anushka explains. She constantly seeks inspiration, even envisioning fusion samosas with unique fillings like those from Taco Bell.
Despite the challenges, Anushka has maintained robust operational efficiency. “In a B2B segment, it’s a high volume, low margin game. Our margins are about 10-15% depending on the brand and volume,” she notes. Key factors for success include purchasing power, controlling wastage, and maintaining efficient credit terms.
Future Growth and Expansion:
Looking ahead, Anushka aims to significantly scale up production. “We currently manufacture about 20,000 samosas a day. I target to grow this to 50,000 samosas a day by 2027,” she says. Plans are also underway to expand into new frozen snack categories, including breaded products, which promise further growth opportunities.
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