.gif)
“India is not known for technological advances that may seem weak in other fields but not food. Thus, we expect the food to better be natural. India is the nation that gave birth to spirituality, Yoga, Ayurveda, and Meditation to the world. And we are proud to be a country that is spread between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean,” this is the mental compass Bhupendra Khanal navigates his life on.
The 2015 incepted, Khanal Foods Pvt. Ltd.’s Founder, Bhupendra Khanal’s journey took a turn as he started Khanal Foods. While a visionary couple Bhupendra and his wife belonged to a naturally rich and pure and serene environment in the Himalayas which they appreciated after moving to Bangalore. While the remembrance of the environment and the local food made them recognize they were not alone.
“All our friends who had also moved to cities always craved food that was pure and delicious. And that is how the brand Himalayan Natives was born, right out of our love for pure and natural food,” added Bhupendra as he proudly boasts more than two years since he incepted Himalayan Natives inclusive of three product categories. Today, they are about 50 SKUs strong, and all their products are sourced locally and are free of chemicals and pesticides.
The industry and the Target Audience
As the industry was a niche when they began in 2018, the brand witnessed the user’s need for pure and organic food which was quoted for a high price point due to monopoly. Now, with more aware users, and an increased number of players, natural and organic products have become more reachable to consumers. Especially today, with the pandemic blowing out of proportion, more and more people are moving towards a healthier lifestyle which has opened the market wide open for us.
Khanal Foods is poised to provide healthy nutritious foods to people living in metro cities who order food online or purchase via supermarkets whilst their daily routines. With natural and organic food products, they make sure they are getting the essential nutrients without putting in too much effort.
Khanal Team’s Treasuring the Core Values
Bhupendra believes, Khanal Foods team runs more like a family as the founder wanted to create a brand without a corporate structure. He added, “I wanted employees to feel that they are a part of a family, that they could speak up and not feel threatened. Being a family is our core value, and with this, every employee treat Khanal Foods as their own company. Everyone is worried about how the company is doing, how better we could perform duties and responsibilities. Our team works on sheer goodwill and love for what we do.”
Social Media, The Next-Generation Marketing Strategies
Being a spokesperson for health, good food, and a healthy lifestyle, is how the leading brand markets its brand as its marketing efforts have been following this theme. Being updated with the current trends to play an active role on Social Media platforms, Khanal Foods capture the essence of nature, nostalgia, and good health. To ensure consumers can take inspiration and be a part of their healthy community.
What is Success?
To answer the question, the leader replied, “Something we realized early on in this voyage, is that people prefer natural and healthy food without chemicals and preservatives. We listened to what people wanted and worked towards building a community that focuses on healthy living.”
He continued, “At the end of the day, our priority is to help our customers lead a better life, and by staying true to our purpose and listening to our customers, we’ve been able to grow and have the success we’ve had in the past couple of years.”
Food Safety at Khanal Foods
As the pandemic emerged, Khanal Foods took upon itself the responsibility to ensure that each Khanal worker and employee is equipped with adequate protective equipment such as medical masks and sanitiser.
Additionally, all Khanal warehouse employees are provided with hairnets and gloves, and this is a practice they have continued before the pandemic as well. While the safety of their employees and the quality of their products are of the utmost importance, they have always taken the best measures to ensure that these two policies are strictly followed.
Surmounting Curveballs of Covid-19 Pandemic
The pandemic has been a challenging feat for Khanal amidst the economic uncertainty, and fear of safety and risk within people regarding ordering packages, food, etc from outside. While consumers were being very careful with their purchases, it created a market for authentic and premium products that were safe.
They, as a company, have always strived towards creating a safe and hospitable environment around us. Keeping this in mind, when the pandemic incepted, they realized the scarcity of essential safety products amongst their manufacturers and farmers. That is when Khanal Foods started thoughtful programs to provide COVID kits, staples, and essentials to their partners to ensure the safety of their employees and customers.
Corporate Social Responsibility
“Giving back to the community is one of the biggest things I have been a cheerleader for since I started the company. Community is what ties us together, and while we succeed, we need to make sure that our community succeeds too. It doesn’t matter how much you contribute to society, what matters is that you do.” - Bhupendra Khanal
When the pandemic hit the world last year, in 2020, there was a shortage of essential supplies like masks and sanitisers which were key to staying safe. As a company, Khanal Foods took it upon themselves to make sure that our farmers and their families were safe and well equipped. To do so, they partnered with several NGOs in the area and donated about 3000 bottles of sanitisers and 6000 masks. This was just the tip of the iceberg to ensure that the community that makes their business possible is safe and healthy.
Follow us on Google News
