Latest news with #VirajBahl
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: K-drama on our plate
It was Viraj Bahl who put it best: The two big rages in India right now, he told me, are wellness and chilli. Chilli crisp is a pantry staple in Korea. (ADOBE STOCK) {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} I am sure Viraj is right about wellness, though I don't know much about the subject. But he is certainly bang on when it comes to the chilli craze. And he has put his money where his mouth is. Veeba, the condiment company he founded, has invested heavily in a new range of hot sauces and they are flying off the shelves. {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} It's a trend that has spread. Maggi, a well-respected brand with no distinctive record of risky innovation in India, is also launching new products, most of which seem to include the word 'spicy' in the name: Spicy Garlic Noodles and Spicy Pepper Noodles are just two examples. Viraj, who also runs a noodle brand, says that the formula for success in today's market is to make it spicy. 'India has fallen in love with chilli all over again,' he explains. 'There is a new generation that just wants spice and chilli.' {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Gochujang is used in many Korean dishes, but less so for Korean food in India. (ADOBE STOCK) {{^usCountry}} The trend is not restricted to India. In the UK, some supermarkets report that sales of hot sauces are up by 20%. At the Tesco chain, Sriracha is selling so well that sales are up by 65% over last year. Ocado, the online UK retailer, says that sales of chilli sauces have increased by 10% and searches for Korean hot sauce are up by an astonishing 850%. The US is experiencing a similar boom with new hotter sauces being launched each year. {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} The trend is not restricted to India. In the UK, some supermarkets report that sales of hot sauces are up by 20%. At the Tesco chain, Sriracha is selling so well that sales are up by 65% over last year. Ocado, the online UK retailer, says that sales of chilli sauces have increased by 10% and searches for Korean hot sauce are up by an astonishing 850%. The US is experiencing a similar boom with new hotter sauces being launched each year. {{/usCountry}} Read More {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} You can tell when a market is red hot (in this case, literally) when celebrities want a piece of the action. Ed Sheeran had the UK press excited when he launched his Tingly Ted's hot sauce in 2023, and now the trend has reached such a level that even Brooklyn Beckham has launched his own sauce. Oprah Winfrey has a sauce that combines spiciness with synthetic truffle flavour, a combination that sounds so disgusting that you can see why Kim Kardashian has invested in the product. The vintage rocker Alice Cooper has a whole range of hot sauces named after his greatest hits, though it is not clear whether these sauces are best enjoyed when you are biting the head off a live chicken as Cooper was once rumoured to have done onstage during a concert. (He now denies the story.) {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Because of K-pop and K-dramas, dishes such as tteokbokki have became all the rage. (ADOBE STOCK) While the global boom has many different origins Viraj is clear where the current Indian craze for spice has come from. 'It's because of the younger generation's fascination with Korea,' he says. 'Because of K-Pop, K-Drama and the rest, young people love anything that tastes like Korean food. And that means lots of spice. That's how this boom took off.' {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} He has a point. McDonald's India has introduced a range of Make It Korean burgers and products with a Korean Spice Mix that you can add to all products. (I have no idea what they would make of the Korean McSpicy Paneer Burger in Seoul, though.) Burger King has its Korean Spicy Fest featuring Korean burgers, and Domino's has a new Cheese Burst range featuring Korean flavours. I would call it a Korean food boom, except that despite the names, none of the flavours is particularly Korean. Hardly anyone uses Korean chillis or gochugaru, the distinctive Korean chilli powder, or gochujang, the fermented red chilli paste that is characteristic of many Korean dishes. This is Korean food for people who have never eaten Korean food but have seen it on TV or the internet, and are in love with the idea of Korean food rather than the cuisine itself. For Indian food companies, that translates as adding lots more mirchi, and it doesn't matter if you use our local chillis for the tang. {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Corn Yuzu Hot Sauce is made with roasted corn and yuzu. (ADOBE STOCK) We have been here before. This is exactly how the Sichuan boom took off 40 years ago. Indians never really took to Mala, the mix of Sichuan pepper and chilli that epitomises Sichuan flavours, or even to Sichuan pepper itself, because it puckered the mouth and made it tingle. {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Even so, we created a make-believe Sichuan flavour of our own with chilli and masala, and it has become a staple of Indian-Chinese restaurants and kiosks. Viraj's Veeba makes Sichuan sauces and stir-fry seasonings, which sell well. But my own sense is that younger consumers see them as flavours that belong to their parents' generation and have no particular affection for so called Sichuan. The truth is that in today's world, flavour trends move swiftly. Take the example of Huy Fong's Sriracha, the American take on the Thai sauce, which became a global rage over a decade ago. It was hailed as the beginning of a new era of hot sauces that would transform the American palate. It is still around and still sells very well, but it has lost its trendy cachet and is now routinely described as being very mild compared to today's hot sauces. {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Brands such as Maggi have launched new products with the word 'spicy' in the name. (ADOBE STOCK) Sriracha damaged the market for Tabasco (a far superior sauce with a great heritage ) that had to survive by launching product variants and even making its own Sriracha. (The name is generic; it's not a brand, so anyone can make Sriracha.) And something similar is now happening to Sriracha itself as newer sauces take over. At the top end of the market, there are excellent small-production sauces that put the industrial hot sauces to shame. The one I use at home is the Corn Yuzu Hot Sauce, a blend of habanero chillis with roasted corn and yuzu, made by Noma Projects (available on the net) that demonstrates how good a hot sauce can be if you put care and precision into its making. Even in India there are small production condiments that are outstanding. Varun Tuli of Yum Yum Cha makes an excellent chilli crisp and I have written before about the Pickle Shickle brand whose chilli products have been a staple of my kitchen for three years now. But regardless of which hot sauce you use, the chilli trend is here to stay. And ironically enough the impetus to add more chilli and call everything 'spicy' comes not from our own gastronomic heritage as the home of spice but from Korean popular culture. From HT Brunch, July 05, 2025 Follow us on SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Shark Tank India's Viraj Bahl recalls shooting ad with Shah Rukh Khan: ‘He was loving, caring, giving in every sense of the word'
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's humility has often been praised by those who've worked with him. Recently, Veeba founder Viraj Bahl echoed similar sentiments while recalling his experience shooting an advertisement with the Jawan actor. Viraj, who also appeared as a judge on Shark Tank India, shared that he learned 'lessons of a lifetime' from Shah Ruk. Talking about SRK in a podcast, Viraj said, 'I got to work with the legend Shah Rukh Khan for 2-3 days and I got lessons for a lifetime. I don't even know if he remembers who I am now, but I was a fan going in and coming out a 100x fan. He teaches you the success that he's seen with the humility that he has. When he comes on the set, he will know my name, my team's name. He will come and hug us.' Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan replaced Armaan Kohli in Deewana, says Guddu Dhanoa: 'He didn't even know, I had already signed him' Viraj Bahl, the founder of Veeba Foods : I got to work with the legend Shah Rukh Khan for 2-3 days & I got lessons for a lifetime, I was a fan going in & coming out a 100x fan, he teaches you the success that he's seen with the humility that he has. He also shares some incidents — Aamir Khan (@AAMIRSRKs45) May 24, 2025 Viraj Bahl also recalled an incident and said, 'He is a legend. So the director listens to what SRK says. Every brand ambassador gives you eight hours for a particular shoot, and our ad shoot had not finished. But the director said wrap and I was like, we were still left, but he said that SRK's time was up. He asked me to go an speak with him and I was literally shaking, but then I went and told him some bit was left to shoot, and he just kept his hand on my shoulder and said we shall continue shooting. That calmed me so much.' 'He was loving, caring, and giving in every sense of the word. I can't tell you how much I have learned in those three days about how to respect people. I don't expect to see the success he has seen in his lifetime, but even if I do half of that and have half the humility that he has, I will consider myself victorious.' Viraj added. On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan will be next seen in King along with his daughter Suhana Khan. He also has Tiger vs Pathaan, with Salman Khan, in the pipeline.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
10 years ago he dreamt of participating in MasterChef India. Today he sponsors it. Shark Tank judge Viraj Bahl's journey will inspire you
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Food journey started in childhood Sometimes, the journey to success begins with walking away from comfort and diving headfirst into chaos. That's exactly what happened with the founder of Veeba , the brand now synonymous with sauces on every Indian dining table. In a world obsessed with overnight success, his story is a reminder that falling hard can sometimes be the first step toward flying high. What began as a dream in 2013 to be on MasterChef turned into reality a decade later, not as a contestant, but as the proud co-presenter of the iconic culinary show. The twist? He didn't just follow his passion for food, he built an empire around engineering graduate with a well-paying job in the Merchant Navy, he spent his 20s sailing across oceans. But despite the stability and global exposure, something always felt missing. Food was where his heart truly lay. So, in 2009, he decided to risk it all, quitting his career to launch a restaurant chain in Delhi. He poured in his savings, hustled non-stop, and gave it everything he had. But after three years of battling operational costs and rising rents, the dream crashed. The restaurant had to shut no business and no income, he and his wife took the toughest decision of their lives: they sold their only asset, their home, and moved in with their parents to start from scratch. This time, however, he came armed with research. He had identified a clear gap in the Indian market: the lack of high-quality global-style sauces made in India. That's how Veeba was born, not in a sleek office, but from a humble beginning backed by grit, sacrifice, and a early days were slow, with orders trickling in. But then came the breakthrough, an order from Domino's for 70 tons of sauce. It was the validation he needed. Soon, brands like KFC Taco Bell , and Subway came knocking. His company's growth skyrocketed, eventually crossing Rs 100 crore and becoming a household name across the country. Viraj Bahl 's journey into the food industry began in his childhood, inspired by visits to his father's factory and their Fun Foods stall at Aahar Delhi. Though he initially aimed to study food technology, low marks redirected him to marine engineering. After completing the course and securing a well-paying job, Viraj fulfilled his father's wish of proving his independence. He then joined the family business, Fun Foods, in six years, Viraj contributed significantly to its growth, but in 2008, the company was sold to Germany's Dr. Oetker for Rs 110 crore, against his wishes. Faced with the loss of a business he loved, Viraj decided to start anew and this time with Veeba in 2013. By 2023, it had grown into India's leading homegrown brand in the category, with Rs 811 crore revenue and presence in over 700 cities. He later joined Shark Tank India as a judge in season 4.
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
In Conversation with Viraj Bahl: Sauces, Startups & Family Stories
In a candid chat with Khyati Rajvanshi, on Magical Memories presented by Club Mahindra in association with The Indian Express, Viraj Bahl, Founder and MD, VRB Consumer Products Pvt Ltd. (Veeba and WokTok) reflects on his journey from modest roots to becoming a Shark on Shark Tank India, sharing how both boardrooms and birthdays have shaped his life as an entrepreneur, father, and husband. Roots, Resilience, and the Rise of Veeba Born and raised in Delhi, Viraj grew up in a middle-class home where joy outweighed material wealth. He fondly recalls trips to Shimla and a humble blue toaster as symbols of a happy, simple childhood. 'We never travelled abroad, but we had everything that made a childhood beautiful,' he says. Watching his parents build their food business taught him how hard work could change both fortunes and mindsets. Viraj's entrepreneurial spirit wasn't born out of a grand epiphany, but from witnessing his mother's diligence at work. 'She used to make lists every morning; I learned planning, persistence, and discipline just by watching her,' he reflects. In many ways, Veeba – named in honour of his mother – became his tribute to those formative years. Despite wearing many hats – CEO, investor, public figure – Viraj Bahl stays grounded through family. He's home by 7:30, shares dinner and playtime with his kids, and unwinds with his wife, Ridhima. 'She doesn't work at Veeba, but without her, it wouldn't be what it is,' he says. Holidays, once rare, are now treasured – whether cheering his son at Yale or reliving magic at the Harry Potter Studios. His ideal vacations are slow and family-focused – UNO games, garden strolls, and quiet dinners. Even store visits turn memorable, with his kids now 'more sauce-savvy than some professionals.' A proud moment came in the U.S. when he thought, 'Veeba felt more innovative' than what he saw on the shelves. As the conversation winds down, Viraj offers advice to budding entrepreneurs: 'Don't take too much stress. It all works out. Make time for your loved ones. Attend your kid's school events. Unwind. Take that holiday.' It's a sentiment he lives by – 90% hustle, 10% heart, and it's the quiet moments in between that fuel the next big breakthrough. Whether he's creating a new sauce or guiding a startup dream on Shark Tank, Viraj Bahl's journey is seasoned with sincerity, family roots, and a deep sense of gratitude. Because for him, every flavour, every memory, and every mile matters. Make Your Family Holidays Magical From sun-kissed beaches to lush jungles, serene backwaters to majestic hills, vast deserts to captivating international locations – Club Mahindra has it all! Create unforgettable memories by embarking on a magical journey with our 140+ resorts across different terrains and amazingly unique experiences Disclaimer: This content is sponsored and does not reflect the views or opinions of IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd. No journalist is involved in creating sponsored material and it does not imply any endorsement whatsoever by the editorial team. IE Online Media Services takes no responsibility for the content that appears in sponsored articles and the consequences thereof, directly, indirectly or in any manner. Viewer discretion is advised.
