This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options 35-year-old New York Metropolis-based entrepreneur Mehek Khera. Khera is the founder and CEO of Niramaya Meals, a snack model “rooted in wellness and impressed by Indian heritage.”
On the age of 24, Khera left New Delhi, India and immigrated to the U.S., the place she landed a job at Walmart. Then burnout and well being points motivated her to begin a health-forward facet hustle.
Niramaya is hitting $1 million in income for the primary time in 2025. Learn the way Khera reworked Niramaya into the profitable enterprise behind Naan pretzels and dips, right here. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Niramaya Meals. Mehek Khera.
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What was your day job or main occupation whenever you began your facet hustle?I used to be working in retail at Walmart ecommerce, managing the class and provide chain for magnificence and attire. It was fast-paced, high-pressure and fulfilling in some ways — however over time, the lengthy hours, lack of actual meals and stress started to take a toll on my physique and thoughts.
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When did you begin your facet hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?Niramaya started to kind in 2020, throughout a season of burnout and well being struggles. I used to be coping with persistent, undiagnosed autoimmune circumstances and could not discover solutions. I left my job and turned to vitamin college — and thru that, rediscovered the therapeutic energy of the meals I grew up with: vibrant dals, purposeful spices, sabzis produced from contemporary greens. I noticed these recipes, handed down by generations, have been drugs in themselves, and but, I could not discover them on any shelf in a method that felt clear, handy or fashionable. That hole between tradition and comfort, custom and as we speak, turned the inspiration for Niramaya.
What have been a few of the first steps you took to get your facet hustle off the bottom? How a lot cash/funding did it take to launch?I began in my kitchen, taking part in with recipes, taking suggestions critically and testing early variations at native markets. I knew I could not do that casually, so I saved up about $50,000 over two years to afford the minimal order portions for our first co-manufacturer. I researched tirelessly, made tons of of cellphone calls and finally discovered a accomplice that aligned with our mission. We developed early packaging, launched a small web site and put actual merchandise into individuals’s palms. That is when the magic began.
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Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Niramaya Meals
Are there any free or paid assets that have been particularly useful?Founder networks like Startup CPG, Naturally Community and SKU Accelerator made a world of distinction. Slack teams for CPG founders have been quick, brutally trustworthy and extremely supportive. On the instruments facet: Notion for monitoring every thing, Canva for design, QuickBooks for funds. However essentially the most invaluable useful resource by far? Speaking to shoppers face-to-face throughout demos. No software program can change that.
In the event you might return and alter one course of or method, what would it not be?I would not change the trail — each problem taught me one thing I wanted. However I might higher put together for the sheer useful resource drain. Finances twice the cash and provides your self twice the time. All the things takes longer and prices greater than you suppose — and that is not a flaw: It is simply the character of the sport.
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What’s one thing about this facet hustle turned enterprise that stunned or challenged you essentially the most?How capital-intensive retail actually is. Getting onto cabinets is simply the beginning — then comes the actual work of driving velocity, educating the consumer and staying top-of-mind. One other problem was re-educating individuals about Indian meals. So many assume it is simply “heavy curry.” However our delicacies is a lot extra: vibrant, clear, gut-friendly, plant-forward. Translating that fact by packaging, product and language has been each a problem and a privilege.
Are you able to recall a particular second when one thing went unsuitable — how did you deal with it?At one in every of our early retail companions, our dips have been priced too excessive and positioned on the very prime shelf — nearly invisible to the patron. Quite than panic, I calmly reached out to the customer with gross sales information and shelf psychology insights and provided to assist with demos and social posts if they might take into account revisiting value and placement. They agreed. That second jogged my memory that being proactive, respectful and solutions-oriented goes a good distance in retail.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Niramaya Meals
How lengthy did it take to see constant income?We began seeing regular traction round 9 months in. We started with smaller independents, just a few regional shops and plenty of in-person occasions. It was grassroots, but it surely taught me how one can pay attention, adapt and scale responsibly.
What does development and income seem like as we speak?Right now, Niramaya is out there in over 1,200 retail doorways throughout the nation, together with Sprouts, Albertsons and a powerful base of New York Metropolis independents. This shall be our first yr in seven figures. We’re launching new SKUs and doubling down on retailers who imagine in what we’re constructing.
What do you take pleasure in most about working this enterprise?The deep inventive satisfaction of constructing one thing that feels true and seeing it contact individuals. When somebody says, “I’ve by no means tasted something so clear and daring without delay,” I do know we’re doing one thing significant. We’re not simply promoting meals: We’re shifting the notion of Indian flavors and bringing extra individuals into the fold.
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What’s your finest piece of particular, actionable enterprise recommendation? Begin earlier than you’re feeling “prepared.” However do not construct in a bubble. Get suggestions always, particularly out of your clients. Keep lean. Construct belief along with your companions. Do not be afraid to ask dumb questions. And keep in mind — relationships will carry you farther than any advertising and marketing marketing campaign. Be beneficiant, be trustworthy and observe by.
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This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options 35-year-old New York Metropolis-based entrepreneur Mehek Khera. Khera is the founder and CEO of Niramaya Meals, a snack model “rooted in wellness and impressed by Indian heritage.”
On the age of 24, Khera left New Delhi, India and immigrated to the U.S., the place she landed a job at Walmart. Then burnout and well being points motivated her to begin a health-forward facet hustle.
Niramaya is hitting $1 million in income for the primary time in 2025. Learn the way Khera reworked Niramaya into the profitable enterprise behind Naan pretzels and dips, right here. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
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