Spice n Easy owners Sanjay
enhead base.
and Vibha Soni at their Birk
Sanjay and Vibha Soni were presented with their Best Start-Up Business Award at the 2011 Westpac Auckland North Business Awards by Gareth Wheeler (left) of award sponsor Benefitz.
I went to India to source the product, which we packaged initially in tubs, like butter. We were continually testing these new products with our customers. While the spices proved to be very popular – the tubs were too bulky – so we found a sachet supplier in New Zealand, which was much better. This was a significant breakthrough in our overall product development.” The most popular dishes in the cooking classes were made into packs and the Spice n Easy recipe kit concept was ready to be launched on a wider scale. Sanjay and Vibha enthusiastically approached the supermarket chains to stock their exciting new product. But the big players at first said no. A knock back that would have put many off – but not the Sonis. They looked for other avenues and decided to approach outlets that sold the fresh ingredients that went hand-in-hand with Spice n Easy – Butchers and specialty shops. The breakthrough came when The Aussie Butcher chain said yes. “The knockback from the supermarkets meant that we just had to take a different route,” says Vibha. “We were thrilled when The Aussie Butcher and a few others said yes, so we put all our efforts into supporting the product in their shops. We did tastings and cooking demonstrations, which was really important when educating customers about this completely new concept. It was very rewarding to see this product we had conceived, become so popular. The customers loved it.” A massive part of the Spice n Easy product is how healthy it is. The range contains no preservatives and is 90% gluten free and Sanjay says it has been developed based on a simple principle that they set from the start. – “What we put into our product is what we would feed our own family. There are so many products on sale that give no idea what the ingredients are. In our products it is up to you how much salt etc. you add, and there are no artificial colourings.” There are now 37 different products in the Spice n Easy range. 40% are curries (meat, seafood, vegetarian), 20% marinades, 20% rice and lentil packs and 20% snacks and starters. A new Spice n Easy ‘Slow Cooker Range’ was also being launched as this magazine went to press. It must be hugely satisfying for Sanjay and Vibha Soni that all the supermarkets are now firmly on board. In fact the product – which is still packaged from their Birkenhead base – is now available through 450 outlets throughout the country. Their sales growth in the past 12 months has been a staggering 340%. They are also on their way to exporting products to Australia and are keen to go into Canada and the United States as well. No similar products are available in these markets. All the packaging design and marketing to date, has been done by Sanjay and Vibha. With his IT background, Sanjay is very proficient with computer graphics, so he is able to create virtually everything they need and Vibha has a flair for design, so she also has a significant input into the look and feel of the brand. For the past three years they have invested in National television
Vibha Soni during one of her cooking demonstrations of the Spice n Easy product.
advertising as well to support their growing brand. They were advised early on to engage a third party for their sales and merchandising and have been thrilled with the company they teamed up with, Alliance Marketing. “Alliance have an excellent online system which provides great reporting so we know what our sales, stock levels and trends are, on a daily basis,” says Vibha. The product being available at an affordable price has also been a key ingredient in the Spice n Easy success story. They have kept it around the $3.00 to $4.00 mark, for a meal for up to three or four people. So what key lessons have the Sonis learnt along the way? “At times we have really struggled from a cash-flow point of view, due to our rapid growth and the tightness of the economy,” says Sanjay. “But we have had some great support from the National Bank. We started out with David Barrett at our local Birkenhead branch, who was also president of the local business association. As our needs have changed, he introduced us to Keith Lupton at Takapuna and they have really understood our vision. We can’t speak highly enough of them. We have learnt that having a good bank is very important, as is having a good accountant. Our accountant Vijay Talekar has provided us with great assistance.” “We are also indebted to the local Birkenhead community who have embraced what we are doing. We have six outlets stocking our range in Birkenhead and the locals have really encouraged us. Being able to utilise the Highbury Community Centre for the cooking classes provided us with a great start.” An early attendee at their cooking classes was lawyer Genevieve Gill, from GenLaw in Herne Bay. Genevieve has played a big role in helping them protect and trademark their brand and she was also instrumental in helping them overcome a legal issue, relating to someone else using the same name. “We learnt the hard way that IP (intellectual property) is a pretty grey area and you need the experts working for you,” adds Sanjay. “Genevieve has done a great job for us and it helped considerably that she also loved cooking with our products.” “We wouldn’t have got where we have without the support of Ngaio (Merrick) and her team at Enterprise North Shore, now ATEED. We initially went to them for a grant to assist us with exporting. While we didn’t get what we wanted, they loved our story and have provided us with massive encouragement and advice. We have had some excellent guidance from Laurie Conder and they encouraged us to enter the Westpac Auckland North Business Awards, which we are thrilled to have won in different categories, for the past two years. The whole process has been very rewarding and has played a part in our success.” Ultimately though, it is their passion for what they do – providing an easy platform for people to make great Indian food – that has made Sanjay and Vibha Soni and their business Spice n Easy so successful. Passion – it’s the spice of business life. Visit: www.spiceneasy.co.nz
Issue 4 - NOVEMBER 2011
THE BUSINESS CHANNEL
11