Delish: The First Made in Nepal Greek Yogurt

The Delish Greek Yogurt is truly a nutrition-filled box of delight. The creaminess of the yogurt and the rich flavour with real fruit chunks is a whole new experience for the taste buds. Delish kicked off just about a month ago and is available in major stores of the valley today. The product is not the only unique thing about the business. They have some pretty interesting and innovative ways of doing business too. While dairy products in the country are of high quality, there has been little innovation in product enhancement, packaging and branding. The Delish Greek yogurt is a whole new experience that is carving a niche for itself on the store shelves and among Nepali consumers. The company was founded by three friends - Surya Karki, Sandeep Paudel and Binay Bogati. To know more about Greek yogurt and Delish Dairies, we had a conversation with one of the founders, Surya Karki. Karki first tried Greek yogurt during his college days in the USA and his partners tried it in India. Unlike other dairy products that he consumed frequently, Karki realised that Greek yogurt was lighter and yet more filling at the same time. He instantly fell in love with the product. Three years ago, Karki, Paudel and Bogati met over coffee. While catching up, they ended up talking about their love for Greek yogurt. A casual meetup turned out to be the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey introducing Nepal’s first Greek yogurt. “We wanted to introduce something new, healthy and absolutely delicious in the Nepali market and Delish screams of all three qualities,” says Karki. “I believe that we can set a new benchmark in product innovation and exceptional quality,” he quickly adds. Dairy products work perfectly as a small snack, refreshment or as dessert. However, all things good are either unaffordable or simply sinful if not consumed in a healthy portion. Most dairy items are high in fat and have less protein and lack nutrition. Delish Greek Yogurt, which Karki likes to call ‘guilt-free yogurt’, is here to fill that gap as it is packed with goodness. It is high in protein and low in fat and has nutrients like calcium and potassium. It also helps in weight loss because it boosts your metabolism. It helps regulate your blood pressure and even helps reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes. “Greek yogurt is so healthy that one can have it with all three meals of the day and still be guilt free,” he states. Though the firm is currently a medium-scale business, the partners aspire to take Delish Yogurt to the global market. “We are currently focusing on brand culture but we do look forward to being the first Nepali dairy product to be readily available in the global market,” says Karki. The products require certifications as food is a delicate commodity. After the requirements are met, the products will be exported to foreign countries in about a year. Meanwhile, the company plans on introducing new flavours every two months. At present, they have Classic (sugar free and the healthiest), strawberry, mixed berries and mango. They intend to add vanilla and blueberry by next month. It also operates a fully-functional lab where they test their products every day to create new flavours and produce the best quality items. The most interesting thing however is Delish is the first dairy company with a mobile application via which customers can contact the founders. Karki and his partners believe their customers run their business and the trio is determined to keep customer satisfaction as their number one goal. The application has a section where consumers can leave comments or suggestions for the founders directly. “The app exists because we want to be directly connected to our consumers,” says Karki. Through the app, customers can not only leave feedback for the product, they can also suggest what flavours they want to try in the future. “Our business is driven by the customers. Rather than making ads and telling people this product is good, we want people to tell people that this product is worth your investment,” added Karki. The company uses customer-based content for its promotional activities. Delish Greek Yogurt is fairly easily accessible being available at all the Bhatbhateni Supermarkets, Salesberry Stores, Nina and Hager Grocery Store, Lalitpur and Daily Grocery Store in Hattisar. It will soon be available in all branches of Himalayan Java. You can use the company’s app to order your cup at your doorstep as well. The partners came up with the idea to launch this venture in 2018 and started work in 2019. However, due to the Covid 19 lockdown the factory construction took time due to which they were only able to launch the product in mid-2021. “We also spent a lot of time perfecting every single detail from packaging to formula,” shares Karki. There is a lot of hype about entrepreneurship, especially amongst youth in the country. Karki believes it is overhyped as startups remain a startup with no growth due to lack of manpower. Young entrepreneurs are discouraged by government policies too. “Entrepreneurship is everybody’s cup of tea but also not everybody’s cup of tea,” he mulls. His advise to upcoming entrepreneurs is to embrace patience.