Making the Indian Diaspora Proud Globally, Bipen Sharma's Remarkable Journey in the Dairy Industry through Sharma's Kitchen and Dairy Valley
Bipen Sharma, CEO and owner of Sharma's Kitchen in Australia and Dairy Valley in Europe/UK, has achieved remarkable success, bringing immense pride to the global Indian diaspora. In this interview, Bipen shares his challenges while establishing both ventures and how he triumphed, creating renowned brands in the dairy industry.
Starting with Sharma's Kitchen, Bipen recognised the need for quality Paneer and yoghurt for the Indian palate, leading him to produce and supply these essential food items. Overcoming the challenges of procuring milk and training non-Indian individuals, Bipen's focus on quality and his perseverance paid off.
Expanding to Europe, Bipen set up Dairy Valley in Bulgaria, overcoming language barriers, cultural differences, and competition to become a leading brand in the UK and Europe.
With strong teams, synergies between continents, and innovation, Bipen seamlessly integrates Sharma's Kitchen and Dairy Valley. His vision for global growth includes new factories and an expanding product range.
Bipen Sharma continues to make the Indian diaspora proud while shaping the dairy industry's future.
Excerpts from the interview with Bipin:
Q. Can you share the story including challenges behind the establishment of Sharma's Kitchen in Australia and Dairy Valley in Europe?
A. I was running a restaurant for a number of years when I realised, we were not able to procure good quality Paneer or yoghurt for the Indian pallet. I used to see my customers within the restaurant and notice they would order Palak Paneer and Matar paneer and not eat the paneer and leave it to the side. Also, you were unable to find any readymade paneer to purchase in stores. That was when I decided these essential Indian food items should be made and supplied to the Indian diaspora. Initially being the first Indian brand in the dairy industry, the procurement of milk was a very big challenge no one was ready to supply the smaller quantities of milk required in the early stages. I learnt the scientific processes involved in making the best quality product and determined what machinery was needed. It was a very unique process in which I had to personally train individuals of non-Indian background which in itself was a challenge.
Q. How did you manage to successfully establish and run two prominent brands in different markets?
A. I had reached a point where Sharma’s Kitchen was a successful established brand, and I began to look for opportunities and challenges elsewhere. With my children also ready to enter the workforce I decided it was a fitting time to explore and begin a new venture overseas. After substantial studying of overseas markets particularly Europe and multiple trips I decided to setup another factory in Bulgaria. As all new businesses have there were a number of challenges that I faced some of which included language barrier and cultural differences of this new country. Secondly, finding and reaching out to new distributors in the UK and different countries in Europe with some many long-established brands already present for a number of years was particularly difficult. After many years of perseverance and promotional exercises we can now say that Dairy Valley is the leading brand in the UK and Europe. I was able to travel frequently between Europe and Australia by setting up the right structure with a responsible team in each location.
Q. What were the key factors that contributed to the success of Sharma's Kitchen in Australia? How did you differentiate your brand from competitors if any when you started and capture the market?
A. The key factors would have been a focus towards the freshness and quality of the products we produced. We have always had a quality driven focus while maintaining a large level of importance on the authenticity of our products so that our customers could be transported back to India with each mouthful. Price was never the focal point when we wanted to deliver good quality products. With a view that if you follow your passion money will be a secondary benefit.
Q. How did your experience with Sharma's Kitchen in Australia influence your decision to expand Dairy Valley into the European market? Were there any lessons learned or strategies applied from your Australian operations?
A. The biggest lesson learnt in the success of Sharma’s Kitchen was that people always appreciate quality your consumers are very intelligent and able to differentiate between high- and low-quality food. Therefore, the same principles were applied when expanding Dairy Valley into the UK and Europe.
Q. Can you discuss the unique challenges and opportunities you encountered when introducing Dairy Valley in the European market compared to operating in Australia?
A. One of the most unique challenges was the lack of understanding of taste related to Paneer and yoghurt. A lot of migration within the UK had occurred from East and South Africa along with Indians from India having migrated a very long time ago. This meant they had gotten used to Paneer which was of a very hard a firm texture. To then explain to them the traditional texture of soft creamy Paneer was a challenge. However, this provided me with an opportunity to be a different brand with a premium authentic offering.
Q. What strategies did you employ to adapt Dairy Valley's products to the European market while maintaining the brand's authenticity and quality?
A. In order to maintain the brands authenticity and quality it had become clear to me that a slow start through product tastings would be crucial in allowing customers to taste the difference in my products and gradually build a solid customer base.
Q. How do you ensure a seamless integration between Sharma's Kitchen in Australia and Dairy Valley in Europe, considering they operate in different continents? Do they share any synergies or collaborative efforts?
A. Despite being in different continents we have been able to integrate both brands in certain areas by allowing the strengths of each to complement each other. For example, Dairy Valley in Europe has been very successful in producing packaged Indian sweets which we could also export to Australia and package under the Sharma’s Kitchen brand. Certain synergies also exist in related to marketing and promotional strategies.
Q. How did you build a strong team to support the growth and operations of both Sharma's Kitchen and Dairy Valley? What qualities do you look for when hiring employees and collaborators?
A. Like any business I always try to pick individuals who match my principles. I have always stressed from day one that all issues are born from the top management therefore if the correct systems are being followed by the top management it will always trickle down through the whole organisation. When engaging other companies’ services, I also ensure their values match with that of the company.
Q. Were there any cultural or language barriers you faced while establishing and operating your businesses in two different continents? How did you adapt your marketing and communication strategies to effectively connect with the local consumers?
A. Yes, there were most definitely cultural and language barriers when setting up in Europe however you must adapt to these differences as no market is the same. The same principals cannot be applied to each market and therefore a degree of openness and acceptance to change is required. Your marketing and communication strategies must reflect this. After reading an article about an Indian businessman in the Times of India I learnt that people make the mistake of treating each market similar to another. I kept this in mind and made sure I was ready to tweak my model to the market requirements.
Q. What role does innovation play in the development of new dairy products for both Sharma's Kitchen and Dairy Valley? Can you give us some examples of recent product innovations or launches?
A. Innovation is the basis of all development that we conduct for our new dairy products. An example of this innovation has included the ability to maintain the freshness of our products whilst extending the shelf life without the addition of any preservatives. Recent product innovations include our extensive sweets range and with the setup of our new factories we are currently working on further product innovations to come.
Q. As the CEO and owner of Dairy Valley in Europe/ UK and Sharma's Kitchen in Australia, how do you manage your time and responsibilities between the two businesses?
A. Time management is key. I carefully manage my time with the time difference between both continents. Technology has made this much easier to facilitate. For example, when I start first thing in the morning it is the late afternoon in Australia, so I am able to receive all the necessary information to analyse and discuss all the key areas required. Once this has been achieved, I can then progress my day with the activities of Dairy Valley in Europe/UK.
Q. Looking ahead, what are your future plans and aspirations for both Sharma's Kitchen and Dairy Valley? Are there any new markets or product expansions on the horizon?
A. Looking ahead we have a global vision for both companies. Our new factories will be operational next year in India, Bulgaria and Australia. For example, the Bulgarian factory will then be able to cater to the North American and middle eastern markets to name a few. Our product range is continually growing and being improved. We will be looking at launching a number of exciting new products within the coming year.
By Tonee Sethi
