Scaling Smart: A Balanced Approach to Velocity and Door Count | Mehek Khera, Niramaya Foods

On this episode, we’re joined by Mehek Khera, the Founder & CEO of Niramaya Foods, heritage-inspired Indian foods built for modern eating.Mehek takes us inside her two-year R&D sprint to turn homestyle recipes into clean-label, shelf-stable dips (no artificial preservatives) and then expands the platform with Naan Pretzels designed for snackable trial.We go deep on formulation and process controls (pH, water activity, hot-fill), the oil-free reformulation and how she kept texture and flavor, and the packaging decisions that balance consumer perception and landed cost. We also talk retail strategy and her contrarian take on velocity vs door count, demo tactics that actually move the needle, and what “buyer empathy” looks like in practice. Plus: the “Walmart Golden Ticket,” what’s on her daily dashboard, and the CPG trends she’s watching.—---------------Episode Highlights:🥘 Shelf-stable homestyle recipes without artificial preservatives🛢️ Why she removed oils, and how she rebuilt body and mouthfeel without them🏭 Co-packer search🥫 Visual identity choices and packaging design🫙 Glass jar trade-offs📈 Going wide vs going deep: going against the grain🧑‍🍳 Demo cadence🛒 Buyer empathy, retailer communication, and setting the right expectations🧾 Specialty aisle vs. center store: finding the right home and the right shopper🥨 New product: Naan Pretzels and how they pair with the dips🛍️ The Walmart “Golden Ticket”📊 What’s on Mehek’s daily dashboard (velocity, deductions, fill rate, and more)👀 The brands and trends Mehek is tracking—---------------Table of Contents:00:41:23 - Niramaya intro and origin story03:21:00 - Formulation and R&D08:40:22 - Achieving shelf stability without artificial preservatives09:44:44 - Maintaining the fresh product variable at scale11:44:04 - Copackers15:20:29 - Removing oils from the formulation18:34:07 - Visual identity and packaging design21:29:10 - Deciding on glass jars22:46:23 - Velocity vs doors, going against the grain25:39:03 - Launching in, focusing on the NYC market29:45:06 - Demos31:06:06 - Maintaining momentum after a big blitz32:29:04 - Buyer empathy34:43:18 - Specialty aisle vs center store36:41:05 - New product: Naan pretzels39:19:01 - The Walmart Golden Ticket39:43:05 - Mehek’s daily dashboard41:03:07 - Brands and trends Mehek is tracking—---------------Links:Niramaya Foods - https://www.niramayafoods.comFollow Mehek on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehekkhera/ Follow me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.