# Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Food: Sukhi Singh and Dalbir Singh

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-03-14
- Length: 1h 01m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh

## Summary

Sukhi Singh and her son Dalbir Singh explain how they built Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Food from a failed Oakland deli into a $50 million brand available in 7,000 stores, primarily by pivoting from bottled curry paste to refrigerated and frozen meals. They detail the family's hands-on early days, the strategic decision to reject a $3 million venture capital investment to maintain control, and the eventual hiring of an outside CEO to solve scaling challenges. The episode highlights their breakthrough partnership with Costco and the cultural shift in American acceptance of Indian cuisine.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=0) Introduction: Sukhi Singh and Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Food
- [4:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=262) Early Life, Immigration, and the Failed Deli
- [23:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=1408) Bottling Curry Paste and Early Retail
- [31:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=1906) The HP Cafeteria Breakthrough and Farmers Markets
- [37:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=2220) Kitchen Fire and Family Scaling
- [43:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=2609) Pivoting to Frozen Meals and Costco
- [51:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=3072) Rejecting Venture Capital and Hiring a CEO
- [56:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-14-sukhis-gourmet-indian-food-sukhi-singh-and-dalbir-singh#t=3369) Cultural Shift and Future Outlook

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Food (company)
- Costco (company)
- Berkeley Bowl (company)
- Hewlett Packard (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Adobe (company)
- eBay (company)
- Chicken Tikka Masala (product)
- Samosas (product)
- Curry Paste (product)
- Tandoori Chicken (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#268 The Rise of Gymkhana Fine Foods with Gulrez Arora](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-09-29-268-the-rise-of-gymkhana-fine-foods-with-gulrez-arora) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Plant-Based Indian Food: Sabah Ashraf, House of Kajaana](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-05-17-plant-based-indian-food-sabah-ashraf-house-of-kajaana) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Aman Blana, Growee Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-05-03-founder-feature-aman-blana-growee-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#211 - Acquisition Story: How Hector Saldivar Grew Tia Lupita Foods From a Family Recipe to a Successful Acquisition](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-08-26-211-acquisition-story-how-hector-saldivar-grew-tia-lupita-foods-from-a-family-re) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Sahithya Wintrich of Chutni Punch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-11-08-founder-feature-sahithya-wintrich-of-chutni-punch) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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