Vineeta Rao
Auckland, May 30, 2025
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. But in the case of Shobhna and Nimeesha Odera, the opposite is quite literally true.
It all began when Shobhna moved to New Zealand to support her daughter Nimeesha, a single mother raising her infant son. Shobhna soon found herself locked out of the job market. But instead of moping around, she decided to help her daughter-in-law who had a stall at the Silverdale markets. She slowly branched into making and selling popular indian snacks like pakoras and samosas.
As the venture grew in popularity, Shobhna decided to add spices, sauces, chutneys and pickles to her repertoire. She also roped in her daughter Nimeesha to help her.
When the pandemic hit, in 2020, and the markets shut down because of the lockdowns, the always-busy Shobhna found herself at a loose end. So Nimeesha offered to record Shobhna cooking a couple of meals and post the video on Facebook for home chefs.
“Social media was very new to us,” says Nimeesha. “A lot of time during videos we would be arguing – just our normal behaviour when making food – like me saying, ‘That’s too much oil’ or, ‘Can you measure it out?’ But people loved the rapport between us.”
What happened next, as they say, is history. The videos became extremely popular and the orders started trickling in. Eventually, customers from all over New Zealand began placing orders.
“We built a really nice community,” she says. That community helped propel them into Woolworths, first in 107 stores, and now in 165.
From Kitchen Hobby to Supermarket Shelves
What began as a hobby has now grown into a nationally recognized brand. “It was always a hobby business for us—well, for Mum initially,” Nimeesha recalls. “We didn’t have the expectation that we’d be in supermarkets very quickly. We thought it would be a niche, artisan product.”
Bootstrapped and Battle-Tested
Despite their growth, the journey has been anything but easy. “I think, we’ve never had funding,” Nimeesha says. “It’s completely bootstrapped.” She recounts being turned away by investors who told her, “We don’t invest in food businesses. We only invest in tech.”
And the financial strain is real. “Mum and I don’t pay ourselves. We haven’t had the money to pay ourselves since launching in Woolworths,” she admits. “Our sales have gone up, but none of it’s coming back into our pockets.”
The Challenge of Scaling in New Zealand
Nimeesha is candid about the challenges of growing a food business in New Zealand. “It’s not the best platform in the world for businesses,” she says. “You can grow if you go overseas, but to upscale here is really difficult.”
Finding funding is also a challenge. “I think for female founders, one of the biggest challenges ever is to get investors to listen to you. You constantly have to prove your worth.”
A Labor of Love and Legacy
What keeps her going?
“It’s my mum’s legacy,” she says. “It’s her product—the curry paste. And we’ve got a strong customer base. They’re not just loyal, they really appreciate what we’re doing.”
The emotional weight of quitting is heavy. “To give that up would hurt. And just think of how many people we’d be letting down. That would hurt more.”
Navigating a Risk-Averse Market
Nimeesha is also critical of the overall retail environment. “Retailers are focused on their own home brands. It undercuts local businesses,” she explains. “Woolworths has been great to us. They’ve been very supportive and helpful. But at the end of the day, it comes down to margins.”
She’s also aware of the pricing challenge. Unlike local retailers, who have economy of scale, “Our product is considered premium. That’s a barrier. We’re working on how to keep the quality but bring the price point down.”
Looking Ahead: Growth, Partnerships, and Possibilities
Shobhna Spices is now eyeing expansion into Foodstuffs stores like New World and Pak’nSave. They’re also exploring new product lines. “We want to make sure we stay true to the brand and our values,” Nimeesha says.
International partnerships are on the radar too, though cautiously. “I was born in India, but I’ve never lived there. It’s hard to find the right person to work with. It’s not a trust issue—it’s about
finding someone who understands the pulse of the market.”
A Community-Driven Future
Despite the hurdles, Nimeesha remains hopeful. “We’ve done PledgeMe campaigns, but it’s hard to ask your loyal customers for more when they’re struggling too.”
Still, the support from their community—especially from the Indian diaspora—keeps them going. “People come up and say, ‘We’re really inspired by your mum’s story.’ That means a lot.”
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
