About
Viraj Bahl is the brains behind Veeba Foods, the fast‑growing Indian company best known for its ketchups, mayonnaises, stir‑fry sauces and salad dressings. Launched in 2013 as a B2B supplier to quick‑service restaurants, Veeba now offers more than 80 products and reaches shoppers in roughly 700 Indian cities. Bahl’s knack for flavor innovation and his “quality first” attitude have helped Veeba cross the ₹1,000‑crore revenue mark and land him on The Economic Times “40 Under 40” list. In late 2024 he added television to his résumé, joining Season 4 of Shark Tank India as an investor, where his straightforward feedback and food‑sector insights quickly made him a fan favorite.
Before Fame
Bahl grew up in Delhi, frequently visiting his father Rajiv’s condiment factory and manning the family stall at the Aahar food fair. Although a career in food seemed inevitable, his father insisted he first prove himself on his own. After earning an Industrial Engineering degree from Singapore Polytechnic in 2002, Bahl signed on as a marine engineer with shipping giant Maersk, spending months at sea on merchant vessels and oil rigs. By age 23 he was drawing a handsome salary—but also craving entrepreneurship. He returned to India, worked briefly in the family firm Fun Foods, and even tried his hand at running a quick‑service restaurant chain called Pocketful Restaurants. When that venture folded in 2013, he poured the lessons (and the last of his savings) into Veeba, operating out of a modest facility in Neemrana, Rajasthan.
Trivia
- Sauce obsession: Bahl jokes that he can identify a dressing’s ingredient list by taste alone—handy when pitching to global chains like Domino’s and Burger King.
- Boot‑strapped beginnings: To fund Veeba’s first factory he and wife Ridhima sold her New Delhi apartment, leaving the couple with little more than a scooter and a determination to succeed.
- Slow first order: He spent nearly two years courting Domino’s India, sitting in its reception area several times a week until the pizza giant finally placed an 80‑ton trial order.
- Reinvesting wins: Instead of splurging after Veeba’s early success, Bahl reinvested profits in an R&D lab that now tests everything from low‑sugar ketchup to plant‑based spreads.
- Public‑speaking pivot: Before Shark Tank India, Bahl shunned the limelight; today he mentors food‑tech founders and appears on culinary shows such as MasterChef India’s semi‑finale.
Family Life
Viraj is married to entrepreneur and designer Ridhima Bahl. The couple has two young sons, Rajvir and Ranvir, who occasionally pop up in his social‑media posts taste‑testing new sauces. Despite Veeba’s rapid growth, the family keeps weekends sacred—often cooking experimental dishes together in their Delhi home. Bahl credits his parents, Rajiv and Vibha, for instilling both discipline and a love of good food, noting that many Veeba recipes start with flavors he enjoyed at his mother’s table.
Associated With
- Shark Tank India peers: On the Season 4 panel, Bahl invests alongside Aman Gupta, Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar, Vineeta Singh and Anupam Mittal, bringing a strong FMCG perspective to their tech‑heavy mix.
- QSR heavyweights: Early B2B clients—Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Taco Bell—helped Veeba prove its consistency at scale.
- Retail collaborators: Partnerships with Big Basket, Amazon India and Reliance’s Smart Bazaar have expanded Veeba’s pantry footprint nationwide.
- Industry mentors: He often acknowledges food‑sector veterans like Varun Berry (Britannia) and Sanjiv Mehta (HUL) for strategic guidance during Veeba’s expansion.
- Social initiatives: Through the Veeba Foundation, Bahl works with NGOs fighting child malnutrition, echoing his belief that tasty food should also be nourishing.
