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Success Story: If you are determined to achieve something with hard work, it is possible.. A person has shown this in real life. You will be surprised to know how a person started selling simple Vada Pav 24 years ago and gradually made it a brand worth crores.
You must have eaten Vadapav at some point or the other. Cheap and tasty roadside vadapav not only fills the stomach but also makes the heart happy. But do you know who made this simple Vada Pav a brand? Actually, today let us tell you the story of Jumbo King, who has become a big name due to the hard work of a common man.
This is the story of Dheeraj Gupta, who is a third generation businessman. His family was in the business of hotel, catering and sweets. After completing his MBA from Symbiosis, Pune, Dheeraj thought of exporting sweets to countries like Dubai, where the Indian population is high. But this plan did not succeed, and he had to close the shop.
Then Dheeraj turned to street food. He opened an outlet named Chaat Factory in Malad, Mumbai. As the business grew, it was revealed that the best selling item was Vadapaav. That’s where Jumbo King started. The first store opened in 2001, and priced Vada Pav at Rs 5, when it was available on the street for Rs 2.
People were surprised whether there is Vada Pav in the shop? But because of cleanliness, customers started coming. Dheeraj believes that – “This work is like marriage, you have to learn something new every day. The first five years are different, after children it is different. There is no formula, just keep improving.” His family had a business background, so after graduating in 2000, there was no question of employment outside.
Jumbo King soon added flavors – Cheese Vada Pav, Butter Vada Pav, Schezwan Vada Pav. Sales increased, and innovation continued. Initially adopted the franchise model, opening small 200-300 square feet stores near railway stations in Tier-1 and 2 cities. Where there was more crowd, this formula did not work everywhere.
He opened a store near Masjid Bunder station, which was under the bridge. But sales zero. Nearby, a roadside vendor was doing good business 50 meters away. The reason was found out that factory and mill workers used to come there. For him the difference of Rs 1 was big. Also, giving vada pav by saying “Thank you” in a good store made him hesitant. Learned that not every crowded place is suitable.
After this, for 12 years he focused only on Vada Pav. Added new variety, but did not take up a new product line. Today Jumboking’s products range from Rs 10 to Rs 75, all are variants of Vada Pav. The company also added samosa to it, but still kept the taste same as Jambosa.
Jumbo King is today in 9 cities – Mumbai, Thane, Bangalore, Aurangabad, Mysore, Delhi, Amravati, Indore, Raipur. When friends were getting fancy jobs after MBA, people would say, “Maybe in McDonald’s, not in Vadapaav.” The first 3 years were full of loneliness for him. But Dheeraj did not give up. His wife Rita Gupta, also from Symbiosis, helped with marketing and positioning. Jumbo King was in profit from day one, but invested all the money in the business. By 2013, 95 million of their vada pavs had been sold. By the year 2024, this company will have a turnover of Rs 110 crore. Dheeraj believes that success comes to those who believe the most and for the longest time.
