Every time I think of a shingara, I imagine a bit of sauce along with it. But it is always the same old ketchup, maybe a tamarind chutney if I am lucky. The condiments barely change.

Speaking of chutney, one of my favourite film scenes is when Ranbir Kapoor gets an earful from the canteen guy after asking for extra chutney during a heartbreak.

Saman Tariq's story did not start with a heartbreak, nor with a want for extra chutney, but rather with a search for flavour.

Two years ago, Saman began exploring a simple question: why were most affordable dipping options in Bangladesh still centred on familiar sauces such as ketchup and chutney?

While the market already offered a range of sauces and condiments, Saman felt there was room for more variety in affordable dips. As a fan of dips himself, he found that some of the more interesting options were priced at around Tk1,000, quite a steep price to pay for something meant to accompany a Tk10 shingara.

With an initial investment of only Tk10,000, Saman started his own dip page, Yumzee. The goal was simple: bring premium dips with fun flavours while keeping them budget-friendly.

What began as a simple attempt to solve a household problem and earn some money before he entered university has now turned into a profitable business.

"The goal was to do something besides my studies in university and to make some money. The dream was always there to make it big, but I never thought we would still be doing this after two years," said Saman.

One of his first investments was a Miyako hand blender. Every day, he would experiment with new flavours and different recipes until he came up with the four original flavours of Yumzee Dips.

However, he was quick to realise that the flavours he liked were not necessarily the ones other people would like.

"When I started, I used to make recipes that I found tasty. However, I soon realised that my taste buds are very different from those of the average Bangladeshi. Personally, I do not like sweet-flavoured dips, but in Bangladesh, most people are fans of them. Honey Mustard is one of our best sellers, which is a testimony to that. So now, when I have to launch a new flavour, I first test it in the market for validation and adjust the recipe according to the feedback I get, rather than relying on my own preferences."

What makes Yumzee stand out?

"The flavours and freshness are our main differentiators. All our dips are made fresh to order, with no preservatives at all. It is quite impossible of late to find food that does not include a hundred chemicals one cannot pronounce," said Saman when asked about Yumzee's unique selling proposition (USP).

The process of turning an experimental recipe into an actual dip takes multiple turns, each with its own complexities.

While Saman himself formulates the recipes, he cannot scale the entire production process alone. He recalls a time when anxiety hit him after he first hired employees.

"I had a difficult time giving them responsibilities and trusting them to do a good job. So I would often overexplain myself, trying to control every aspect of their work."

But running a product business is much more than just ensuring good taste. So he soon had to make peace with the fact that he needed to delegate.

"I started to focus on tasks like production, customer support and data entry as much as possible so that I can focus on more important tasks like marketing, content, new product development and product sourcing," said Saman.

"When I started, I used to make recipes that I found tasty. However, I soon realised that my taste buds are very different from those of the average Bangladeshi. Personally, I do not like sweet-flavoured dips, but in Bangladesh, most people are fans of them. Honey Mustard is one of our best sellers, which proves that. So now, when I have to launch a new flavour, I first test it in the market for validation and adjust the recipe according to the feedback I get, rather than relying on my own preferences."  Saman Tariq, Owner, Yumzee

Stagnation, revival and the vision

For almost a year, his revenue remained at around Tk10,000, and he was already starting to doubt the project. Then, suddenly, one particular month brought in Tk30,000. He wondered how much further he could push the numbers if he tried harder.

Eventually, the business grew and revenue reached six figures.

As Saman shared, sometimes the business means a whole lot more than just numbers. Certain stories serve as a reminder of why it is important to keep going.

One such story was that of a mother who would buy two jars of Garlic Confit every month from Yumzee. After her 12th purchase, Saman personally called her as a token of appreciation for supporting Yumzee from day one. She revealed that her son refused to have breakfast without the dip and that the dips were a respite in a young, working mother's life.

That story has stayed with him to this day, and that is the sort of relationship Yumzee aspires to have with its customers.

Looking back, he believes Yumzee could have grown even quicker.

"I would tell myself that I needed to stop doubting the idea and go all in. As I mentioned earlier, the first year was slow, as it is supposed to be. But if I had confidently pushed harder and gone all in without any self-doubt, I think this growth would have come much earlier," Saman said, reflecting on his journey.

After almost two years, Saman has a much better understanding of what is likely to do well in the market. However, launching a new product is still a calculated gamble.

No matter how much market research is conducted beforehand, there is always a chance a product will not perform as expected.

"I try to keep the risk as low as possible when launching a new product and then scale it up if it performs well. When it comes to new flavours, I always try to experiment with something new and exciting, especially flavours that are not readily available in the local market," said Saman, addressing the question of how he stays relevant.

His eventual vision is to turn Yumzee into a one-stop snacking brand, where all forms of condiments are just one click away.

"Recently, we changed our tagline from 'Your Dipping Partner' to 'Ridiculously Good' so that we can introduce a greater array of snacking items into our menu. We are already working to bring premium fruit jams and peanut butters to local consumers."

Currently, Yumzee produces 100 litres of dips every month, a proud achievement for Saman to have come this far.

"But we are not close to where we want to be," concluded the founder.