4 CEOs Bringing International Flavors To The US Prepared Foods Market

As you stroll through your local supermarket or Costco, you may notice an explosion of vibrant spices, sauces, and packaged foods that whisk you away to India, China, Peru or the Caribbean. A 2021 study found that nearly half of Americans reported seeing more international options on their store shelves compared to five years ago, as global flavors move beyond the ethnic food aisle. This trend is driven by demand from consumers who are increasingly culturally diverse, adventurous in their eating, and health conscious.

Here, the leaders of four international food brands — Deep Indian Kitchen, Mazaah, Laoban Dumplings, and A Dozen Cousins — discuss their success and the underlying sense of purpose that drives it.

1. Deepak Amin, President & CEO of Deep Indian Kitchen

The fastest-growing frozen Indian food brand in America, Deep Indian Kitchen sells restaurant quality dishes, and recently launched on-the-go handheld Kati street wraps. They’ve seen meteoric 71% growth over the past year. Products are available online, in over 20,000 retail stores, on Instacart, and in Costco across eight states. This past fall, they gave away 10,000 meals throughout the US in celebration of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights.

Deep Foods Inc launched Deep Indian Kitchen in 2019. The parent company is a three-generation Indian-American family business and the largest manufacturer of Indian food for Americans since 1977. They operate three restaurants, as well.

“My family’s dream has always been to share India with everyone in America,” said Deep Indian Kitchen president and CEO Deepak Amin in an exclusive interview with me. “When my mom started Deep Foods in 1977, we served the Indian-American community with food just like you’d find back home. In recent years, we noticed how global flavors and Indian spices have become more popular, so we launched our frozen food nationally.”

For his family, Amin says, Deep is more than just a business. “It’s our life and lifestyle. We spend time at the office together every day and go home and see each other in a more personal setting. We work late nights and weekends. This means we share moments of joy and celebration, but also hardship and stress. It can be challenging, but I am grateful for the time I get to spend with them,” he says.

Amin’s true passion is innovation. “Creativity is really what drives me,” he explains. “Deep Indian Kitchen represents a cuisine that has such incredible variety across flavors, forms, dietary preferences, and spice levels. It’s my life purpose to take this complex cuisine and replicate the authentic flavor of its restaurants and home meals at scale.”

To aspiring entrepreneurs, Amin offers this advice. “It’s important to love what you do because you are going to spend the majority of your time on it. It’s crucial to find the right people for your business because it’s impossible to build a brand alone without a strong foundation. Lastly, you have to strive for excellence in every aspect of your business to build brand loyalty among consumers.”

2. Yasameen & Sheilla Sajady, Cofounders of Mazaah

Inspired by their mother’s Afghan chutney recipe, sisters Yasameen and Sheilla Sajady founded maazah, a line of condiments made with fresh ingredients. Their products can be found in the refrigerated section of more than 500 retail stores nationwide.

“As first-generation Afghan-Americans growing up in the Midwest, food served as a vital link to our Middle Eastern heritage,” said the Sajady sisters in an exclusive interview with me. “It felt only natural for us to extend this love for food to a broader community.”

Being a minority, women-led business, the Sajady sisters have encountered significant challenges in navigating the predominantly white and male-dominated food industry. “We’ve faced systemic barriers like limited access to capital, networks, and resources. We’ve overcome these hurdles by staying resilient and determined, and by becoming advocates for equitable opportunities within the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” they say.

To aspiring entrepreneurs, the Sajady sisters offer this advice. “Never underestimate the power of perseverance and passion in driving your vision forward. Remember that success rarely comes overnight, so stay patient and committed to your journey.”

3. Ibraheem Basir, CEO & Founder of A Dozen Cousins

A Dozen Cousins offers a line of ready-to-eat products and seasoning sauces made from wholesome ingredients and inspired by traditional Creole, Caribbean and Latin American recipes. Founder Ibraheem Basir believes in the power of food to bring people together. The company partakes in an annual social impact grant and supports non-profit organizations that are working to eliminate socio-economic health disparities in the US.

“Today, 100% of our team comes from a minority or multi-ethnic background and over 80% of the team is Black or Latino,” said Basir in an exclusive interview with me. “I really love the fact that we are all able to come into work, celebrate the people and places that make our food special, and be our authentic selves.”

Basir’s biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs is to enjoy the journey. “Like many things in life, it is easy to romanticize some future target like hitting a certain revenue number or being sold in a particular retailer. However, those goals will simply get replaced by new ones once you get there. If you can enjoy the day-in and day-out process of running your business and building your brand, you will enjoy the whole experience much more.”

4. Patrick Coyne, CEO & Cofounder of Laoban Dumplings

Coyne had the idea to found Laoban Dumplings while living and teaching in China, when he frequented a dumpling shop near his school. The company began as a humble dumpling shop in Washington, D.C. in 2017. Then Coyne met Michelin-awarded chef Tim Ma, a first-generation Chinese American who was raised in his family’s restaurants. They teamed up to create a line of restaurant-quality frozen dumplings made from scratch from high quality ingredients like grass-fed beef, Berkshire pork, and free-range chicken. Laoban is one of the fastest-growing frozen brands in the country, and is carried online and at retailers such as Whole Foods nationwide.

“I’ve always enjoyed the act of creation, coming up with something new from scratch,” said Coyne in an exclusive interview with me. “Founding and running Laoban has been a tremendous creative outlet. There’s never a dull moment and I cherish that. Every day, some crisis poses an existential threat, so it’s essential to roll with the punches and never get too high or too low.”

“Sometimes we think about starting a business as having an amazing idea or some incredible stroke of luck that leads to success,” Coyne says. “For me, it’s been more about a willingness to endure and figure things out. Ideas are the easy part, it’s the execution day after day that is the challenge. Sticking with it over time and learning what works and what doesn’t puts you in a position to succeed and creates multiple opportunities for luck to happen.”