KATHMANDU, Aug 11: The Pizza Cutter, a company started in March 2015, is only one year old but in its short run, the pizza eatery chain has already created a brand loyalty in Kathmandu.
Shailendra Ghimire and Prasanna Aryal, the two co-founders of the company, talked to Arun Budhathoki of Republica about their love for pizzas and their ongoing entrepreneurial journey to make The Pizza Cutter a household name.
Make a pizza Margherita like an Italian. Here’s how.
About the company
Pizza generally comes in eight slices but we’ve mastered the art of cutting the slices into nine equal pieces. The number nine indicates our desire to ensure equal pieces of pizza to everyone sharing.
We started selling Rs 100 mushroom and chicken pizza in our stores. We also have royale pizza for Rs 200 and premium customized pizza that cost above Rs 400.
We have 60 employees and 80% are females. They come from a diverse background. Only few of us know about the ingredients for the pizza.
Our main factory is located in Naxal where we work on packaging. Our delivery is limited to 5km radius from Naxal but we charge extra for faraway places.
We don’t use chemicals, additives or Monosodium glutamate (MSG) in our pizza.
Rewards of working in pizza industry
The satisfaction that we’ve got so far is personal than monetary. We plan to create a franchise and open up branches in other parts of Nepal.
Advice to budding entrepreneurs
Create a sustainable model, and don’t depend on others. We have our own farm to lessen the dependability because we never know when a third-party supplier will disappoint us. So our advice to budding entrepreneurs is that one should depend on the local market and you should know what you’re getting. Don’t follow the trend but pave your own way.
Startup tip
Omit imitation; start innovation. We need to get out of the copying culture and use our knowledge.
