A Vision Takes Shape
"Passion alone doesn’t build a business. It takes relentless commitment, a sharp eye for precision, and the boldness to challenge norms."
Great businesses don’t emerge from mere ambition. They arise from a deep understanding of a problem and the determination to solve it in a way no one else has. The story of Noms Nacho began not with a product, but with frustration, a glaring gap in the Pakistani food industry that no one was addressing.
For over a decade, Hamza Sheikh and his brothers lived in Canada, where healthy snacking wasn’t just a trend, but a way of life. Supermarkets were lined with high-protein, baked, and wholegrain options, catering to busy professionals looking for convenient, nutritious food. But when they returned to Pakistan, they realized something startling: healthy snacking simply didn’t exist as an accessible, mass-market option.
Everything in Pakistan was fried. If I wanted a quick, nutritious snack, I had to go out of my way to prepare it myself. There were no convenient, healthy alternatives on store shelves. That’s when we knew, this was an opportunity waiting to be tapped.
But an idea alone wasn’t enough. The brothers weren’t interested in launching just another product. They wanted to change consumer habits, redefine snacking, and set a new industry benchmark. This required more than just passion. It demanded precision in execution and bold decision-making at every step.
From Concept to Creation
Their vision started taking shape in 2017, with two years of rigorous research before even touching product development. They didn’t just want to replicate international brands. They wanted to create something uniquely Pakistani but globally competitive.
Instead of rushing to market, they spent time studying consumer psychology, analyzing international food trends, and traveling across multiple countries to source the best technology and ingredients.
If we were going to do this, we had to do it right. We weren’t going to cut corners. We were building a brand that could stand on any supermarket shelf in the world.
By 2019, the brothers had established a 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art production facility outside Lahore, adhering to European and North American hygiene standards. Unlike traditional food manufacturing in Pakistan, their factory was fully automated, reducing human interaction to ensure consistency and quality.
From Barriers to Breakthroughs
In every challenge lies the blueprint for innovation
Building Pakistan’s first multigrain, healthy snack brand was never going to be easy. Every step of the journey, from product development to scaling, from consumer education to retail penetration, was met with resistance.
Yet, Hamza Sheikh and his brothers saw every obstacle as an opportunity. Instead of compromising on quality or following conventional routes, they leaned into precision and boldness, finding unconventional solutions to unprecedented challenges.
1- Redefining Consumer Habits (Breaking Into an Unfamiliar Market)
Pakistan’s snack industry is deeply rooted in tradition and habit, consumers are accustomed to fried, mass-produced chips with familiar flavors. Introducing a healthy alternative was not just a business challenge, it was a cultural shift.
We weren’t just competing with existing brands; we were competing with mindsets. People had never considered nachos as an everyday snack, let alone a healthy one.
The solution? Education through branding. Instead of relying on conventional advertising, Noms Nacho created a visual and emotional experience, the Normsverse. With bold, futuristic packaging, animated storytelling, and engaging digital content, they didn’t just introduce a product; they built an identity consumers wanted to be a part of.
And it worked. The unique design caught attention on shelves and online, sparking curiosity and drawing people in before they even tasted the product.
2- Engineering the Impossible (Creating a Snack That Had Never Been Made Before)
Unlike potato chips, which have well-established production methods, Noms Nacho’s multigrain formula (corn, rice, lentils, kidney beans, quinoa, chickpeas) had never been commercially produced in Pakistan.
No one had manufactured chips using these grains before. Our suppliers didn’t know how to help us. The machinery available locally wasn’t built for this. We had to figure it out ourselves.
The brothers traveled across multiple countries, consulting with food scientists and testing different grain combinations. Their dedication to precision meant refusing to compromise on quality, even when it would have been easier to use cheaper, more processed alternatives.
By the time they launched, they had developed a unique formulation that met global health standards, preserved the crunch of traditional snacks, and offered a completely new flavor profile to Pakistani consumers.
3- Winning Over Retailers (Overcoming Resistance in Distribution Channels)
Retailers are risk-averse, especially in Pakistan’s high-turnover, high-margin snack industry, where shelf space is fiercely contested. When Noms Nacho approached stores, they were met with skepticism
Why would people buy an expensive, baked nacho when they could get a cheaper, well-known fried alternative?
Hamza and his team didn’t argue, they proved the product’s worth. Instead of paying hefty listing fees, they introduced a 60-day trial model.
- Retailers stocked Noms Nacho at no upfront cost.
- They were given higher-than-average margins for the test period.
- If the product didn’t sell, the store could return it without financial loss.
The result? Within two months, store owners saw firsthand that consumers were willing to pay for quality. Sales outpaced expectations, leading to a rapid expansion from 10 test stores to over 5,000 nationwide.
Retailers don’t take risks on unknown brands. We had to remove their risk entirely, and once they saw sales, they were the ones asking for more stock.
4- Building an Efficient Supply Chain (Balancing Scale and Quality in Production)
Maintaining consistent quality while scaling up production was another challenge. Unlike large-scale snack manufacturers, Noms Nacho had to handle unique multigrain ingredients that required specialized processing.
- The grains needed precise handling to retain texture.
- Flavors had to be bold yet natural, avoiding artificial additives.
- Manufacturing had to remain fully automated to ensure hygiene and consistency.
We had to build a production process that had never existed in Pakistan before. The automation, the raw material sourcing, the flavor calibration, it all had to be done from scratch.
Their commitment to precision led them to design a state-of-the-art facility near Lahore, adhering to European and North American safety and quality standards.
By controlling their production in-house, they maintained:
- Consistency in every batch
- Scalability without quality loss
- A competitive edge over other snack brands relying on outsourced manufacturing
Transforming Challenges into Competitive Advantage
Every hurdle along the way, consumer skepticism, production barriers, retailer resistance, and supply chain complexity, became a strategic advantage.
Through bold decisions, meticulous planning, and unwavering passion, Hamza and his brothers not only overcame these obstacles but leveraged them to build a snack brand that redefined industry expectations.
We weren’t just selling nachos. We were proving that a Pakistani snack brand could meet global standards, and win
Scaling a Bold Vision
A brand isn’t built by simply selling a product. It’s built by creating an experience that people want to be part of
For Noms Nacho, scaling wasn’t just about increasing production or expanding distribution; it was about strategically embedding itself into the consumer’s lifestyle. From the very beginning, Hamza and his brothers knew they weren’t just launching a snack. They were launching a movement. Every step of their scaling journey reflected a calculated mix of passion, precision, and boldness, ensuring that Noms Nacho wasn’t just another product on a shelf, but a brand with a lasting presence.
1- Turning Packaging into a Customer Magnet (Winning Attention Before the First Bite)
Scaling a new category of snacks in a deeply traditional market required more than just good taste. It required commanding attention. Before a customer even tasted Noms Nacho, the brand’s bold, unconventional design had to win them over.
In Pakistan, snack packaging looks the same, bright reds, yellows, familiar flavors. We wanted to disrupt that, to make people stop and stare before they even thought about buying.
Unlike competitors, Noms Nacho didn’t follow the industry’s norms, it created its own. The packaging wasn’t just functional; it was an experience in itself:
- Neon, eye-catching colors that stood out on crowded shelves.
- A futuristic, animated “Normsverse” concept, drawing customers into a visual universe.
- Retail shelf tests in their office, ensuring maximum impact before launching in stores.
This wasn’t just about aesthetics. It was a data-driven strategy. By running real-world shelf tests before launching, they ensured that their packaging wasn’t just different, it was the most effective at grabbing attention.
Our branding didn’t just get us customers. It got retailers excited. When a product looks this unique, stores WANT to carry it.
The result? Noms Nacho didn’t just land in stores. It became an instant conversation starter.
A side-by-side comparison of traditional snack packaging (dull, repetitive designs) vs. Noms Nacho’s bold, disruptive branding.
Could include a statistic on packaging psychology, e.g., “80% of impulse purchases are influenced by packaging design” (or a relevant consumer study).
2- The 60-Day Gamble That Changed Everything (Proving Retailers Wrong, One Store at a Time)
One of the biggest hurdles in scaling was convincing retailers to stock an unknown, premium-priced snack. With no prior data to prove demand, most store owners were hesitant to take the risk.
Retailers think in margins, not in emotions. You can’t convince them with passion, you have to show them numbers.
Instead of arguing for shelf space, Hamza and his team devised a high-stakes experiment: a 60-day, zero-risk placement strategy.
- Retailers stocked Noms Nacho for 60 days at no cost.
- They were given a higher-than-average profit margin.
- If sales didn’t meet expectations, they could return the stock, no questions asked.
The gamble paid off beyond expectations. Within weeks, retailers saw organic demand rising, without any marketing push. Customers gravitated toward the product, intrigued by its branding and its promise of a healthier alternative.
By the end of the trial, not a single store wanted to return their stock. Instead, they wanted more.
From an initial 10-store test in Lahore, this model scaled to 5,000+ stores nationwide, proving that:
- Consumers were willing to pay for premium snacks.
- Retailers were willing to take risks if structured correctly.
- Bold strategies create momentum faster than traditional, slow-growth methods.
If we had taken the conventional route, pitching our product store by store, it would have taken years. Instead, in just months, we went from unknown to in-demand.
3. Blending Online and Offline for Maximum Impact (Scaling Beyond Shelves Through Digital Domination)
Line Graph or Growth Curve: “Noms Nacho’s Retail Growth (2019-2025)”
X-axis: Years (2019, 2020, 2021…2025)
Y-axis: Number of Stores (10 → 500 → 2,000 → 5,000+)
While retail placement drove impulse sales, Hamza knew that a modern snack brand couldn’t rely on physical stores alone. Scaling Noms Nacho meant owning its digital presence as aggressively as its shelf presence.
Most snack brands in Pakistan treat online sales as an afterthought. We treated it as our second retail channel.
Instead of waiting for consumers to find them in stores, Noms Nacho brought the product directly to them through a hybrid online model:
1. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Website
- Built with an interactive, visually immersive experience.
- Customers could order directly, bypassing traditional retail limitations.
- Animated design elements reinforced the brand identity.
2. Rapid Commerce Partnerships (FoodPanda Mart, Crave Mart, Bazaar)
- Positioned for impulse buys with near-instant delivery.
- FoodPanda Mart alone became a top revenue channel, outperforming traditional e-commerce.
- Allowed penetration into cities where retail distribution wasn’t yet established.
3. Social Media as a Demand-Generation Engine
- Instead of traditional advertising, Noms Nacho invested heavily in organic digital engagement.
- Reels, animated posts, and behind-the-scenes storytelling made the brand feel personal.
- Early brand adopters became word-of-mouth marketers, sharing their purchases and experiences.
This strategy accelerated scaling beyond what was possible through traditional retail alone. Customers who discovered Noms Nacho online were more likely to look for it in stores, reinforcing its retail presence and creating a loop of demand-driven growth.
We didn’t wait for people to ‘discover’ us. We made sure that whether they were scrolling on Instagram or shopping at their local store, they couldn’t ignore us.
The Blueprint for Exponential Growth
Scaling a brand in a highly competitive, traditional market requires more than just a great product. It required disrupting how consumers engaged with snacks entirely.
- By turning packaging into a marketing asset, they won customers before the first purchase.
- By flipping retail risk with the 60-day trial, they converted skepticism into trust.
- By treating digital as a core sales channel, they scaled beyond physical store limitations.
Every decision was a calculated mix of passion, precision, and boldness, ensuring that Noms Nacho didn’t just grow, but dominated.
Turning Bold Decisions into Measurable Success
Success doesn’t come from playing it safe. It comes from taking calculated risks and executing them with precision.
As Noms Nacho scaled from a family-run vision to a nationwide brand, its journey was shaped by a relentless pursuit of quality, an obsession with precision, and an unshakable boldness in decision-making. Each move, from branding to production to distribution, was a strategic bet on the idea that Pakistan’s snack industry was ready for change. The results? A disruptive brand that not only survived but thrived, expanding across 5,000+ retail stores, securing a dominant presence in rapid commerce, and proving that a Pakistani snack brand could compete at international standards.
1. Operational Excellence: Scaling Without Compromise
The challenge of expanding production while maintaining quality was one that many food brands in Pakistan struggled with. For Noms Nacho, precision in manufacturing wasn’t optional. It was the foundation of the brand.
We weren’t just building a snack. We were engineering a product that met the highest global standards, without shortcuts.
Unlike traditional snack manufacturers, which rely on manual production processes, Noms Nacho invested in a fully automated, European-standard production line, ensuring:
- Minimal human interaction for consistency and hygiene.
- Precision-controlled ingredient blending to maintain flavor integrity.
- A scalable, export-ready setup from day one.
This meticulous approach paid off. As demand grew, the factory could seamlessly scale without sacrificing product quality, allowing Noms Nacho to expand its reach while maintaining the integrity of its snacks.
Scaling up isn’t just about making more, it’s about making sure that what you’re making stays just as good as the first batch.
2. Brand Differentiation: Making a Snack That Feels Like a Movement
In a crowded snack market, taste alone isn’t enough, a product needs to stand out, tell a story, and create an emotional connection. Noms Nacho understood this from the start, which is why branding became one of its strongest assets.
People don’t just buy products, they buy experiences. We made sure that Noms Nacho was something people wanted to be part of
The Normsverse, with its neon color palettes, futuristic animations, and immersive storytelling, wasn’t just a marketing gimmick, it was a strategic play to build brand equity. Instead of relying on celebrity endorsements or traditional ads, Noms Nacho used:
- Visually disruptive packaging that stood out on shelves.
- Social media storytelling that transformed nachos into an experience.
- A community-driven digital presence that encouraged customers to share their own "Nomsverse moments."
This approach created organic word-of-mouth marketing, reducing dependency on expensive ad campaigns while generating strong customer loyalty.
It wasn’t just about being different. It was about making sure that when people thought of a snack, they thought of Noms Nacho.
3. Strategic Market Penetration: The 60-Day Retail Playbook
One of the most defining moments in Noms Nacho’s scaling journey was the decision to flip the retailer model on its head. Instead of convincing stores to stock the product through sales pitches, the team removed the risk entirely.
Retailers aren’t in the business of taking risks. So we made sure there was no risk for them
The 60-day trial model became a turning point
- Stores received stock at no cost.
- They earned higher margins during the test period.
- If it didn’t sell, they could return it with no financial loss.
This strategy transformed retailer skepticism into buy-in. By proving that Noms Nacho could sell itself, it created a ripple effect, what started as a small 10-store experiment quickly expanded to a 5,000+ store footprint.
When you prove a product’s demand instead of just promising it, stores WANT to work with you.
The result? A nationwide distribution network built on trust, data, and strategic risk-taking.
4- The Power of Hybrid Sales Channels: Blending Retail with Digital Dominance
While traditional snack brands in Pakistan rely almost entirely on physical retail, Noms Nacho treated digital sales as an equally critical channel. Instead of viewing online sales as secondary, they built a two-pronged model:
- Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) website → Enabling customers to order Noms Nacho from anywhere in Pakistan.
- Rapid commerce partnerships (PandaMart, CraveMart, Bazaar) → Ensuring on-demand snack delivery, even in cities where physical retail distribution wasn’t yet established.
When you prove a product’s demand instead of just promising it, stores WANT to work with you.
This hybrid model expanded Noms Nacho’s reach beyond geographical limits, ensuring that no matter where customers were, they had multiple ways to buy.
By merging digital accessibility with a strong physical retail presence, Noms Nacho secured its place as a market leader in the healthy snacking category, a space that barely existed before.
60% Physical Retail (Supermarkets, Convenience Stores)
25% Rapid Commerce (FoodPanda Mart, CraveMart, Bazaar, etc.)
15% Direct-to-Consumer (ShopNoms Website & Social Media Sales)
Turning Bold Moves into Sustainable Growth
The success of Noms Nacho didn’t happen by accident. It was built on:
- A commitment to operational excellence.
- A brand identity that demanded attention.
- A retail strategy that eliminated barriers to entry.
- A digital-first mindset that ensured accessibility beyond stores.
This journey underscores a fundamental truth: Scaling isn’t just about expansion, it’s about making the right moves at the right time, with a strategy rooted in precision and boldness.
We never wanted to be just another snack brand. We wanted to prove that a Pakistani brand could play at the same level as the biggest names in the world. And we did.
Noms Nacho’s story stands as a testament to how calculated risk, relentless innovation, and a fearless approach to branding can turn a small idea into a movement that reshapes an entire industry.
What Hamza’s Story Teaches Us
Scaling a brand is often seen as a numbers game, optimizing margins, expanding distribution, and increasing market penetration. But Noms Nacho’s journey reveals a deeper truth: success isn’t just about numbers; it’s about the boldness to challenge norms, the precision to execute flawlessly, and the passion to persist when the odds seem insurmountable.
Hamza’s journey can be compared to constructing a bridge over uncertain waters. In its early days, Noms Nacho needed a solid foundation, a product that could withstand scrutiny, a production process built for long-term scalability, and a brand strong enough to capture attention in an already crowded market. Every bold decision, from the seven-grain formulation to the fully automated factory, was a brick in that foundation, ensuring that when the business scaled, it did so with stability and confidence.
As the bridge extended, new challenges arose. Convincing retailers to stock a premium snack required more than just great taste, it required a strategy that removed their risk entirely. Hamza’s 60-day retail experiment was not just a distribution tactic; it was a demonstration of precision and market understanding, proving that even the most resistant stakeholders could be converted when presented with undeniable results.
Beyond retail, the brand’s ability to merge offline and online sales channels gave it a unique edge. In a world where impulse purchases drive snack sales, digital engagement played a critical role in reinforcing consumer loyalty. By treating e-commerce as an extension of the retail experience rather than a secondary channel, Noms Nacho bridged the gap between discovery and purchase, ensuring that consumers could access the product wherever they were.
This story highlights a fundamental principle of business growth: A great product alone is not enough. To scale, a business must engineer its success with passion, execute with precision, and dare to take bold, unconventional steps when needed.
The Bigger Picture: Precision and Boldness as Market Disruptors
Hamza’s journey reflects a broader truth in emerging markets like Pakistan: businesses that break through are the ones that refuse to play by outdated rules.
Developing economies often present systemic challenges, limited access to structured financing, conservative consumer habits, and resistance from traditional retail networks. Yet, just as technology has revolutionized industries worldwide, entrepreneurs who apply strategic precision to disrupt markets are the ones who set new benchmarks.
A 2023 Pakistan Consumer Trends Report found that 72% of consumers are willing to switch to healthier food alternatives if they are convenient and competitively priced. This shift underscores a major insight from Noms Nacho’s journey: the market is always ready for change, but it takes bold entrepreneurs to lead the shift.
By blending cutting-edge branding, a zero-risk retail model, and a deep understanding of consumer psychology, Noms Nacho has proven that innovation isn’t just about creating something new, it’s about making people want to be part of something new.
