“A bundle of joy wrapped in unconditional love and good-quality products at affordable prices has always aided S-Nuts to grow as a brand. In each service we provide, we place a high value on customer satisfaction. This has always been our mantra and has helped us become who we are today,” says Dr. Christopher D’Souza.
Over the years, S-Nuts, a brand of Souza Cashews has been meeting people’s needs by offering products ranging from fresh nuts, dried fruits, spices, corporate gifting and so on. It has won the hearts of many both in Mangaluru and Udupi, making the brand a people’s favourite. It has launched an official online store called souzacashew.com on May 27, which swiftly garnered recognition in the industry because of its unique strategy to reach out to its customers.
The team was inspired to launch the online business in order to assist those who were unable to visit their loved ones and share happiness due to the pandemic.
Dr. Christopher told News Karnataka, “My family ran the cashew, Electronics and furniture, Aluminium business, which I joined and moved on to a different path along with my wife Bettina D’Souza. I am a doctor by qualification, moved on to the family business, moved to Udupi in 2013 with an expansion plan for our electronics, furniture and aluminium businesses. Having cashew factories in Mangaluru and Udupi since 1982 run by the founder Walter D’Souza, Dr. Christopher D’Souza and his wife Bettina D’Souza decided to venture into the retail space and opened their first retail outlet in Udupi in 2015, and the business was booming.
In 2019, S-Nuts opened a new retail outlet in Mangaluru. They stepped in to make people happy by delivering boxes of love, with their products while most businesses and start-ups were struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. “During this pandemic we were fortunate that we were well-diversified. We wanted to make people enjoy our nutritious nutty treats. So that’s when we decided to go with an online module so that the customers who are hesitant to come into the store and buy things due to Covid can still buy our products online,” he added.
He went on to say that his wife Bettina D’ Souza did her engineering after which she joined a start-up software company. Her vast knowledge in marketing has helped the business thrive. “We concentrated on the immunity-boosting properties of nuts and dried fruits, which are becoming popular among people as a healthier alternative to junk food. Our lip-smacking flavoured cashews made without preservatives and baked without oil are a healthier alternative to snacking . Our business has grown ever since, thanks to social media marketing, which has allowed us to reach a broader customer base,” said Dr. Christopher.
When asked about where they procure the products, Dr. Christopher mentioned that most of the cashew crops are imported from Africa. S-Nuts has taken up various initiatives under it like ‘Miss you Nuts’, Doctor’s Day promos and so on. “We have an initiative where individuals from all over the world can send our products to their loved ones in India, which has been a huge success. We also await a new project in a month called ‘International shipping’ to Indians residing abroad,’ which will allow all Indians away from home to enjoy the coastal delicacies too,” he added.
Sharing his unforgettable experience, he said, “There was this customer who came into our shop looking for a unique way of celebrating his son’s wedding. We made a dry fruit package invitation at the time. He also wanted furniture for his home. The positive response such as this we’ve received has encouraged us to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Many customers praise the timely delivery of products even on website purchases.
They work with a variety of shipping partners, but only utilise the most reliable for customer service. The duo hopes that with their dry fruit products, they will be able to reach out to individuals in India’s second tier cities, as well as the people of Karnataka and gradually to overseas. “One thing that has been mentioned by the customer is the high quality of the products that were delivered to them. It is extremely overwhelming that we as a brand are able to put a smile on many faces during these testing times. In the future, we hope to make this a Pan-India brand,” he concluded.
S-Nuts have their retail outlets located at Church Building, K.M. Marg, Udupi and New Milagres Mansion, Opp. Milagres Church, Hampankatta Mangaluru.
Contact numbers: +91 7353750521 (Mangaluru), +91 7353750507 (Udupi)
