Behind every business, there’s a story, and each one is worth telling, uniquely significant in its own right. Yet, occasionally, you stumble upon a brand or individual with an origin tale that truly blows you away.
Simmy Dhillon’s meteoric rise from whipping up meals in his student kitchen to turning over millions in annual revenue with Simmer is hardly breaking news.
The sheer ingenuity of his journey has ensured it’s been recounted multiple times by business publications, all praising his entrepreneurial endeavour – and rightfully so, I might add.
But some stories are meant to be told over and over, and Simmer’s is certainly one of them.
As part of our founders series, I’m delighted to say we had the opportunity to sit down with Simmy and find out how he went from supplying students with their weekly dose of jerk chicken to fuelling influencers, England rugby stars, and Arsenal forwards.
The Birth Of Simmer
For those of you well acquainted with Simmer’s history, it’s no secret the brand once operated under a different name.
“We were initially called RNS Meals (Rice N Spice),” Simmy explained.
“It was a name I came up with as a 19-year-old in my uni kitchen. We kept that name for over five years and scaled to millions in revenue with it.
“But since rebranding to Simmer Eats in September 2022, we’ve really kicked on as a business. Through the rebrand process, we had 50 names on a whiteboard.
“We went away and when we came back Simmer was the one that stood out and we never looked back. I can’t even remember the other names now.”
Simmy might have breezed through the details of his journey from selling meals in his uni kitchen to raking in millions in revenue, so let’s take a step back and rewind a few chapters.
From an early age, he recalled being driven by the idea of running his own business. While his friends partied, Simmy worked part-time jobs, learning and absorbing as much as he could while plotting the launch of his own empire.
In late 2016, during his first year at the University of Bristol, Simmy spotted his opening. Having watched his peers chomp through cartons of ready meals and takeaways, he saw a gap in the market for fresh, healthy meals that were cheap.
Asked whether it took him long to transition the concept into a working business, he said: “I tested recipes in December 2016, got my January exams finished and then started the very next day.
“So, I’d say about four weeks in total because I wanted to get exams out the way first!”
For anyone grappling with self-limiting beliefs, it might seem quite extraordinary how effortlessly Simmy kickstarted the venture that would lead to his roaring success.
In reality, it only set him back £10 in ingredients to fulfil his first order – the OG jerk chicken, which remains his personal favourite and a best-seller to this day.
In the beginning, Simmy took orders through direct messages, preparing meals in his accommodation’s kitchen and personally walking them to fellow students.
He spent 40-50 hours a week working on Rice N Spice, sometimes skipping lectures to fulfil orders. As his friends would roll in from drunken nights out, Simmy would still be up washing dishes from the day’s cooking.
As the business expanded, Simmy developed a website and enlisted the support of his mum and brother, extending services to young professionals.
Reflecting on the moment he realised his venture could be something extraordinary, Simmy said: “I think I was always confident the business would be a success, but when we first started some guy said he wanted to pay us up front for three months of food, four meals per day.
“He transferred us over a grand. Bear in mind at the time we were still selling single meals to our mates for £5 a pot.
“I remember seeing the money transferred and looking at my brother and thinking, ‘What are we doing messing around selling single meals? Let’s serve people more food, more often!'”
In October 2018, the family invested £50,000, their life savings, in a combination headquarters and commercial kitchen.
Despite the business aggressively expanding, Simmy secured internships at Rothschild and Google, with the latter offering him a full-time role once he completed his studies in 2020.
He accepted and was earning north of $5,500 a month in salary and commission while still contributing to what’s now known as Simmer.
Inevitably, the workload began to take its toll, and in 2021 Simmy woke up with the realisation that if he didn’t take the leap of faith the business would suffer.
“Working for Google was an amazing opportunity,” he added. “But it also meant that I was jeopardising my dream career as an entrepreneur.”
Over the next 9 months, the business raked in $1.2 million in revenue, and since its rebranding, Simmer has continued to thrive, emerging as the service of choice for a host of sporting icons.
“We’ve worked with a lot of top athletes,” Simmy continued.
“The ones that come to mind for me are England Internationals at the top of their game, such as Maro Itoje (England rugby), Alessio Russo (Arsenal and England), Max Aarons (England u21s), and, of course, Rob Lipsett.”
Asked what separates Simmer from other meal-prep companies, Simmy said: “Taste. We started making ‘Simmer’ style meals at home in our early teens because Jhai (my brother) had to take nutrition seriously pursuing a career as a professional footballer.
“We love food and we care about our health so we combine those two passions together. Our meals are all handmade in Hitchin – our secret ingredient is the sprinkling of love and care that goes into each meal!
“We also offer varying portion sizes which I don’t believe many meal prep companies offer and we’re soon going to launch another portion size. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Financing Simmer
Part of what makes Simmer’s story so special is that it was born from nothing but an ingenious idea and a killer recipe.
“Simmer was 100% bootstrapped from that £10 worth of ingredients,” Simmy said. “No investors, no debt, no loans. And the plan is to keep it that way!”
But make no mistake; just because Simmer isn’t looking for external investment, it doesn’t mean the brand is standing still. For Simmy, the goal remains growth, and the strategy is a resolute ‘carry on as you are’ to make it happen.
“There’s no silver bullet or fancy plans,” he added.
“Just carrying on doing what we’re doing. We’ve increased business tenfold since rebranding. We’re in a great place, serving a product that has a positive impact on so many lives.
“We want to make all aspects of the business even better – product, service, brand, operations, system, etc. And continue to serve more people of course. But there’s no rush, and no investors to appease!”
Signing off with a golden piece of advice on how others can emulate his success, Simmy said: “If you want to start a business, make sure it’s a product you use yourself and you’re crazy about. That way it’ll be easy to sell it to others.”
Now that we’ve painted the picture, it’s time to let the legend himself share more of his story.
Questions With Simmy Dhillon
From the moment the idea was born what was your first move to turn it into a reality?
Buy some ingredients, post on social, chat with people, make sales, cook food, and deliver. Repeat. Nothing crazy.
If you could own one other health/fitness company that already exists which would it be and why?
Errr… Tbh, I’m not really sure. I’m not super crazy about anything apart from Simmer. Maybe Gymshark because they’re a billion-dollar company haha!
Describe your perfect customer in 5 words.
Health, time and taste conscious.
What is your favourite meal Simmer creates?
Gotta be the OG Jerk Chicken – that’s my go-to!
Which meal is purchased the most?
The OG Jerk Chicken haha.
Which meal is being slept on the most?
Hmmm… I’d probably say the Turkey Sausage Rigatoni. Or actually, the protein brownies (snack menu).
What does a typical day look like for you working on Simmer?
Literally, no day is the same. But typically 10 hours a day, Monday to Sunday!
What is your favourite task?
Content creation/brand storytelling – it’s fun, entertains/inspires others, and can really move the needle for the business!
What task do you hate the most?
Hmmm… Probably just the admin bits like emails. I don’t like emails.
How have you kept a balance between work and your family life?
I haven’t! It’s all just merged into one but it kinda works!
What advice would you give to others wanting to start a business with their family?
It’s not for everyone. I know a lot of people aren’t super close with their family and they’d rather start a business with friends or colleagues. For me, there’s no one I’d rather be in business with than my brother, and having Mum with us is so special!
Wave a magic wand. What will Simmer look like in 3 years?
Similar but better. Serving more people, even better products, and new product lines. Bigger audience, and maybe even have our own Netflix series.
What is one thing you hate about the health industry?
People cutting corners/thinking short term. Instant results, that kind of thing.
Name 3 other brands that you admire.
In the fitness space? Gymshark, Tala, and Grenade.
Name a disaster that you felt could have potentially ruined your business.
Our kitchen flooding!
Tell us how you overcame it.
Fixed the flood!
What are the main challenges Simmer faces each day?
Delivering perishable goods across the country! Constantly producing great content on socials – it’s a huge driver of the business but very time-consuming also.
The floor is yours! Tell our readers anything and everything you want them to know.
If you love food, care about your health and value your time – give Simmer a go! Try it now using this link to get 30% off your first order. Follow me on socials if you want to see more:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simmydhillon/
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