Founder Feature: Arif Khan and Sabeen Hasan of Chikka Chikka
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 24 October 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Caitlin Bricker is joined by Arif Khan and Sabeen Hasan, co-founders of Chikka Chikka, a modern reinterpretation of a traditional Indian digestive - made from maple-roasted fennel seeds. Arif and Sabeen discuss how their product blends cultural heritage with local ingredients, their decision to use maple syrup as a natural sweetener, and the role of superfoods such as spirulina and beet powder in enhancing flavor and appeal.
The conversation highlights their thoughtful approach to packaging design—drawing inspiration from Indian block prints and Bollywood-era art—as well as their strategy of partnering with independent retailers to educate consumers on both the ritual and health benefits of fennel seeds. They also reflect on their diverse professional backgrounds in architecture, urban planning, and disaster relief, and how these experiences inform their entrepreneurial vision.
This episode offers valuable insight into building a consumer brand rooted in tradition, design, and community, while navigating the challenges of the CPG industry.
Listen in as they share about:
- Introduction to Chikka Chikka
- Ingredients & Product Development
- Brand Philosophy & Cultural Blend
- Consumer Education & Retail Strategy
- Packaging & Design
- Challenges & Industry Insights
- Positioning & Market Fit
- Community & Brand Values
Episode Links:
Website: https://chikkachikka.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eat_chikka_chikka/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arifilahi/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabeenfhasan/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
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- Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
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- Visit host Caitlin's Linkedin
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We're insane. delusional and insane. And I think a lot of people in this industry share that, |
| 0:15.6 | or some kind of delusion. I think from the restaurant, it was a successful restaurant. We were |
| 0:19.8 | profitable. It was well loved in the community. and we sold it and took some of our earnings from that to start this business. But I think it made us think, you know, everyone's like, oh, the restaurant industry is so hard. It's so difficult. But we succeeded in it. So I think it gave us this weird delusion that we could do other things that are actually harder. |
| 0:40.5 | Hey, everybody. This is Caitlin Bricker, editor at Startup CPG. We are back with another founder |
| 0:46.2 | of future. Today we're talking with RF Khan and Sabine Hassan, founders of Chicka Chica. They've got a |
| 0:52.3 | modern take on traditional Indian fennel seed digestives. |
| 0:56.1 | Maybe not so strangely pairing RF's decade of disaster relief in Sabine's 15 years as an architect, |
| 1:02.3 | the two paired up and ran a successful restaurant before selling it to chase their next venture, |
| 1:07.3 | Chica Chica. Embracing what they call being delusional and preferring to fail in new ways, |
| 1:12.6 | they turn their post-meal ritual into a maple roasted product in the most satisfying tin you will ever shake. |
| 1:19.6 | From hand labeling their first batch to landing in over 100 stores, they're proving the best products come from sharing what you love. |
| 1:26.6 | I cannot stop |
| 1:28.1 | fidgeting with this package and I know you will not be able to, too. Enjoy. Hey, everybody, welcome |
| 1:38.0 | back to the Startup CPG podcast. This is Caitlin and today I'm here with Arif Khan and Sabine |
| 1:43.4 | Hassan, founders of Chicka Chica. Welcome to the show. |
| 1:47.1 | Hi, Caitlin. Thanks for having us. It's so great to have you here, especially as Shelfi's finalists. And I'm a big fan of your products. So I'm excited to get into this with you. |
| 1:58.3 | Well, thank you for having us. And it's, I mean, we are just totally grateful of startup CPG and everything you guys do. Well, we wouldn't be able to do what we do if it wasn't for our founders like you. So it's reciprocal. Awesome. Well, this is fun then. Great. It's fun for me too. I would love to start this off by having you introduce everyone to Chicka Chica. Can you |
| 2:20.0 | tell us what Chica Chica is? Sure. I can take that one. So Chica Chicaa Chica is a modern twist on a |
| 2:27.9 | traditional Indian digestive. It's made primarily fennel seeds for roasting it in maple syrup. |
| 2:33.7 | And it's a simple ritual of every |
| 2:36.5 | Indian household. You chew on these seeds after a meal, freshenes your breath, cleanses your |
| 2:41.3 | palate, it's good for digestion. And we wanted to share it with an American audience. So |
... |
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