NEW DELHI // It began with an effort to avoid waste. It was 1980 and the Chaudhary family factories in Kathmandu were producing more flour than they needed to make biscuits.
"I looked around to see what Nepalis were eating. What they were enjoying," Binod Chaudhary recalls. "What could wheat be turned into that would be a tasty snack? I was looking for a food that was affordable for everyone, that was versatile."
He noticed Nepali visitors to Thailand were bringing back boxes of instant noodles, which were not available in Nepal.We could make those, he thought.
As a nod to his inspiration, he named his noodles Wai Wai, which in Thai means "fast, fast", and Nepal had its first chicken-flavoured instant noodles.
That inquisitive nature, his eye for the market and a keen business sense inherited from his Indian ancestors have propelled Mr Chaudhary, 58, to become Nepal's first and only billionaire.
To begin with, Mr Chaudhary experimented with the sachets of spices and oil that would eventually accompany every packet of his noodles.
But it would be a while before Mr Chaudhary, a vegetarian, could taste his own creation.
"Nepal is essentially a non-vegetarian country. And it would have been too much to ask our research and development to build a special pack of noodles for me."
His noodles proved to be a hit. Within two years, more flavours were introduced and Mr Chaudhary finally got to taste a vegetarian version.
Now there are 50 varieties at prices from 1 rupee to 15 rupees (Dh0.90), and his noodles have a 95 per cent market share in Nepal and 20 per cent in India.
Mr Chaudhary had initially been reluctant to join the family business, which included the biscuit factories and Nepal's only department store at that time, the Arun Emporium. When he was 19, he ran one of Nepal's first night clubs in Kathmandu. Then he moved to India to study accountancy but returned to Kathmandu when his father became ill, and took over the running of the businesses.
Today, Mr Chaudhary's Singapore-based Cinnovation/Chaudhary Group is a conglomerate of nearly 80 companies with interests in banking, food, cement, property, hotels, power, retail and electronics. He has set his sights on the Middle East and Africa for expansion. He is in talks to build hotels in the GCC, a Wai Wai noodle factory in Saudi Arabia and three hotels under the Alila brand, including one that will open soon in Oman.
Mr Chaudhary is helped by his three sons: Nirvana, 32, who handles operations in Nepal; Rahul, 30, in charge of hotels and management of teams; and Varun, 26, who handles the company's operations from Dubai.
The Chaudharys trace their roots to Rajasthan state in India. In the mid-19th century, Mr Chaudhary's ancestors, who were traders, left the to seek their fortunes elsewhere.
"There was nothing in the desert for us to survive. Most business families went outside," he says.
His ancestors settled in Nepal, importing cloth from India and selling it to the royal family.
"The way it worked is that one family settles and they draw the others. I am told a distant relative drew my ancestors. My grandfather was given a job at a textile shop."
Mr Chaudhary remembers stories about his father, as a child, accompanying his grandfather to sell fabrics to women in Nepal's royal family.
"I have also sat behind a counter, selling fabrics. I know how to fold a sari!" he says. By the time he took over, he was importing fabrics for saris from Japan. It was a huge hit, but he continued to look to do more with his time and resources, stumbling upon the instant noodles that came to define him.
The brand has been a staple in India's north-east for more than two decades and he is now setting up factories in the rest of the country to meet demand.
The company does not advertise its products, and relies on word of mouth. Wai Wai instant noodles have also earned him his nickname, Noodle King.
"I think that is a bit exaggerated. I am yet to be," Mr Chaudhary said. "A few years down the line, I will be able to do it justice."
