About Niru Kumra
My name is Niru Kumra and I am in my 50s, born in Punjab, India and raised in Fredrikstad. I have always had an interest in food and got it through my mother's milk with my hobby cook mother and grandmother who taught home economics in 1947.
My breakthrough came in the school kitchen in 6th grade, where I eagerly learned how to make Norwegian cakes and yeast pastries that my mother was not familiar with. I didn't get a cooking education, but several years at school with economics at Østfold District College, project management at BI and innovation at NTNU a few years after I started MasalaMagic. Through 13 years in various ministries, the private business sector and not least the "school of life" I have had incredibly fun and at times challenging times.
On a daily basis, I live out my dream through masalamagic.com (started in 2003), where the dream of making my own chutney was the seed of what is now a small "tree" of family business with a vision of making Indian food as famous as pizza, pasta and tacos.
Otherwise, I have three wonderful children and a loving spouse who support me and are my team-MasalaMagic. They are both guinea pigs, colleagues and cheerleaders when mom needs it.
Welcome to Nirus World
– Indian food on Norwegian plates
2014
I am the first to have written an Indian cookbook in Norwegian – "Indian food on Norwegian plates" was published in 2004. It all started with cooking classes in a school kitchen, which have now become part of my everyday life.
At Carl Berner I have a course center where you can learn to cook authentic Indian food. I also offer catering to both private individuals and companies, arrange culinary trips to India and have developed a food series with 17 products – “Nirus Masalamagic” – which is sold at Meny, Jacobs and Kiwi, among others. In the fall of 2017 I published my second cookbook: “Masalamagic – the magic of Indian cuisine”.
2024
Niru Kumra started Masalamagic 10 years ago with a vision to teach Norwegians how to cook authentic Indian food. With new packaging, we wanted to create a clearer brand story and better differentiate ourselves from our competitors.
This relaunch is on a whole new level, where Masalamagic's product lines clearly stand out. The packaging design is informative and gives both weight and credibility. The visual expression is magical and exotic, but at the same time modern and Scandinavian. The designer has achieved a good balance between the elements, and the color palette is well adapted to the packaging. The result is a very successful and aesthetic story.