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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 10. 27 points to close at 2,123.82 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index plunged by 3. 10 points to close at 409. 55 points.

A total of 6,106,521 unit shares of 219 companies were traded for Rs 2. 67 billion.

In today’s market, all sub-indices saw green except for Life Insurance.  

Meanwhile, Manakama Smart Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. Naya Sarathi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top loser as its price fell by 3. 48 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 03 trillion.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 34. 61 points to close at 2,113.55 points on Friday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 5. 80 points to close at 406. 45 points.

A total of 6,416,629 units of the shares of 213 companies were traded for Rs 2. 62 billion.

Meanwhile, Joshi Hydropower Development Company Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 5. 91 percent. Likewise, Mailung Khola Jal Vidhyut Company Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 7. 18 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 01 trillion.

Cloud kitchen or ghost kitchen service boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic. People were afraid to go out to eat and drink in restaurants, so they ordered in. Now that the pandemic fears have subsided, people have started visiting restaurants and bars. But curiously cloud kitchens still seem to be faring well. They have been catering to customers who are working or partying till late hours of the night, when conventional eateries are closed. Khaanpin Foods and Tours Pvt. Ltd started a ghost kitchen service in 2018 and has seen both the challenges and rewards of this relatively new member of Nepal’s food service industry. Anushka Nepal of ApEx talks to its founder Isha Balla. 

1. What inspired you to start a Khaanpin?

I started my career as an iOS developer and a content strategist in 2015. The working hours were long and I was constantly chasing deadlines. I had no time to cook and do the dishes. Eating out in restaurants was an option but they were closed when I was working till late at night. The idea for Khaanpin came from the necessity of food service for people who worked at night.

2. How did you turn that idea into a reality?

We started out small and with limited resources by renting an apartment in Lalitpur. Our objective was to provide food of all varieties to our clients at unconventional hours. My friends and family were very supportive of Khaanpin, which boosted my morale during the early days. Khaanpin is self-funded business. I have three other partners helping with the business. We are proud that today Khaanpin Foods and Tours Pvt. Ltd is Nepal’s leading food-tech hospitality company and the top cloud kitchen offering a wide range of food, bakery, and grocery selections all day all year in Kathmandu and Pokhara. 

3. How is Khaanpin different from other cloud kitchen platforms? 

Khaanpin is a multi brand cloud kitchen. We deliver Continental, Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Indo-Chinese and Newari dishes from our kitchen. Our menu is optimized to ensure food quality, ease of production and quick delivery. Our kitchen is centrally located at Pulchowk in Lalitpur, and at Zero K.M. in Pokhara for seamless and quick pickup and delivery. 

4. What were the challenges when you started out? 

It was relatively a new arena we were entering. As a result, it was hard to predict the outcome. The risk at the time seemed very high. However, with time, consistent efforts, tons of research and many hits and trials, the business took off. At Khaanpin, we take pride in calling ourselves a technologically driven hospitality company. Three business partners including me come from computer engineering background, so we have a robust technical system for every part of the order cycle. Our customers can place their orders from multiple platforms and all of them are monitored and handled by our in-house process management software.

5. What is the long-term vision of Khaanpin?

We are a woman-led company bringing freedom to food choices and availability 24/7. Khaanpin has provided employment opportunities to many people. We have more than 100 people working with us right now. Our long-term vision is to build an ecosystem around food service through vertical integration with farmers and producers, as well as introducing new innovations for pre-packed ready-to-eat meals. Khaanpin aims to set a benchmark in the Nepali service industry by providing quality food, timely delivery, and great customer service.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 96, 800 per tola today.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 96, 300 per tola.

The yellow bullion was traded at Rs 96, 100 per tola on Thursday.

Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1,220 per tola today.