With honey as a USP, this Ayurvedic brand is taking the family business to the next level

Chandmal Pansari, an Ayurvedic practitioner from Rajasthan, gained fame in the 1950s for using Ayurvedic practices to heal ailments. Using his learnings, he began a business of trading herbs and honey. With this, he established contacts with influential players in Rajasthan’s honey sector.

When his son DP Agarwal joined the business, he wanted to do more than merely carry on his father's trade tradition. In 1988, he established a facility in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for the processing of honey and spices.

Using a business-to-business (B2B) approach, his company sold honey and whole spices such as clove, cumin seeds, dry ginger, turmeric, and cardamom.

In 1994, he passed on the legacy to his son Anjenay Agarwal.

Anjenay gave the family business a new lease on life when he founded Royal Bee Natural Products in 2006. His vision was to directly reach the consumers.

The company began its journey selling honey and progressed to Ayurvedic products in 2014, adding various powders, juices, and capsules made from natural ingredients to its portfolio.

“In 2006-07, the boom for Ayurvedic products had started. With Ramdev coming in the spotlight, awareness among people increased and we tried to make the best use of the opportunity,” Anjenay tells SMBStory. 

Today, Royal Bee is a well-known Indian Ayurvedic brand headquartered in Ghaziabad offering a wide range of health and wellness products, such as Ayurvedic medicines and herbal supplements. 

The company made a revenue of Rs 14 crore in FY 22, and plans to close FY 23 with a revenue of Rs 16 crore. 

Business journey

Anjenay started the company with an investment of Rs 1.5 lakh. The company initially targeted the markets of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. It began by using conventional marketing techniques, such as sending salesmen to visit retailers and doctors. 

The brand has now expanded to more than 2,500 outlets in around 150 cities across Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Delhi, through a network of 250 distributors.

Its products range from Rs 55 to Rs 4,000.

Royal Bee is also available on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and 1mg.

Starting with honey, the portfolio has grown to include 150 SKUs. The categories include honey, herbal honey, digestion aids like Pileset and Triphala Churna, as well as products for hair care, heart care, boosting immunity, liver care, joint care, and vitality, among others.

“We have continuously changed to reflect the market. We have updated our packaging and have continued to raise the bar on our quality,” says the founder. 

Anjenay attributes the brand’s success to public trust.

“Positive feedback has been one of the biggest driving forces. We source directly from the farmers. It gives good results because the item is pure with no additives,” he adds. 

Production process

Anjenay holds a diploma in Ayurveda and is actively involved in the manufacturing process. The company works with around 150 beekeepers and farmers for sourcing honey and herbs. It employs around 80 people.

The herbs are cleaned at the company’s warehouse and undergo quality checks. They work with doctors to create Ayurvedic products, which are then put through quality control testing in laboratories. 

"The product is verified for quality at each step. The finished product is also tested, and occasionally it is sent to third-party testing facilities, to determine whether we can deliver on whatever we are promising with the product,” says Anjenay.

Honey-based products differentiate the brand from its peers, the founder says. 

“Ours USP is our quality and our products. The honey-based herbal products make us stand out in the market,” he adds. 

According to Research and Markets, the market for Ayurvedic products in India was worth Rs 515.5 billion in 2021. The market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 19.78% from 2022 to 2027, reaching Rs 1,536.9 billion. Some of the key players in this segment include Dabur India, Patanjali, Himalaya, Forest Essentials, and Vicco.

Challenges and future plans

Anjenay describes being bootstrapped as a challenge. “Our growth might be slow but it is a comfortable pace,” says the founder. The company has shown an YoY growth of around 20%. 

“During COVID-19, we could not deliver to places outside of Delhi. It was a challenging time, but with our transportation, we did a lot of work inside Delhi,” he adds.

From IPO to foraying into foreign markets and stepping up its digital game—the company has a lot on its plate.

In the next two years, Royal Bee aims to grow to Africa, Asia, South-East Asia, Europe, and the US.

It also plans to open to own stores in the next few years. “Consumers will get the products at a better price and we will be able to get direct feedback from them which will help us to serve them better,” says the founder. 

The company plans to go public next year. 

(The copy was updated to correct the company's name.)