Decoding the story behind one of India’s prominent spice brands and other top stories of the week
This week, SMBStory also covered the stories of Estuary, a brand helping whiskey lovers retain the real taste with its blending water, and Ahmedabad-based packaged drinking water brand Clear Pani.
“Swaad sugandh ka raja, Badshah Masala.”
Sounds familiar? We have all grown up listening to this jingle ad and salivating over the dishes featured in the TV commercial. Recently, many Instagram influencers improvised on this jingle ad, which took many down the memory lane to the 90s when it was first aired and broadcasted on radio and television.
The brand has been winning its customers' hearts since its inception in 1958, yet not many know the man behind one of the oldest spices companies in India.
SMBStory interacted with Hemant Jhaveri, the second-generation entrepreneur and Managing Director of , to understand the Made in India brand’s legacy, and how it has remained relevant over the years to become a Rs 154 crore turnover company in FY 20-21.
Other top stories of the week -
Estuary
Devashish Kamdar’s career trajectory was set in stone when he joined his family’s Ahmedabad-based bridal jewellery business, Su Dev Group, started by his grandfather, after passing out from the University of Nottingham in 2014. His work led him to travel across the length and breadth of the country and the world, especially Delhi, Mumbai, and London — where the stores are located.
It was being away from home for weeks that made Devashish take note of a gap. “I was used to consuming a particular brand of water with my whiskey, and if that was not available, I wouldn’t consume it,” he tells SMBStory.
During the lockdown, this gap increased as restrictions meant he couldn’t find the right blend for his whiskey.
This led to the germination of the Ahmedabad-based brand .
“When I saw the market scenario, no player was operating in the space. People don’t realise but water influences the real taste of whiskey in a single malt,” he adds.
These claims are also scientifically backed. According to a report titled, ‘Dilution of whiskey,’ it is a proven fact that the taste of whiskey changes the moment water is added to it.
“The simulations (of guaiacol-water-alcohol solutions of various ethanol or EtOH concentrations) revealed that EtOH and water mix non-ideally generating clusters of EtOH molecules,” the report read.
Devashish, Founder of Estuary, started working on the company in October 2020 by setting up a manufacturing unit in Changodar, Gujarat, to make one of its kind blending water for alcohol. The fully-automated unit has a capacity of producing 90 bottles per minute.
Clear Pani
According to a report by MarketsandResearch, increasing health concerns and the unavailability of clean drinking water have led to the growth of the bottled water market in India.
The market is expected to reach Rs 403.06 billion by the end of 2023 from its current value of Rs 160 billion, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.75 percent from 2018.
Despite its size, the bottled water category hasn’t seen new local players in years.
This week, SMBStory spoke to Nayan Shah, Founder of , an Ahmedabad-based packaged drinking water brand.
Clear Pani, started in 2010 by manufacturing just 5000 bottles a day, now makes 25 lakh bottles a day and is eyeing to become a Rs 1000 crore company by 2025.
Nayan, in the interview, sheds light on the beginning, early years, and the impressive growth journey of the company.
Edited by Suman Singh