The COVID-19 pandemic has sure gut-punched the entire Indian economy. In times like this, we have to support the local businesses, now more than ever. While Modi has already marked upon the initiative of “Make-In-India”, let us look upon the once ‘local businesses’ from Modi’s own lands which have made it to the top.
While there are numerous savvy business people many of whom have found success far beyond the boundaries of the state and the country, all of these iconic brands we know and love are still as authentically Gujarati as khaman dhokla. There isn’t any doubt in mind that these brands are any less Gujarati, however, their authenticity and originality are sure to stun you.
Amul
Amul from Anand traces back its root to the heart of Gujarat- Kheda. In 1946, a collective group of farmers decided to get a fair price for all products that are perishable. This is how the Kheda(Kaira) District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union was formed. The idea was to collect milk from all the local villages and towns, where it was processed under a jointly owned facility and transported to the Bombay Markets.
Under the leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien, Amul spearheaded Operation Flood that helped grow the country’s dairy industry. Today Amul is a Rs.385 billion organization that produces and churns out all types of dairy products that range from camel milk to cheese-based snack products, chocolate, and everything in between. However, if under all these years, anything has remained constant- it is the tiny little animated girl in a blue and white polka-dotted dress and her witty Amul puns that ensure publicity and entertainment.
Wipro
Wipro stands for Western India Vegetable Products Company. Synchronous, to its name, its ideal motive was to sell fresh vegetables at better prices and to sell vegetable oil. Primarily founded in the 1950s, Mohammed Premji founded this company and the present chairman is Mr. Azim Premji. Wipro jumped into hardware and software business after the 1980s. Wipro is now among the top 100 IT companies and firms in the entire world.
Reliance
Gujarat is better known as Ambani’s land. The very reason for being such a successful businessman is due to the fact that he is the Father of Reliance- Dhirubhai Ambani. Originally founded in 1966 as a polyester firm, Reliance soon entered into all the sectors of life. Including, digital products, fresh vegetables, telecommunication services, financial services, petroleum, and power sectors. By 2002 Reliance had grown into a U$15 billion conglomerate.
Vadilal
When the founder Vadilal Gandhi sold soda pops door-to-door in 1907, little did he know that his life( and ours as well!) was going to be revolutionized. What started out as a door-to-door business soon turned out to be one of the most famous ice cream franchises in the entire country. Gandhi soon started delivering hand-churned icecream in styrofoam boxes until he set up a shop- and the rest is history!
The first outlet was set up in 1926 and by 1950, the company extended its arms all over Gujarat and India. Vadilal employs more than a thousand people and is currently valued at more than Rs.4 billion.
Nirma
Nirma’s story is one of the most persevering and dedicating stories in the history of businesses. When Karsanbhai Patel, a mere lab technician, used his expertise to devise a yellow, phosphate-free detergent powder in 1969, he was struggling to make ends meet. However, his dedication didn’t stop him once in going door-to-door to sell packets of the stuff for a quarter of the price of the nearest competitor.
Balancing two jobs is not easy, try balancing three. For selling his own brand, he would market the same before heading onto his day job. He named the brand Nirma after his daughter Nirupama who died in an accident at a very young age.
Even the iconic logo of the swirling girl in a billowy dress on her is based on her. The brand’s iconic commercials in the 1990s made it an indelible part of Indian pop culture, promising customers it would leave their clothes “white as milk”.
Balaji
Necessity is the mother of invention. When adversity creeps upon you, you don’t have any option but to become tougher and face the situation bravely. Each of the three Virani brothers was given Rs. 20000 each when an extreme drought forced their father to sell their land. The three musketeers then veered to Rajkot where they tried their hands in small businesses, all failing at some point in time.
Adversity forced them to work at a cafe in Astron Cinema, however, their ethics and behavior spoke highly of them. Soon enough, they were developing and experimenting on their own brewery and cafe under the name “Balaji”. Word spread and so did their operations and now they sell more than 50 snack products ranging from chips to instant noodles. The company today is reported to be worth more than Rs22 billion.
Tata
Their story began in the small town of Mithapur, Gujarat in 1939. Born in the coastal town of Mithapur, the brand’s first factory was surrounded by salt pans. Later on, they started experimenting with industrial soda ash in 1938, and over its long history has diversified with forays into the consumer market. It’s most popular product is salt- that goes with the tagline- “Desh ka namak” (Salt of the nation).
Godrej
What’s in a name? Trust, Security, and Zeal. Godrej Locks is one of the most famous locks used in all over the country. This indomitable force can be traced back to 1897 when a young lad, Ardeshi Godrej, turned his back on the law to pursue lock-making.
In 1944, when the Mumbai blasts, shattered everyone, only the Godrej Safe were intact- this is the trust, brand, and security of Godrej. Godrej now has expanded its wings to refrigerators, ballot boxes, detergents, spring-less locks, matrix printers, etc.
Asian Paints
The company initially was founded in 1942 when four friends decided to take upon the most popular paint companies operating in India by building up a partnership firm. Over a period of 25 years, Asian Paints had become a force of nature in being the leading paint company of India. Driven by its consumer service and reliability, today Asian Paints is twice the size it was in the last ten years. A study conducted by Forbes ranked Asian Paints as the fourth most admired brand in India.
Parle
Parle Products began manufacturing biscuits in 1939. In 1947, when India became independent, the company launched an ad campaign, showcasing its Gluco brand of biscuits as an Indian alternative to British-branded biscuits. Out of revolution, Indians started buying and selling this brand as an alternative to the English “cookies”. Initially, the “G” stood for Glucose, however, it now has a tagline of “G for Genius”.
In 2013, Parle-G became India’s first brand to cross the ₹5,000 marks in retail sales.
Kotak
It was established in 1985 as a financial organization. In 2003, RBI gave the former license to carry out banking activities. This is the first company to convert into a bank, in the history of Indian banking.
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