Family Values
Rajkamal Namkeens was my grandfather’s brainchild and has been run by the family for the past 30 years. While growing up I’ve always looked at the amount of dedication and hard work my family has put into this company. At a very young age, I was taught to value the people who worked for us and it has been a boon in disguise for the company. My parents instilled dedication, discipline and a strong front to face any challenge that came in the way.
My grandfather came to Bombay in 1968, with the aim to establish his name. After two years of serving in Kores India, he called my father’s maternal uncle (mamaji) from Bikaner to serve in the precious stone business.
In 1971 both of them started supplying Bikaneri Bhujiya, sourced from Bikaner to relatives and slowly they contacted local shops in western suburbs and south Bombay. These packets used to be self-packed at home and would be sold after work hours by our grandfathers.
Bhujiya was uncommon in the market in Bombay, they marketed bhujiya and other specialty namkeem from Bikaner to all the shops in Bombay.
In 1970 a Partnership firm Anand & Co was formed and in 1975 a manufacturing partnership firm Rajkamal Centre was formed.
They started a small factory with the help of a few kaarigars sourced from Bikaner.
In 1980, we successfully owned a unit at Vikhroli west in industrial premises, and from that time we are slowly proceeding and growing in this business.
Later on, in 1990, we started making our Indian traditional sweets manufactured (by Anand & Co) and supplying to prestigious provisional and sweet shops.
In that period we converted the partnership firm from Rajkamal Centre to Rajkamal Namkeens Pvt Ltd,both companies are situated in Vikhroli west in the same industrial premises.
This business is being proudly run by the third generation of the family.
After a year of working and witnessing the hard work my cousins put in, I realized how passionate and lucky I was about being in this field. A constant push from my family to travel and market our brand has helped me to make a direct distribution channel pan India. As a novice, my grandfather guided me to be confident, presentable, and to always adjust to the needs and wants of the retailers in and outside Maharashtra.
The roles of family members
A famous saying was always taught to us at business school “Too many cooks spoil the broth” but it has turned out to be the opposite at work. Currently, we have 9 family members involved in the mithai and namkeen business and each member has been defined his/her role to ensure the smooth functioning of the business operations. This has been very effective since each individual has been given their respective departments which increases the efficiency of work and builds harmony. Working with family members has been extremely beneficial as there is constant support in sunny as well as stormy days.
The Changing Perception of the Young Generation
I wouldn’t say that this particular market segment is dominated by traditional business families however they do have a strong market hold since they’ve been the pioneers in this business. The youth of our country is full of talent and passion, all they need is a slight acceptance by the market and a little motivational push to create new boundaries.
They are ready to venture into the untapped areas in this segment such as aesthetic packaging, social media, e commerce and its importance to reach out to the end consumers in a hassle-free and a faster way. The youth has been giving more attention to the development of a brand, creating a reputed brand image and bringing about a change in the society.
The Role of Modern technologies & Automation
Fully automated plants are wholly and solely owned by the big players, they improve efficiency without a doubt. For us, we believe in personalizing as per our customer needs so having a semi-automated plant works in our favor.
Lockdown Consequences
The importance of a clean and healthy office was only emphasized during the lockdown and we have been following it ever since. This lockdown made me realize how important it is to be passionate about what you’re doing, to seize the day and face every situation with a bright smile. Online marketing and door to door delivery service were the most appreciated in the market. For a few months during the lockdown, we were one of the very few manufacturers supplying to all essential stores in Bombay with all precautions and permissions in hand.
Growth in Diwali and Sales of Gift Hampers
Generally, in the past few years, our planning for Diwali gift hampers commences 3 months before the festivities start. Along with offering sweets, namkeens, and dry fruit we also provide a complete range of personalized gift hampers and corporate boxes for our clients.
Our bestseller for the past two years has been a fusionists’ sweet called Crunch, currently, we offer 6 flavors namely: mango, Oreo, Kesar, Hazelnut, Paan, and Gul-kand. However this Diwali, due to COVID-19 the number of inquiries has decreased considerably.
We strongly promote the crunch range to all our clients as it is a pioneering new sweet in the market, with a shelf life of a month. This sweet is a mixture of traditional flavors with a modern chocolaty twist.
The market has been very slow and majority of the people are opting out from gifting this year, therefore it is very tough to sustain the market and no prediction can be made, however, we are as hopeful as we can be. The market is full of opportunities as soon as we are able to go back to the pre- covid life.