From Door-To-Door Selling Of Tooth Powder To Establishing Rs 700-Crore 'Sampoorn Swadeshi' Brand: The Inspiring Story Of Vicco Founder
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NEW DELHI: Who can forget jingles like "Vicco Turmeric, Nahi Cosmetic, Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream" and "Vicco Vajradanti’’ which were extremely popular during the 90s. Even today, these jingles remind us of the famous brand Vicco, which was founded by Keshav Vishnu Pendharkar in 1952.
In today's highly competitive world, new products are launched in the market almost every day. However, only those products manage to create a lasting impression that come clean in the test of quality, genuineness and pricing. VICCO is one such brand which has earned people’s immense trust ever since its founders began manufacturing premium quality affordable products in a humble kitchen nearly seven decades ago.
The time-tested iconic brand has since flourished into a multi-billion rupee industry.
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Journey From A Humble Kitchen
Vicco, which stands for Vishnu Industrial Chemical Company, was named after its founder, Keshav Vishnu Pendharkar. Keshav used to run a modest grocery store in the Nagpur district of Maharashtra to support his family. However, he soon shifted his base to Mumbai where he did several odd jobs to sustain his family.
He initially stayed in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb but eventually settled in Parel. During his stay there, he noticed that there was a huge demand for allopathic medicines and foreign cosmetic products. It was around this time that Keshav decided to launch his own brand as an alternative to already popular foreign cosmetic brands.
However, before launching his own brand ‘Vicco’, Pendharkar studied ancient scriptures to gain more knowledge about the Ayurvedic medicine-making process with the help of herbs. He got help from his brother-in-law, who was also an expert in Ayurvedic medicines.
In no time, Pendharkar launched his first Ayurvedic product - a toothpowder made from 18 Ayurvedic ingredients. He along with his son Gajanan, who had a degree in pharmacy, started selling toothpowder from house to house. The duo packaged the toothpowder in a small box inside a cotton bag to make it look ‘Swadeshi’ in every possible way.
Within a short span of time, the brand VICCO managed to win the trust of the consumers and became very popular. Around 1971, Keshav’s son Gajanan took the reins of the company in his own hands and forayed into the beauty and cosmetic segments. The company soon launched - Vicco Turmeric Skin Cream – a highly popular beauty product based on turmeric.
The company also launched several other products such as VICCO sugar-free paste for diabetic patients, VICCO Turmeric Foam Base Multipurpose Cream, VICCO Turmeric Oil Base All Purpose Cream and VICCO Turmeric WSO Cream – all with an aim to tap the growing beauty and cosmetic market in the country.
Within a few years of its launch, the company reached a valuation of Rs 700 crore. Despite the Brand Vicco’s tremendous success, the Pendharkar family still controls the company's policy, sales, the launch of new products, export, expansion plans and taking other vital decisions.
Today, the company produces more than 40 products from toothpaste, tooth powder, beauty cream, facewash, and night cream, which are sold across the country and exported to several countries worldwide.
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