How 4 Gujarati brothers transformed a paan shop into Rs 300 crore dairy empire

All success stories teach us one thing, and that is there is no shortcut to success. Only hardwork, perseverance and goal setting for the objective can help you reach towards your desired goals. Today we bring before you the success story of four brothers who transformed their paan shop into a Rs 300 crore Dairy Empire.

The year was 1987, when the four Bhuva brothers of Chavand village moved to Amreli in Gujarat for a better life. In the new city, the four brothers - Dinesh, Jagdish, Bhupat and Sanjeev opened a paan shop from the money their father had given them while they were leaving home. Their father was a farmer in the village.

It was on the suggestion of the eldest brother Dinesh that the paan shop was opened near the city bus stand to get a better reach of customers. They even sold cold drinks in this little shop. Three decades later, they transformed their humble paan shop to lay the foundation of a Rs 300 crore empire that sells hundreds of varieties of dairy and food products. 

According to the brothers, the income from the paan shop helped them earn well and covered the expenses for their education. The had to face some initial hiccups though. In 1989, the city underwent development and beautification, resulting in the demolition of their kiosk. The brothers then purchased a small shop near the bus station.

During these years they experimented with their business. In the Janmashtami of 1993, they also started selling ice creams. For this, they outsourced the ice creams from a local company and sold it for a commission. The business did well and it paved the way for setting up their own ice cream unit. From 1996 onwards, they first learned and subsequently sold handmade ice creams.

This led to an expansion of their customer base. In 1998, they converted the company into a proprietorship of Shree Sheetal Industries. The company then started expanding the market and selling ice creams in retail outlets within the city and eventually in other parts of the district and state.

However, electricity cut and power fluctuations were a source of hindrance in their business. But then fate took a positive turn and the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi announced Gram Jyoti Yojana to deliver electricity. 

The company introduced new milk products, and in 2012, they rechristened the company by the name Sheetal Cool Products Pvt Ltd. By 2016, the company diversified into market segments of namkeens and listed it as a public limited company, Sheetal Cool Products Ltd, the following year.

Today, the company processes 2 lakh litres of milk per day, with 1,500 employees out of which 800 are women. It has entered eight segments and offers over 500 products in the market.