Coimbatore-based Kruthika Kumaran is a perfect tale of determination and how hard work helps in achieving dreams. Kruthika Kumaran is one of those businesswomen who faced a personal challenge, solved it, and then turned it into a business empire with an initial investment of Rs 8000-Rs 10,000.
Kruthika Kumaran struggled with her daughter's skin problem and came up with a solution by creating her line of natural and organic personal care products under the brand name Vilvah.
The brand's name, Vilvah, symbolises a leaf from the Bel tree used in worshiping Lord Shiva.
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Vilvah first began as Kruthika Kumaran's solution to her daughter's skin problems but now has a turnover of Rs 29 crore. Vilvah began its operations from Kruthika Kumaran's home kitchen and now the Vilvah store has a range of 70 distinct skincare and hair care products.
The brand continues to expand its reach with its website, e-commerce platforms, and two physical stores in Chennai and Coimbatore.
"I learned to make soaps by watching videos on YouTube and also pursued a two-month-long diploma course in cosmetology to enhance my knowledge," Kruthika said.
For the unversed, Kruthika Kumaran was born in Tamil Nadu's small agricultural town of Gobichettipalayam. Her father is an advocate while her mother was a homemaker.
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Kruthika Kumaran completed her schooling at Shree Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School. She later moved to Coimbatore for further education where she pursued a B.Tech in Information Technology at Kumaraguru College of Technology, graduating in 2007.
After completing her engineering, she married Tamil Kumaran at the age of 21 and became a housewife. Kruthika Kumaran started her business in March 2017 and her husband later joined to work with her.
“My husband who was into his family textile business joined me when I began receiving more enquiries and needed support,” she said, whose husband Tamil is an MBA graduate.
In Vilvah, Kruthika Kumaran's husband Tamil focuses on finance and business management, while Kruthika oversees the production side.
Vilvah began as a proprietorship initially and was registered as a private limited company in 2020. It achieved Rs 1 crore in turnover during its first year and reached Rs 29 crore in the current year.
