Meet man who ran grocery shop, began business from kitchen, then turned it into Rs 500 crore company
The man and his sons would go door-to-door to sell the product after making their first product.
Several popular brands in India began from scratch. Their founders even did several odd jobs before starting their business journey. In this article, we will tell you about one such founder who made his company's first product from his kitchen. His name is Keshav Vishnu Pendharkar. He founded the famous brand Vicco in 1952 in Parel. The company sells several products for oral care and skin care. Vicco became popular with its ads with the jingle 'Vajradanti Vajradanti Vicco Vajradanti...'.
Keshav used to run a grocery shop in Nagpur to support his family. One day, he decided to move to Mumbai with his family. Initially, he did some odd jobs in Bandra and other city areas for some time. Subsequently, he moved to Parel, where he noticed that people often use allopathic medicines and foreign cosmetic products.
He gathered knowledge about Ayurvedic scriptures and took help from his brother-in-law, who knew Ayurvedic medicines. He then made the first Ayurvedic product tooth powder at home (kitchen). Keshav decided to launch his own brand which will be a chemical-free alternative to cosmetic brands. Initially, Keshav and his sons would go door-to-door to sell the product. His hard work paid off as people started liking his tooth powder. Within four years, his company achieved good growth.
“The family had a three-room house. The kitchen became the manufacturing unit, and the other rooms turned into the godown and office," Sanjeev Pendharkar, grandson of Pendharkar once told The Better India.
In 1975, the company introduced the first yellow-coloured face cream called Vicco Turmeric Skin Cream. VICCO stands for Vishnu Industrial Chemical Company. It had a mere turnover of Rs 10,000 annually in 1955. But in FY 2022, the company reportedly had a revenue of Rs 500 crore. Keshav passed away in 1971. Presently, the company is run by the third-generation entrepreneur Sanjeev, CEO of the company.