India’s ancient wisdom and culture of Ayurveda, have been successfully used in the making of body care products since ages. Leveraging its experience and knowhow in organic farming, Pune-based Shreyas Enterprise hopes to take this wisdom forward in making cosmetics products that are reminiscent of our glorious past
Pune-based Shreyas Enterprise, popularly known for its Appis brand of honey, has ventured into cosmetics and body care offerings, targeting the burgeoning demand for cosmetic products with pure organic and natural ingredients.
Since the company has a strong footing in the Pune market, it has already launched its range of the new products in the city. Plans are afoot to launch the products in Mumbai and the other major cities in India. Though it intends to have a wide variety of offerings in the future, it has so far launched products, such as skin toners, lip balm, facial cream for acne, and hand-made soaps.
Entirely organic and natural
“All our products would be entirely organic and natural, unlike brands which claim to be so, with only a miniscule percentage of organic ingredients. We are seeing a steep rise in demand for purely organic based cosmetics products in metro cities in India, and we intend to tap this trend,” says Sameer Kalaskar, Director, Shreyas Enterprise. “All our products are designed and formulated with the backing of our own R&D efforts. They contain no preservatives, and have to be used within six months after it is packed.”
The company hopes to make the most of the ancient Indian knowledge and culture of Ayurveda and medicinal herbs in the production of its body care products. Kalaskar believes that the ancient knowledge and literature on Ayurveda has been effectively used in the making of body care products since ages. To illustrate the point hecites the example of Panchamrut, which uses all the ingredients considered good for the skin. “However, this ancient wisdom of India is being capitalized on by manufacturers in the western countries to make their proprietary products. We, in India, are lagging behind because we lack in an inter-disciplinary approach,” he further explains with an an example. “In India, a person with experience and knowledge in the chemical industry will not generally collaborate in matters related to the probiotics or the agriculture sector – and vice versa. However, for true growth it is very important that people across sectors and disciplines collaborate. The collaborative efforts of people in these sectors can help Indian companies to being out the best of organic products,” he points out.
Leveraging relevant qualifications, experience
Shreyas Enterprise, with its four directors having qualifications and experience in different relevant fields, hopes to overcome this anomaly, and collaborate, sharing its wherewithal to help make products that represent the best of Ayurveda. The company is managed by directors with a rich experience and even doctorates in different relevant fields, such as biotechnology, microbiology, animal husbandry, and nanotechnology.
To make its products purely organic, Shreyas Enterprise will leverage its experience, expertise and infrastructure in organic farming. For the production of honey and related products, the company operates organic farms in the outskirts of Pune, as well as in the Satara and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra. It runs an NGO (non-governmental organization) named Agri Bridge Development and Research Foundation (ABDRF), which specializes in supporting the Indian farmers to undertake organic farming with regards to producing aromatic as well as medicinal herbs, informs Kalaskar.
The company does organic farming by utilizing the land of farmers in the said regions, through a contract basis. As per the contractual agreement, a portion of the farm land is used for producing crops required by Shreyas Enterprise, while the latter provides support to the farmers in the form of kind and guidance to help them get the maximum and superior quality output from their farms. This support is not only restricted to the yield of crops required by the company.
According to Kalaskar, the company’s unique kind of arrangement with the farmers gives them a dual advantage. “With our expertise, these farmers are successful in ensuring maximum yield for their main crops, which are also of the highest quality. This, in turn, helps them in getting a better response and prices for their produce in the market. Secondly, they are also remunerated for the use of their land for producing crops for Shreyas Enterprises,” he informs.