Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Lucknow-headquartered Sugandhco has been in the perfumery business for more than 160 years. It was in 1850 that the business was launched by the family which is now represented by the sixth generation Vishesh Vijayvergiya, perfumer and scent branding consultant, Sugandhco. According to Vijayvergiya one of the greatest factors that has ensured the survival and success of the family business through the century has been their ability to constantly innovate – in terms of their products and service offerings. The company that has been focusing on the hospitality sector for the last one decade and is in the process of launching an e-commerce portal which will enable hoteliers to select and buy online. “Hotels will be able to select the product and buy samples online. We have already been working with leading hotels in India and abroad. For hotels we are a one stop solution for everything that has to do with aroma – we have air freshners, aroma oils, scent based marketing, scent based consultancy, gel based fragrance, room freshners, wardrobe fragrances, etc, all over India,” said Vijayvergiya, adding that, the company supplies to the Taj Group, The Lalit, Fairmont, and others.
Sugandhco exports its products to the Middle East, Singapore and Indonesia. “Our speciality is that we customise the products. Ten years back we used simple lemon grass oil. Now the trend is changing, a hotel wants a specific fragrance developed for them, which enhances the brand identity. They do not want the simple lemongrass, they would want lemongrass with blend of jasmine and firangipani. Or maybe cinnamon and lemongrass – a complex blend that is unique,” mentioned Vijayvergiya. The company is also coming up with a complete spa range – massage oil, foot massage oil, scalp massage oil, hair heena, and others. The clientele will be hotels, spas and resorts.
The USP of the company, according to Vijayvergiya, is that the products perform, with an excellent cost performance ratio. “All orders are dealt centrally. The company has no middle men so the costs go down,” he stated.