An inspired decision is sometimes the foundation for building a successful company. In the case of Revyur Speciality Natural, that decision was to leverage the existing infrastructure of a pharmaceutical company and launch an independent cosmetics brand. Incorporated in 2007, Revyur, led by Founder and MD Sharmila Vali and Product Development Director Palka Minocha, has launched a brand of natural cosmetic products and has established an international business out of Nagpur.

Powered by a team of women, the company endeavours to employ and train people living in slums to provide them with a livelihood. With over a hundred products in its repertoire, the company has come a long way since its launch of a handful of products. They have competed with MNCs with their USP of all natural products and look to constantly innovate and grow their product range.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL) Sharmila Vali (SV) and Palka Minocha (PM) share the journey of the company and its plans for the future. Watch this video for more about their journey.

GL: Tell us about your business.

SV: Revyur Speciality Natural are manufacturers of natural cosmetic products. Today, natural products are seeing an uptrend as people have discovered how harmful chemicals are for their skin in the long run. We use extracts from nuts, oils and other flora. We started with 24 products and we now have a range of over 100 products.

The idea germinated from our CEO’s vision. Having worked in pharmaceuticals before, he had the team, resources and infrastructure to take this initiative in the ‘cosmoceutical’ space forward. The company was established in 2007 and the products were on the shelves by 2010. 

We are an all-women team. It was never a part of the initial plan but the company evolved in this way. All aspects of the business, be it book-keeping, product development or research are managed by women employees. 

We started with Big Bazaar and supplied them till 2014. Then we shifted to our exclusive retail counters in Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat. Ladies go to beauty salons so we supply to salons as well. We export to various countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ivory Coast, Cambodia and soon we will supply to UAE.

PM: It was a beautiful experience launching the brand. It was an exciting time -- looking for packaging, travelling to China and searching for good suppliers in India. We had campaign shoots with celebrities Perizaad Zorabian and Prachi Desai since they were our brand ambassadors. Launching the brand was like seeing our own baby grow.

GL: What are the challenges you have faced in establishing your business?

SV: The initial challenge was creating interest in our products. We had to educate people about the concept of natural and organic products and how they were better than their chemical counterparts. Most multinationals use a lot of chemicals in their products. We try and keep our products as natural as possible. Driving the point of quality across was a massive challenge.

Now, we want to get into e-commerce as we foresee that as the future of our industry. For retail, you need a team. You need to have ‘beauty advisors’ who are trained and knowledgeable to make good conversion numbers for sales. Then you have to worry about the distributors and availability of stock. You might have a vision for how you want your products to be sold but this isn’t honoured by the distributors. However, this is not something that has held back our business. Another challenge is managing human resources

PM: There’s a lot of MNCs in this market. That makes it a challenge to enter. We stuck to good packaging and fragrances and to natural ingredients. Our products use preservatives only for a shelf life of one or one a half years.

GL: What is the USP of your business?

SV: Our USP is leveraging women power, making products lovingly as if at home and premium quality with an international feel.

PM: Our USP is ‘natural’, no chemicals and no side-effects to our products. We are trying to keep our packaging as unique as possible.

GL: What are some of the milestones of your business?

SV: We have miles to go before we sleep. We’ve won the Top 10 Business Enterprises from Femina in Maharashtra. We have won Best Entrepreneur Awards in various states. We have been awarded for self-empowerment of women. We are covered in major magazines. We have trained women from the slums to work with us on the production floor. They earn a livelihood. We also ensure education and healthcare is free for their children. 

Revyur has helped establish me as a woman entrepreneur. I am on the map today and am being interviewed because of it. There is the knowledge that there is one lady in Nagpur, living in a remote part of the city, working with a big team of people to bring changes in the cosmetic industry.

GL: What role do you feel GlobalLinker plays in connecting and assisting SMEs?

SV: This is a very important question. I believe in the platform. Here I can connect with my customer - my B2B stockist. I can connect with people who can propagate news, take and give inspiration and make life easier for myself. Connectivity is very important and GlobalLinker provides it.

GL:  What is your big business dream?

SV: I want to be the biggest player in the natural cosmetics industry.

PM: We keep seeing what’s in the market and what’s new. We still have a way to go. We want to get involved in the anti-ageing line. We have travelled a lot, and seen in other countries what is available and what isn’t yet available in India. We want to bring products like those to India.

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

SV: Train yourself well, equip yourself, get out there and there is so much to achieve. I firmly believe in the quote ‘Someday all my dreams will come true’.

Network with SMEs mentioned in the article by clicking on the 'Invite' button on their profile. Sharmila Vali  Palka Minocha

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the inputs shared by the featured member. GlobalLinker does not necessarily endorse the views, opinions & facts stated by the member.