Making a mark in a saturated marketplace is difficult but possible with a vision to differentiate the product or service. With drive and conviction, two friends in Indore did just that by having the vision to leverage a crop that grows abundantly in the nation – cotton. The duo has established a production facility that adheres to international standards like the Conformity European (CE) and ISO 9001 which certify them for export to Europe and beyond. They produce bleached cotton and manufacture cotton healthcare products and do so while also adhering to strict environmental guidelines. All the water that they use in production is recycled. There is no waste generated that can harm the environment.

Hiren Soni is director of Mohini Fibers Ltd, which he established along with his friend Avnish who had some knowledge and expertise in the industry. They joined hands and started with just one unit after much trial and error. Today, they are planning on expanding to a point where they could be the largest producer of bleached cotton in South and South-East Asia. While doing so, they wish to work towards what their company vision calls ‘One Happy World’ and gain global recognition as a brand for health and hygiene products.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL) Hiren Soni (HS) shares the journey of his enterprise. Watch this video for more insight into the company.

GL: Tell us about your business.

HS: At Mohini Fibers we manufacture bleached cotton. We use that bleached cotton to manufacture other products like cotton pads, cotton rolls, cotton and cotton balls and cotton earbuds.

This is a first-generation enterprise. This was the brainchild of my friend Avnish. Because of his vast knowledge in cotton we thought of doing something in this field and started with a small set-up. However, we also have a family business. We manufacture plastic food containers. I help manage that in addition to my work with Mohini Fibers.

In the beginning, Avnish and I came together and began working on one unit that bleached cotton. Today we have achieved some success and have expanded considerably.

Our projection for the domestic market for the coming six months is that we want to engage 500 distributors pan-India to distribute our products. When it comes to the international market, we are focusing more on our European partners for trade. Poland, Greece, Spain and Italy are countries we do business with. We also sell to clients in China. China is the second largest producer of cotton in the world. We are proud to supply to the Chinese market at competitive prices.

Today, we are a zero-discharge unit and the water we use is used to a 100% of its capacity. It is recycled 100% as well. The fallout to the environment is negligible in our business. The water level required for drinking is the kind of water we use in the input of our process.

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

HS: There were a lot of challenges when we started this business. Lots of production issues and management problems kept arising. For the bleaching, we had to several trials before we could reach an optimal level that could be acceptable to the market. We gave a lot of time and effort to that process of optimisation and after reaching that level we are planning further expansion which brings with it different challenges.

GL: What is the USP of your business?

HS: Our quality and competitive prices are our USP.

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

HS: We started with a small capacity unit and had a vision to come to the level we are at today. That was a significant milestone. The next milestone we have is also significant. Once it is completed we will be the biggest producer of bleached cotton in South and South-East Asia.

Last year, in 2015, we also listed our company on the National Stock Exchange. This is one of our more recent and biggest achievements.

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

HS: For us, GlobalLinker is a platform with which we can connect with distributors worldwide.

GL: What is your big business dream?

HS: It’s on its way. We are in the process of expanding with our units. Once we are done with this expansion, we will be the biggest producer of bleached cotton in South and South-East Asia.

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

HS: Everybody can do it. If you have the desire to do something, anyone is capable of doing it. Failures are small steps towards success.

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