Vedika Sharma, founder and director of Mantra Herbal, talks to G20 about her endeavour and how she tackles the challenges that come in her way. Below are the excerpts from the exclusive conversation:
Q. Would you enlighten our readers about your journey?
A. Once I completed my studies abroad and came back to India, I worked with two different organisations in the field of marketing (that’s what I studied) and wanted to eventually start my own marketing agency. However, a part of me also wanted to do something in the field of Ayurveda and promote the practise of Ayurveda so I started working simultaneously on both. I realized during my time in London that my friends there knew more about Ayurveda and Yoga than my friends back home and that’s when I decided I wanted to do something in this field and spread my knowledge about Ayurveda. I saw the need in the market for clean ayurvedic beauty products and we were already making a few for our spa and to export so I found an opportunity there and grabbed it. We are now manufacturing our products in Baddi , Himachal Pradesh and seeking through 200+ stores across North India and Bombay. We also sell online out of our own website and other Ecommerce websites such as Nykaa, Amazon, Flipkart, etc.
Q. What has the entrepreneurial experience of starting Mantra Herbal been like for you?
A. It’s been quite an experience! I’ve learnt so much on the job and have gotten the kind of exposure and experience that I wouldn’t otherwise. I’ve learned to deal with all sorts of issues and people and I’ve also learnt a lot from the mistakes I’ve made and a lot from the people I work with.
Q. Where do you see the competitive edge, differentiation and USP of Mantra Herbal products?
A. Our USP is that we sell clean ayurvedic products. We pride in being transparent about what we put and don’t put in each product. Also, since we are a part of BRF we have a team of highly qualified vaidyas that are working on our formulations, each of which is according to Ayurveda and body doshas.
Q. You are conceptualising and focusing on innovation along with the traditional values of your range of products. What are your hot-selling products?
A. Our Gulab Arka Rose Water and Kashmir Rogan Badam Oil are two of our best sellers. We use the highest quality of roses sourced from Kannauj and our Almonds from Pampore, Kashmir from a family that has been working with us since the past 3 generations. These two products are safe to be ingested as they are completely natural and chemical free. We have six different product categories — Skincare, Haircare, Bodycare, Mens range, Spa Range and lastly our Anantam collection. Our anti-aging category — Anantam has products made using green apple stem cell technology which has been integrated with Ayurveda.
Q. How has your business adapted to this new world order that we are in the midst of?
A. It’s taking time to get used to this new way of living and it has been difficult since a few of the physical stores we are selling out of are shut but online business is taking off and is in full swing. We have launched our own range of sanitizers and soaps and now are launching an immunity kit in collaboration with our parent company Ayurvedant. This kit comprises supplements such as giloy along with our sanitizer, soap, shampoo and body wash.