Long before Dabur India Private Limited came to be established in 1936, the ambition had taken root in Kolkata, where Dr. SK Burman ventured forth to make healthcare products in 1884. Cut to 1996 and the company raised its first public issue, which was oversubscribed 21 times.
It crossed the Rs.1,000 crore mark in turnover in 2000. In FY 2022, Dabur India’s revenue was in excess of Rs.10,888 crore.
Long before healthcare, natural ingredients and ayurveda were in vogue, Dabur can be credited with leading the charge. The goodness of health and nature became products that every Indian could use, not just the upper crust. It was also a company that focused on individual product segments and gave each its due attention.
Four brands from the stable had a turnover of over Rs.1,000 crore each – oils Dabur Vatika and Dabur Amla, Dabur Red Paste and the juice brand Real. Two were in the Rs.500-crore club, including one that generations have grown up with, Dabur Chyawanprash, alongside Dabur Honey. The company has in its folio 12 brands that clock Rs.100 crore, making it a truly powerful portfolio.
Besides its organic growth, Dabur India has invested in acquisitions in spaces like skincare and wellness in India and internationally. In rural India, it has expanded its outreach from 60,000 villages to 90,000 in the last year.
The science-based ayurvedic company announced in February 2022 that it had become 100pc ‘Plastic Waste Neutral’, having collected, processed and recycled around 27,000 MT of post-consumer plastic waste (the same amount that it sells in its product packaging in a year) from across India in FY 2021-’22.
The same month, it entered into an exclusive tie up with Indian Oil for the latter’s Indane distributors to become retail business partners and sell Dabur products directly to the LPG consumer households. Talking of distribution, Dabur also announced in April this year that it would induct 100 electric vehicles in its supply chain at the last mile.
From innovating on products to inventive marketing and distribution to delivering on social responsibility, Dabur stands tall as an Indian FMCG player we can look up to.
