On a High

At a time when most consumer goods companies in India are reporting lacklustre growth and the overall economy is visibly in a recession, Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director, Parle Agro, claims her business has grown over 35 per cent in the past year. "We have grown despite harsh monsoons in many parts of the country. Appy Fizz is growing by 90 per cent," she says.

The Rs 5,000 crore company has reportedly doubled its turnover in the last five years and Chauhan says robust growth has come on the back of high levels of business practices that she and her team have put in place.

Parle Agro has not just improved its distribution; it has also come up with packaging innovations, which has helped it keep the pricing affordable.

"We recently launched a 160-ml pack of Appy Fizz, using our inhouse pro-pack technology. The product is priced at Rs 10 and is growing well," claims Chauhan, adding that since the overall per capita consumption of soft drinks is low, there is huge potential for growth.

The company is also ensuring that it expands its infrastructure at the same pace as its growth. Chauhan says they are setting up a new plant (the company has 15 manufacturing facilities) almost every year.

She has set a target of becoming a Rs 10,000 crore company by 2022. "It's an ambitious target, but there is immense opportunity." In fact, her biggest challenge is to maintain the growth momentum. "When you have this kind of growth, you can't even blink."