Sweet Force

Growing up, Avantika Saraogi, Executive Director, Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd. (BCML), saw firsthand how her late grandmother, Padma Shri awardee Meenakshi Saraogi, led with both heart and strategy and treated employees and farmers like family.

- AVANTIKA SARAOGI

Today, as BCML celebrates 50 years, Avantika carries the same ethos forward. Whether navigating shifts or championing sustainability, she remains driven by one goal: to honour the past while building a future that is even sweeter.

For Avantika, entrepreneurship was never just an option—it was instinctive. Growing up in a business family naturally shaped her mindset towards building and leading, but BCML wasn't the only path she envisioned. Her first venture took her into the food and beverage industry, where she spent several years honing her skills. Yet, deep down, she always knew that, in some way—big or small—she would eventually become part of the family business. When she finally joined BCML, it felt like everything had come full circle—a moment of clarity when she realised she had found her ikigai.

Avantika fondly recalls her childhood visits to the Balrampur factory in Uttar Pradesh—the mother unit—where she would excitedly break sugarcane straight from the fields and chew on it, only to be shooed away alongside the monkeys for “trespassing”! Every stick of cane mattered, after all. For 16 years, every summer and winter break was spent at the factory, offering her the privilege of witnessing her grandmother’s masterful leadership. But what stood out most wasn’t just her business acumen—it was the way she nurtured relationships beyond financial performance. She built deep, personal connections with the entire ecosystem: growers, employees, their families, local government officials, neighbours, and shopkeepers. She wasn’t just running a business; she was fostering a thriving, interconnected community—something that continues to inspire Avantika today.

In a conversation with MARWAR India, Avantika shared her journey, insights, and inspirations. Here are excerpts from the exchange.