Our long-term vision is to emerge as a brand that doesn't just refresh, but reconnects people with their roots

Rags to riches stories always excite and inspire people.

- RITWIK MUKHERJEE

And this one certainly is one such story, where someone rises from being an auto-rickshaw driver under a central government self-employment scheme to be at the helm of a Rs 800 crore FMCG company, aspiring to be a Rs 1000 crore FMCG group in the next two-three years.

The story is about someone who never had to look back after rolling out a carbonated drink christened as Bindu Jeera Masala. With growing consumer interest in natural, culturally rooted products and a move away from synthetic, generic offerings, House of Bindu is strategically well positioned at the convergence of nostalgia and health consciousness, offering beverages that balance tradition and modernity.

Speaking to The Statesman, Sathya Shankar, Managing Director, SG Corporates, which has House of Bindu as its FMCG arm, narrates his fascinating journey and also outlines how they are planning to explore opening new frontiers in functional beverages and also how they are driven by the long-term vision of establishing House of Bindu as the most loved and most trusted ethnic beverage brand and a brand that does not just refresh but reconnects people with their roots.

Excerpts:

Q: How did the entrepreneurial journey begin?

A: House of Bindu's Sathya Shankar began his entrepreneurial journey in 1982 by driving an auto-rickshaw under a central government self-employment scheme. This modest beginning provided deep insight into local livelihoods and cultivated his ambition to build something meaningful. Progressing from auto-rickshaw operations to retailing auto parts and eventually auto financing in 1994, the turning point came in 2000 with the launch of Bindu Packaged Drinking Water.