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Ludhiana Personality :: Rajni Bector
One would think that someone who began with a meager investment of around Rs 300 over three decades ago and runs a unit that is about to touch Rs 200 crore of turnover today, must be highly ambitious. Strangely though, ambition has not been on the agenda of Ms Rajni Bector, Managing Director, Cremica Limited, who says all she did was what she ought to have done, as is preached by the Bhagavadagita.
Rajni is one of the first women entrepreneurs in the region. The timing of the venture’s commencement and the conservative approach affluent families had towards working women were factors that ensured things were not all that smooth for this entrepreneur. “As I came from a well-off family, money was not the factor for which I was working. However, it could have been a reason strong enough to stop me from working, as women from affluent families did not work then. People talked a lot about it, but then all that didn’t bother me,” says Rajni. And her firmness was what also changed the conservative approach people had towards women who worked.
Her ice creams were a hot favourite with friends and she initially started off with supplying them at parties. The turning point was when once she put up a stall at a fete where another leading ice cream manufacturing company also had its stall. “I had never thought people would buy my ice creams. But they preferred us to them and our stock was over in no time. That was when I thought of doing it on a large scale — the company got registered and Cremica was born,” she fondly remembers.
That was in 1974-75. Cremica is now about to reach an annual turnover of Rs 150-200 crore. The group has a couple of units, including Cremica Frozen Foods, EBI Foods, Mrs Bector’s Desserts and Cremica Agro India, which is engaged in manufacturing products like ketchups and namkeens. The company also plans to come out with readymade gravies shortly. The products are exported to Africa, the USA and UK.
She considers herself lucky in business, as the concept she came out with was relatively new then. Her attitude to experiment and bring out new flavours and products was something relatively new and well received. Innovation and emphasis on quality is what she thinks helped her carve a niche. “I never compromised on quality, even if it meant buying expensive raw material. Now we are even importing some stuff. And I also ensured that we regularly came out with new stuff for which I used to read a lot,” she reveals.
While achievements have been many, including awards and the contentment, order by McDonald’s, Rajni says, has been no less than an accomplishment. “While they were looking forward for the best in quality, our selection was something I was really proud of.”
Cremica has been business partner of McDonald’s since the latter started operations in India. The company supplies buns, ketchups, toppings, “in fact most of the raw material,” says Rajni.
Cremica supplies one-lakh buns a day to McDonald’s. Besides, Cremica has also partnered with Cadbury’s ITC and EBI Foods, a UK-based firm. The company also supplies biscuits for the World Food Project, shipping low fat biscuits across the world, particularly to the war-torn areas of Afghanistan and Iraq.
However, it is family that has always remained the priority. “Though there never was this typical problem of maintaining a balance as my children were grown up by the time I started, I never compromised on it also. There were times when I would not sleep and work at night so that I could spend time with my family.”
Rajni says she never faced problems in managing people. “It is not about managing men or women, it is about dealing with people. Perhaps this attitude helped me and I always had full support of those working with me,” she says. She also remains an equally active social worker. And today while her three sons have joined her business, 62-year-old Rajni remains as active and passionate about her work.
Her mantra of success? “Just remember that work is worship — whatever you do, be it at home or outside, treat it respectfully.”
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