Bombay Sweets: When a sweet tooth inspires a thriving business
Mr Jivani’s fondness for sweets led him to open a store in 1948, where he also sold the traditional snack that has become a staple in every Bangladeshi home today - chanachur - out of jars
A hint of sweetness lingered in the air across Old Dhaka's Nawabpur Road in the late 1940s.
A cottage factory at the back of a small shop aromatised the neighbourhood, beckoning city dwellers to turn their heads towards the mouth-watering pyramidal stacks of laddoos, finely cut barfis, deliciously raisined perras, and juicy rosogollas displayed on the window front of the sweet shop.
Mr Jivani's fondness for sweets led him to open his store in 1948, where he also sold the traditional snack that has become a staple food in every Bangladeshi home today - chanachur - out of jars.
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His commitment to quality products allowed the business to thrive and gradually branch out to Baitul Mukarram and New Market.
Thus began the journey of one man and his sweet tooth into the world of delicious snacks and sugary treats.
Flourishing over time and gaining popularity in Bangladesh, it is recognised today as one of the largest consumer brands in the country - Bombay Sweets.
Although this food manufacturing giant established its market demand with sweets and chanachur during the 1950s, the company's subsequent focus on automating the production process led chanachur to become its primary product.
As a newly born country emerged and began to blossom after independence in 1971, the company also sought to reinvent its product line by diversifying into a variety of baked snacks and beverages.
As the company started growing, factories were gradually set up in the southern part of Dhaka upon securing a bank loan.
To secure its first major finance for growth, the company approached a bank in the late 1970s.
During the meeting, the company's product samples were distributed to the attendees.
One bank executive asked a question about the risk and viability of the project; on which the company representative replied, "Sir, you have already eaten up all the product samples I got for the meeting; there are only empty packs on the table..."
This stark observation put a big smile on everyone's face and the loan was instantly granted.
"Our business has always been about passion, rather than profit," said Karim Jivani, the current director of Bombay Sweets, while reminiscing with tales of his grandfather and father.
According to him, since those early days, the aim of pioneering innovation has continued to remain the company's ethos.
In 1985, Bombay Sweets introduced in Bangladesh the nation's first packaged chips - Ring chips.
Gaining instant acceptance upon launch, this product remains a favourite of children and adults alike.
This was followed in 1988 by the launch of what has become Bangladesh's 'national' chips and needs no introduction - Potato Crackers.
Another hit product - Mr. Twist, was introduced by the company in 1996.
Keeping up with its commitment to provide consumers with the best quality products, in 1998 Bombay Sweets decided to start producing its own packaging materials to maximise its products' shelf life.
The company also follows a backward integration in raw material procurement.
Much of the potatoes, flattened rice, and peanuts used for Bombay Sweets' snacks are grown under the supervision of the company's agro venture – Bombay Agro Ltd.
"Bombay Sweets' companies are part of the Large Tax Payers Unit (LTU) and pay 100% VAT on all its sales. This is in stark contrast to many other companies who have large sales figures but are dodging taxes and using unfair means to compete in the market," said the Events and Activation AGM, Kamrul Hassan.
The company said that the biggest driver of its success has been its relentless commitment to delivering products of the highest quality.
"We use advanced technology to maintain proper storage conditions for our potatoes all year round. This ensures uniform quality of potatoes for our products. We have numerous foreign specialists visiting frequently to ensure the entire farming operation continues to employ the best global practices," said Kamrul.
One example of this is the peanut selection process for chanachur - only the healthiest peanuts are used.
Peanuts are a very sensitive crop, which when spoiled, not only tastes bitter but can also contain a toxic chemical, Aflatoxin, which is not visible to the naked eye.
This chemical is harmful as it can be absorbed but never digested or eliminated from the body.
"We have brought in advanced laser sorting machines to detect this chemical in harvested peanuts so that the peanuts with the toxin can be detected and eliminated," said Kamrul. "Even though this increases our costs significantly, we have been the only company in Bangladesh doing this for many years as quality always remains our ultimate value."
In recent years, Bombay Sweets has made other notable strides in product innovation. "As a brand recognised for maintaining the highest quality standards, we have sought out new product categories where innovations related to health and hygiene are needed," said Kamrul.
The company recently launched instant laccha shemai (fried vermicelli) and according to Kamrul, it is the country's first machine-made laccha shemai, without any human contact involved.
"This is a very important development since the traditional method of making laccha shemai involves the use of hands in stretching the dough and it is done by many companies in extremely unhygienic conditions. Since we always want to do better for our consumers, we spent over three years in research and development to come up with a new method of making laccha shemai," mentioned Kamrul.
Keeping consumers' health in mind, the company further innovated in the field of instant noodles.
Many companies are making instant noodles and this process requires frying, so Bombay Sweets came up with a product – 'Mr. Pasta', which is produced without any oil.
"Noodles are fried during production but 'Mr. Pasta' is oil-free and has a high-protein content, it is a healthier alternative to instant noodles," said Kamrul.
Similarly, when the company wanted to launch beverages, at first it gave priority to consumers' health.
When other products in the market had the straw hanging outside the pack, Bombay Sweets decided to make its beverage - Jucy - a fruit drink - with the straw inside the pack, reducing the risks of contamination.
Although jhal muri (spiced puffed rice) is a very popular product in the country and some brands have been selling it for a long time, Bombay Sweets did not enter the category for many years because traditionally, puffed rice is made through sand roasting.
Once the roasting is done, the sand is sieved off. But in reality, the sand particles are never fully gone.
"So after much research and development, we came up with an automated process for producing puffed rice without the use of any sand or chemicals. Our jhal muri contains puffed rice which is more puffed in shape than other brands (because it is free from contaminants)," mentioned Kamrul.
Bombay Sweets has a wide array of products for Bangladesh and nations abroad. The company exports to 34 countries in Asia, Middle East, Europe, and North America.
An interesting fact is that Bombay Sweets does not have different products for local sales and export.
It exports the same product that is sold locally - all being produced with the highest quality standards.
"Although our company has come a long way since its inception, winning the hearts of many generations along the way, there are many more treats yet to come," Kamrul concluded.
