Hygiene Plus is one of the leading manufacturers of hygiene products in India. The company is focused on quality and offers a sustainable solution to basic hygiene needs. Backed by the business expertise, reliability and experience of the cement industry pioneers, the Kanodia Group, Hygiene Plus believes that real success is in proportion to innovative thinking and does not refrain from unorthodox actions.
Gautam Kanodia, the founder and Managing Director of Hygiene Plus, in an exclusive interview with Yesha P Shah, shared insights on his experience and knowledge of leading consumer brands and more.
Q. Can you please let our readers know the inception story of Hygiene Plus Pvt. Ltd?
Gautam Kanodia – The vision of Hygiene plus is much in-line with our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s belief in Made in India scheme of Atmanirbhar Bharat, promoting the goods which are made-in-India. We are proud that we can announce something “Swadeshi” Similarly, UP Chief Minister, Hon’ble Yogi Adityanath Ji’s mission is to Industrialize the State and create job opportunities for the job seekers.
While I was analyzing the situation, I realized that basic hygiene and personal care products are something that every Man & woman should use to maintain their overall well-being. But, due to the high-cost placement of hygiene and personal care products, some women, especially housewives, ignore picking them up to maintain their monthly budget. I understood that the high prices of these products are mainly because most of the companies are outsourcing the product raw material, which significantly contributes to the increase of the cost. And this is when we came up with the idea of launching Hygiene Plus. Our unique selling point is that the raw materials used to produce the final sanitary products are made locally in our manufacturing unit. No raw material has been outsourced from the other countries, which will enable us to sell our products at affordable pricing, making them pocket-friendly for everyone to use with ease.
During the pandemic COVID-19, the people living in poverty faced barriers to obtaining menstrual hygiene supplies and related health services with the lockdown, rising costs, and economic uncertainty. During the initial phase of lockdown, essential hygiene care products were not included in the list of the necessary items, which resulted in severe production and supply disruption and led to a shortage at chemists, grocery stores, and e-commerce websites; as a result, those who were living in the rural areas started ignoring their Hygiene, the reason of mainly which was the rising cost.
Q.What makes your products unique?
GK – Whether its headquarters are in India, every company still outsources raw materials from abroad. This is one of the main reasons why the prices of Hygiene and Sanitary products are high in India. This is what makes Hygiene Plus unique. The startup produces raw materials locally to create the final Hygiene products, including napkins and wet wipes. No raw material has been outsourced from the other countries, unlike the other players in the market, which enables the company to sell its products at affordable pricing, making them pocket friendly for everyone to use with ease. Producing raw materials also ensures the purity and quality of the product. Hygiene Plus is one of the few companies that have entered the organized segment of Hygiene. Other than the production of raw materials, which is the key feature of the company, their manufacturing plant is equipped with the latest and hi-tech technologies and highly skilled and well-trained locally hired personnel, which cuts the cost of production by a massive amount without harming the quality, making the overall product highly affordable with zero compromises in quality.
Q. From where can our readers buy your brand products?
GK – The products are currently under manufacturing for B2B segments. We are very soon planning to start manufacturing our Hygiene and Personal Care products, including Sanitary pads, Wet wipes- Baby & Refreshing, and Liquid.
Detergent Water Soluble capsules and bath towels will soon be available on the market with the Brand Name Hygiene Plus. And the products will be available on most sales platforms, including General Trade, Modern Trade, and online e-commerce platforms.
Q. What are your plans for the organization?
GK – Currently, at Hygiene Plus, raw Materials like Spun lace & Spun bond non-woven fabrics are currently being manufactured for B2B companies. Wet Wipes (Baby & Refreshing), Sanitary Napkins, Detergent Water Soluble capsules, etc., are some of the goods set to be manufactured and marketed. Post-launch, we plan to introduce some other unique products in the Hygiene and Personal care market. The products would include Body Wipes, Shampoo wipes, Bath Towels for kids, babies & Adults, and Diapers for babies and adults. In addition to the above, we are also planning to enter in hair, face, and skincare segment very soon.
In the context of Production capacity, our goal is to reach double our current ability in terms of technology, workforce, and more by the year 2027.
