Marico Chairman Harsh Mariwala shared a reflective note on Wednesday, recalling his early journey building the consumer goods company, and the ground-level lessons that shaped its transformation from a commodity trading business into a branded FMCG player.
Mariwala said he once lived in a distributor’s home in a small town in order to understand market behaviour firsthand. At the time, Marico’s predecessor Bombay Oil Industries was still a family-run commodity business, and the shift toward branded consumer goods required deep market insight rather than spreadsheets and strategy decks.
He described travelling to tier-II and tier-III towns, staying in basic guest rooms, and spending time with distributors over chai and samosas while closely watching retail behaviour — from how coconut oil was stored to how shopkeepers priced products and how packaging influenced purchases.
A key moment came when a retailer pointed out that consumers carrying bags prefer smaller packs over large tins. The insight led Marico to expand its SKU portfolio and launch smaller packs, helping it evolve from a bulk oil supplier into a “grab-and-go” consumer brand.
Mariwala highlighted that innovation often begins in “dusty neighbourhood stores” and casual conversations that reveal what customers never explicitly say. His key takeaway for entrepreneurs: real insights come from the ground, not agency presentations — and empathy at the shelf level naturally shapes brand strategy.
