Good days ahead for sweet lovers, says Vizag-based entrepreneur

Despite the growing awareness on health, the business by the sweet manufacturers is also picking up with the introduction of more health-friendly products. During current fiscal, the sweets industry is expected to record an all-time high turnover of Rs 1.25 lakh crore in the country with the online sale concept fast picking up.

The industry which was badly hit by the pandemic, when it suffered an estimated loss of Rs 35,000 crore in 2020-21 is recovering fast with the onset of festival season and removal of curbs imposed during the pandemic. The restrictions pegged the total business at around Rs 65 crore during the year. With an innovative approach and commitment to focus on quality to satiate customers' taste buds for sweet cravings, Sarvani Sweets has become a household name in the City of Destiny. It has expanded to 11 outlets across the city from a small milk product unit in 1993. Now the firm has a workforce of 500 plus with own packing, delivery and a stringent quality check mechanism. NSR Prabhakar Varma, Director of Sarvani Sweets, an alumni of IIM-Vizag told Bizz Buzz in an exclusive interview that their outlets are prominent landmarks and visitors from all over Vizag and nearby districts come back for a taste of sweets whenever they are passing through.

"Ours is the most trusted brand, touches Vizag's every household's heart and our traditional sweets play an integral part in every festive season and occasion," he says.

What efforts went behind making Sarvani Sweets a household name in and around Visakhapatnam since you started a chain of sweet shops in 1996 after running a milk product joint in Seethammadhara?

What bloomed as a single small outlet in 1993 at Seethammadhara of Vizag, the outlets have now blossomed in every nook and corner of Visakhapatnam. Three generations of our family and our team have ensured that the vision of our founder N Sathyanarayana Varma is continued. The focus on service by providing a high-quality experience is our founder's vision. This must be found in all elements from production to sales to after-sales service are kept to high standards.

Our customers over the years have become our well-wishers and our critics helping us to improve the brand. Our delicious sweets are synonymous with authentic taste, standard quality, affordable pricing & ISO certified. Our outlets please the taste buds, soothe the senses and spread cheer with their sweets, and wedding gift packings. We would like to say that many households have helped us grow as a brand, not the other way around. We would like to thank our customers, team and family for being where we are.

In a highly competitive industry, how Sarvani Sweets could widen its clientele keen on consuming traditional sweets for all occasions? What is your USP?

"Service" and constant thriving to improve have been our "USP". We attach utmost importance to satisfying tastes and preferences. Service is part of the total experience from product to purchase and we strive to excel in the entire gamut of service. More to the point, we sought to bridge the gap between old and new, creating something fresh and exciting, merging old-school sweets doused in fun fresh flavours while keeping Indian roots intact for all generations to savour together.

As we all know, sweets are a consequential part of the Indian culture and hold significant meaning in our society for every occasion, Sarvani Sweets brings to the market traditional Indian sweets with a contemporary twist, making it different from other sweet brands on the market. Ultimately, the innovative and traditional mix of delicacies forms the USP of the brand.

Of late quality has become the hallmark for anyone's survival in sweet business with some compromising on quality to make a fast buck. How do you ensure to maintain quality as well as the unique taste to ensure repeat customers?

We take the health and nutritional value of our products very seriously. Each time we introduce a new flavour or new delicacy, food testing and quality control measures are carried out with each batch of items that are prepared closely monitoring the same on a daily basis.

Quality is normal what we consider to be and substandard will not come to foray. We ensure the quality through a team of Quality Control (QC), a production manager and a trained admin team. We have followed a set process behind the scenes to ensure the proper delivery of service. For us, Innovation is a challenge; we enjoy creating treats with unique flavours and textures to pamper the palettes for all age groups.

In the age of disruptive technologies, lifestyle diseases and growing awareness of health at every size paradigm, what are your thrust areas? Have you introduced products specifically for people with diabetes and those not keen on less intake of calories?

We have taken a number of steps for our customers to adept to the new normal, we have introduced a range of major alternative products and also have reduced the serving sizes. As this helps in moderation for our clients.

Which type of sweets do you find in the premium segment and most sought-after?

We find the dry fruit-based product in great demand in the premium segment and have pursued to increase our range in these products.

Sweets generally have a specific shelf life. What do you do with those sweets or bakery products after the shelf life?

We make orders on a daily basis. We often make less quantity than perceived requirement ensuring that all the products are consumed before the particular time or expiry. If we have any leftovers we simply mark them by weight and discard them from our workshop.

Do you have in-house training as the availability of skilled manpower in the sweet industry is a big problem? How do you cater to your needs as it is a highly labour-intensive sector.

We have a full-time trainer available in-house with tailor-made training material.

You have introduced corporate gifts and customised gifts with season's greetings as well as sweet boxes carrying photos and useful information on city's heritage buildings. How is the response to it from the corporate sector?

Very good reception with all the corporate clients we have also requests pouring from individuals for customised boxes. We also inform to our customers to ask for such boxes two to three months ahead.

Do you have any mechanism to act upon suggestions/complaints from the customers?

We are available on channels like social media, Google and direct contact.

Now what is your turnover and projections for the next few years? Do you have plans to open new outlets and expand to other cities like other reputed sweet-makers?

Sarvani Sweets is for everyone to love and cherish.

We ship all over India and internationally. In the next five years, we will broaden our horizon by opening more outlets within 200 km

of Vizag.