Capturing the essence.

“Modern trade requires modern solutions” Aiming to position our company as adaptable to change with time.

About the company:

C.S. Flavours and Fragrances a third generation privately owned family business, started with two fragrance compounds and today produces more than 35,000 unique flavours and fragrance formulations, with a client base of 1000 companies across 35 countries.

Over the years, they have been concentrating on creating opulent portfolios and solidifying their foundation while adjusting to global trends, and extending their experience & technical expertise.

The team creates distinctive functional blends for the clients by utilizing traditional knowledge in a modern, scientific, and precision-driven environment. The flavors and fragrances they create are the ideal partners for palates and senses worldwide.

The company is headed by father-son duo Sanjay Sutaria & Brij Sutaria.

The Entrepreneur Story: The Person behind growth & global penetration of the Company Brij Sutaria-Director, C S Flavours & Fragrances

Brij Sutaria, after gaining his technical expertise from the Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly known as UDCT) as a graduate student later opted for his masters in management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management studies & a post graduate study in foreign trade from IIFT ,Delhi.

His technical & managerial expertise has not only equipped him to create a lot of renowned perfume formulations in the industry but has also paved way for CSFF to be global player.

Recently Entrepreneur Insights had a quick Q&A round with Mr. Brij and go to know about the organization and the business in detail.

Entrepreneur Insights: How has the industry changed over the years?

This industry is constantly evolving and there is an increasing demand for functional flavors and fragrances. Also, the behavioral aspects of consumers have changed a lot over time, and we have to adapt & evolve our formulations with time. New innovations are done constantly to increase the ingredient pallet thereby producing a broader spectrum flavors and fragrances as per the consumer’s needs.

Entrepreneur Insights: How your company is overcoming this challenge of the ever-evolving market?

We are constantly working on the latest technology and studying evolving market trends to curate flavors and fragrances. We invest heavily in our research and development to cater to our client’s requirements. Over the last 8 -10 years, we have worked on our product line and found its acceptance globally. Especially in the most competitive & rapidly evolving markets of Africa and the Middle East, I am glad to say that our sample submission to commercial order rate of conversion is quite high & possibly the highest in our industry.

We heard recently C.S. Flavours and Fragrances was awarded globally. Can you share it elaborately, please?

Yes, recently, we were honored with a Bronze Award for Best Fragrance Creation at the DETEX2022 Ceremony, hosted in Jordan. DETEX is one of the biggest events in the region, with an attendance of key industry stakeholders from 41 different countries. We feel proud to be recognized amongst one of the biggest and most reputed awards in the Middle East market where we have been competing against global as well as Indian manufacturers of flavors and fragrances. Also, would like to emphasize, CSFF being the only Indian company to win an award says a lot about our global acceptance.

Entrepreneur Insights: What business strategy did you apply that will bring you success in the near future?

For future growth, we have invested heavily in various emerging markets and we realize that with lot of good Govt initiatives & simplification of various trade policies, there is no market which is not within the reach of Indian Flavour and Fragrance manufacturers.

F&F industries was & is always India favorable with many European companies having their manufacturing base in India. In addition to this, with our up-gradation in resource & technology, we are equipped to meet the growing needs of the market. We know that modern trade requires modern solutions and we are finding ways to optimize processes & focus on formulating with precision.

Entrepreneur Insights: When it comes to the company, what are you most proud of?

Our company has grown substantially over the years in terms of client base. We are proud to be major players especially in various markets globally, with a customer retention rate as high as 96.38%

We are glad to contribute to the flavour and fragrance industry in a challenging and competitive way. The major differentiator that our company has in comparison to the other companies is that we are purely a technical company and we are hence able to provide unique & functional products which are widely accepted & appreciated.

Entrepreneur insights: What were the game-changing decisions you made as a leader for your company?

The game-changing idea of aromatic chemicals back to the farmer level has been very fruitful for us.

We have backward integrated into certain essential oils & aroma chemicals, which have helped us to bring down our cost as it is the raw material that is used for making various perfumes. We are tying up with several farmers in and around Maharashtra to produce various aromatic crops that in the end give us natural essential oils, one such example is Geranium Oil, the crop is also known as poor man’s rose. It is this sort of backward integration going to the farmer level not only increases the cost competitiveness but also creates multi-layered employment opportunities where farmers can grow crops that will give them better revenue, thereby supporting the entire system.

Entrepreneur Insights: How do you encourage your team to grow?

We always encourage our team, whether it is production, R&D, sales, or marketing, to bring new and innovative ideas to the table. We always challenge the process and work towards evolving it and optimizing it. We always believe that optimization is the key to innovation. What is most important is how well you optimize each and every process involved in your organization. If you optimize it, you are not only reducing the time to complete the process but also reducing the cost which is attracted directly and indirectly. When you do that, you reduce the cost, and that will have a very positive effect on the end cost of the final product (flavors and fragrances) which we sell to various industries. Here we have the policy of recruiting individuals from various educational backgrounds. We always believe that cross-culture and various qualified teams will bring in more efficient output and will help co-employees grow.

Entrepreneur Insights: What is the best advice you can give to our readers?

In this chaotic world, please pause and find time to reflect on your actions. This world is burdened with people & environment that needs our help, please try contribute back to society and the environment in whatever smallest way you can. Innovate but in the most nature friendly way possible.