Anuj Goyal, Director of Brijwasi Sweets shares the brand’s legacy over decades, its transformation in recent times, and how it continues to grow with support from Swiggy.
Taking a brand that already has a rich legacy to newer heights is no easy task. But for Brijwasi Sweets, a shop established in pre-independence India in 1946, it has been a sweet ride of sustained popularity and success. Taking over the family business in 2009, the path was set for Anuj Goyal to strengthen the brand’s legacy and identity as one of the best sweets and savouries shops in Mumbai, along with making it more relevant to today’s times. Carrying his experience in working for top hospitality chains and brands abroad, Anuj implemented his learnings along with his unconventional approach to decision-making and revamped Brijwasi Sweets as a brand that hits the sweet spot for customers.
In this edition of Swiggy’s Growth Platter series, Anuj chats with Arpit Mathur, Swiggy’s VP of Strategy & Investment, to share his motivating story of managing and transforming a brand that is built on more than seven decades of history and heritage.
How and when did you decide to take over the family business?
It all started from a very young age. Growing up, I was always aware of the legacy that Brijwasi Sweets has been carrying for decades. In a way, our sweet shop was my first love and by the time I was in the eighth grade, I was clear that I eventually wanted to take up its responsibilities in the future. Before joining Brijwasi, I worked for multiple brands in the United States of America including hospitality chains, and gained significant experience. Later, I came to Mumbai and worked for an energy drink brand. After that, I finally joined my family business and realised that I had my work cut out based on what Brijwasi Sweets was as a brand, what it stood for, and what was needed to take it forward.
How were your early days of managing Brijwasi Sweets?
It was entirely different compared to my previous stints. I joined in May 2009 and people knew me as the founder’s son. During that time, Brijwasi wasn’t as unified and uniform as it is today. It wasn’t an easy start, as time and again I had to prove my viewpoints to my team and my family members. I needed to make them realise why I wanted to do things that were a little different from what we have been following for decades. Pushing for new avenues and growth trajectories, all while keeping our ethos intact was indeed a challenge for me in the beginning.
Were there times when you had to convince your team of different ideas?
A lot of my friends and colleagues thought that joining a family business was the easiest way for me to earn money effortlessly, but that wasn’t the case. When I joined, Brijwasi had around seven stores that looked completely different from one another. I observed during my earlier stints with renowned brands that there was a sense of identity and belonging between them and the customers. So I told my family that we needed to bring that uniformity to all our stores. From people in their 50s to those in their 30s, there has been a gradual change in our customers. This is why I felt this revamp was needed to keep up with the changing times. There was a lot of back and forth, as my father thought it was like fixing a cycle that was not broken and wanted me to let certain things be as they were for decades. Yet, I convinced him and things worked out eventually.
Since its inception decades ago, how has Brijwasi Sweets evolved?
Brijwasi’s journey goes back to 1946 when my great-grandfather and grandfather laid its foundation in a small area known as Kalbadevi in Mumbai. Interestingly, Brijwasi started as a diner, because during that time, there was no concept of shops dedicated to sweets or desserts. Back then, mithai was served to customers as a small part of our meals. With time, the simple mithais became so popular that in a couple of years, the diner took a back seat and people visited Brijwasi more for the variety of sweets that changed every day as per the menu. Gradually, the diner became redundant and we transformed into a store for sweets and savouries. Ever since then, there’s been no looking back. As of today, our offerings have evolved in a way that Brijwasi is now much more than just a sweet shop of yesteryear.
When did Brijwasi Sweets join the online food delivery space?
It was around 2014-15 when the online food delivery industry emerged and we happily joined the bandwagon. In fact, ours was probably one of the first sweet shops in Mumbai to join Swiggy. The thought behind adding the online vertical was simple, which was to follow our consumers wherever they go. Since then, the kind of support and growth the brand has experienced has been phenomenal, and this online segment is only bound to grow bigger with time.
The pandemic affected many businesses around 2020-21. How did you and Brijwasi Sweets steer through that phase?
Interestingly, I made an unexpected move much like in a game of Poker. When the chips were down and most businesses were cutting down on costs and manpower, I adopted an aggressive approach. I told my family that we would utilise the pandemic phase to instead double down on our efforts, revamp our stores, and recruit more people who would require jobs during that time. We took up a massive exercise of renovating all our stores, changing our packaging, and opening new stores in those one-and-a-half years. Looking back, I feel it was the best decision, as Brijwasi Sweets has grown immensely since 2021. Also during that phase, people started ordering online due to the fear of visiting public places. Thanks to Swiggy, our consumers trusted that the same sweets would be delivered to them at home.
How has Brijwasi Sweets managed to stay true to its roots while also adapting to evolving consumers and tastes?
I realised that customers are very clear about what they expect from their favourite brands. In our case, they want the best quality sweets and savouries with a consistent taste and proper hygiene standards. So, over decades, our focus has been to deliver our promise of the same consistency and hygiene day in and day out.
What is your take on managing the online and offline forms of the business together?
It varies from brand to brand. There’s no one-shoe-fits-all approach to it. However, I feel that online is the way to go forward. I see Brijwasi as a virtual store on Swiggy offering the same hundreds of products all the way from the shop to customers at home or office. And of course, they always have the option of visiting our stores, so there is convenience and choice for our customers.
Have you ever received an unusual order or demand from a customer?
A leading newspaper once wanted us to make a mammoth six-foot Modak, which had to be transported to 10 different shopping malls. We eventually succeeded in creating a large three-and-a-half-foot Modak, which weighed an astonishing 150 kilos! It took us around 15 days in our factory to master its design and execution. On the last day of the Modak being transported to the final mall, people consumed it in its entirety. It was phenomenal to realise what we created.
What are some of the business lessons you have for someone who is starting out?
The biggest virtue that I have learned throughout my journey is patience. It takes time to manage your team and see the fruits of your efforts. A business school teaches you the best marketing plans and strategies, but executing them all is something that you learn on the job. Also, it’s important to motivate your team members and grow along with them. Finally, understanding the regulations of the area where your business runs is also something you cannot miss out on.
What does the future hold for Brijwasi Sweets?
The excitement keeps growing, and we plan to open more stores in Mumbai and nearby areas to sufficiently cover a wider segment of customers. Additionally, we look forward to broadening our presence in the online and quick commerce spaces. Looking forward to the journey ahead.
