C.K. Rajkumar, the founder of Sujatha Biotech and the man behind several brands including Velvette Shampoo and Nivaran 90, died in a private hospital in Chennai on Wednesday. He was 67. He is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
A qualified doctor, he was widely known for his sachet concept, which gave an affordable option to middle income families. He was called the ‘sachet pioneer’. “Our father (Mr. Chinnikrishnan) was doing this shampoo business and was into packaging goods. But it was Rajkumar who made the sachet popular in the market,” said, C.K. Kumaravel, CEO and co-founder of Naturals Salon and Spa and brother of Rajkumar. He is also the brother of C.K. Ranganathan, chairman and managing director, CavinKare Pvt. Ltd.
“In the early 1980s, Velvette had a marketing tie-up with Voltas. In the late 1980s, Rajkumar took a bold decision and met Adi Godrej of the Godrej Group. That was the defining moment of the sachet revolution,” Mr. Kumaravel said. Mr. Godrej immediately took up marketing and distribution of Velvette shampoo and the regional brand went national.
After Velvette, Rajkumar moved on to Nivaran 90, a cough syrup sold in sachets, and Memory Plus, a memory enhancing herbal pill. Then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao launched Memory Plus, and chess player Vishwanathan Anand was roped in as its brand ambassador.
Those in the FMCG business said he had humble beginnings and would go around on a bicycle to sell his products.
