“We have the soul of a small company with the resources of a big company”

In 1957, a young girl, then studying at Miranda House, Delhi, was married into a Punjabi family and moved to Ludhiana. She was allowed to complete her graduation but then spent the next several years raising three boys. When they went to boarding school, she started making ice cream from a handcranked machine in her kitchen. You know how the story ends. The company she started as a local catering unit with a `300 investment and a small oven is now two large made-in-India firms divided among the three sons— Cremica Food Industries and Mrs Bector’s Food Specialities.

Several years later, Rajni Bector’s journey was retraced by Geeta, who was all of 21, and had just completed her diploma from South Delhi Polytechnic for Women (after giving up admission to New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology). Now a very swish 52, Geeta Bector, a director in her husband Akshay’s company, Cremica, talks passionately about what makes their brand different: it’s the personal touch.

With a turnover of `300 crore in liquid condiments alone, it’s clear that it’s also a popular touch. The company makes sauces, liquid condiments and snacks and is the favoured choice of enormous brands such as McDonald’s and Cafe Coffee Day. The scale is substantial—one million bottles and two million sachets a year of Cremica tomato sauce alone.

Food is a passion for everyone in the family,” says Geeta who moved with her husband to Delhi eight years ago when her daughter Sana went to Lady Shri Ram College. Now 24, Sana is in the business as is her 28-year-old brother, Akhil.

“In the early years I would get so irritated when my husband would prefer to spend on lavish meals when we travelled rather than on shopping but now I understand completely,” says Geeta.

Her work at the company began in the research and development department, where it can often take two years for the company to get the taste just right. The idea is to deliver packaged food that lasts, tastes fresh and has the least preservatives. Currently they are in the midst of developing ready-to-cook gravies that are “almost natural”. She is now deeply involved in the company’s marketing department. They have a snack food factory in Greater Noida and are soon moving the condiments factory to Noida as well.

What makes them market leaders especially with those in the food business, from five-star hotel chefs to multinational chains with exacting standards? “We have the soul of a small company with the resources of a big company,” says Geeta with a toss of her auburn mane. Her own personal fitness mantra despite being in the food business? Eat everything in moderation. Walk for 40 minutes a day five days a week. Do yoga four times a week. Share your love of food with family and friends.