This Women’s Day, Maersk’s exclusive Discover Her Grit series introduces us to the powerhouse behind Mrs. Bector Foods

Mrs Rajni Bector is a well-known personality, not only to people in the food industry but across India. Awarded the coveted Padma Shri award in 2021 for her role in promoting the growth of the industry, she plays a pivotal role in encouraging young women to work, follow their passions, and become independent.

Her story truly inspires, especially when you account for the fact that Indians at the time were not so liberal in allowing the women of their homes to work anywhere. “1978 was a time when the ladies of Ludhiana from good families did not work at all; it was considered shameful,” shares Bector.

How, then, did a young Mrs Bector start Cremica — a ₹2500 crore company, the products of which we love to gorge on? In a recent conversation with her logistics partner, Maersk, the octogenarian opened up on her inspirational entrepreneurship journey and how she discovered her grit to move forward and build a world-renowned empire in the food industry today.

Mrs. Bector had always enjoyed making puddings, biscuits, cakes, and salads. She experimented with flavours to create new dishes every day and invited people over to taste. She especially liked making ice creams. Having done a vocational course in dairy technology from Punjab Agricultural University, which taught her to make basic flavours, she experimented with different topics and ingredients and developed 40 new flavours of ice creams even before starting Cremica!

Word spread about her products, and she started getting orders from all over Punjab, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Soon, Bector began catering for parties, events, and weddings — and all alone. She had to work for up to 18 hours a day to accommodate the ever-increasing orders.

However, she did not let it affect her responsibilities as a mother. Undivided attention to her children coinciding with her expanding business meant that cooking had to be reserved for the night—something that did not deter Bector. “My children used to attend boarding school at the time, and whenever they were home for their holidays, my focus was always to spend time with them. I was very determined that I would not neglect my children,” emphasizes Bector.

The entrepreneur who wowed her friends with her cooking was often told to turn her passion into a commercial business. Seeing herself succeed in creating a taste for western dishes such as puddings, bread, and pizzas also motivated her.

With this encouragement from friends and family, her advent into the business started with setting up a humble stall at a local fete. To her dismay, she was allotted a space right next to Kwality, a brand that was famous for its ice creams. Getting dejected, she wondered whether anyone would even be interested in her novice brand. But to her surprise, people thronged her stall until her ice creams were sold out!

With the influx of orders that she was receiving, she finally decided to take her home kitchen to greater heights. With sound business advice from her husband, the foundation for Cremica was laid in Mrs. Bector’s backyard with a humble sum of money. This small unit soon transformed into a fully-functioning plant in the 1990s with her rising popularity.

Her journey as a supplier to quick-service restaurants started shortly after when McDonald’s approached Mrs. Bector’s factory for a year-long trial to see if Cremica could become their supplier for buns. Impressed with her efficiency in her business, production quality, and systems, McDonald’s eventually signed on Cremica in 1996 as their long-term supplier for buns, ketchup, toppings, and other condiments.

The brand also collaborated with Quaker Oats, Chicago, and brought eggless mayonnaise to India. To date, Cremica holds dominance in eggless mayonnaise and supplies it to HORECA enterprises all over India.

Mrs. Bector shares that logistics are vital in her business since the products must reach the buyers on time. Having grown from humble beginnings to now exporting across 65 countries to expand, even more, a strong and reliable logistical partnership became a crucial factor in her success and growth.

The Miranda House alumna was still studying when she got married. Not paying heed to society’s negative perceptions of working women, Mrs. Bector kept doing what she did best—cooking! Maybe coming from such a strong women’s institution ensured that she never let anyone else dictate how her life would turn out be.

Her motto was to be brave in the face of other people’s beliefs. “I enjoy cooking because I am creating something new with my own hands and I am proud of my ability to do it. So, I was determined not to listen to anybody else’s opinions on what I ‘should’ do,” says Bector.

What she didn’t realize was how much she was inspiring other women who had always longed to work but had lacked the will for it. Receiving a Padma Shri as a woman from Ludhiana was almost considered an impossibility at the time. Her achievement of this award is an inspiration to young women; they can also aspire to build their careers and get recognized for it.

“Nobody is perfect in life, including me. For perfection, every day is a new day to learn. So, make sure to keep on learning,” says Bector.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Maersk.