Roshne Balasubramanian By Express News Service CHENNAI: Ajade green soap bar encased in a pretty pack with a sketch of a traditional Ayurveda mortar and pestle, and herbs reminds us only of one name. Touted to be one of India’s preferred soap, Medmix has found a permanent place in several households. This iconic brand from Chennai turned 50 this year. Humble beginnings While today the words ‘World’s largest selling hand-made soap’ is embossed on the package of each of the 100,000 soap bars that are churned at the Medimix plants across south India, the brand had a humble beginning. AV Anoop, managing director of the AVA Group, walks us through the journey. “Dr VP Sidhan was from a family of Ayurveda practitioners. In the 1960s, he came to Chennai to study medicine at Kilpauk Medical College. After graduation, he was employed as a doctor with the Indian Railways,” shares Anoop, Dr Sidhan’s son-in-law, seated in his office at Anna Nagar. Noticing several skin ailments among the railway labourers, he started prescribing an Ayurvedic oil, which was concocted by his ancestors to cure skin disorders. “Its effectiveness spread through word of mouth and Dr Sidhan went on to make soaps with the oil,” he shares. Dr Sidhan, along with his wife started manually making the soap bars in their kitchen. Soon, in the 70s, he established a small unit with one employee in Perambur and began production. Medimix was born. Anoop tells CE that he was able to trace Medimix’s first employee — Pradhaban. “He is 70-something years old now. It’s a great feeling for me to talk to him, and understand their production process. He shared that Dr Sidhan used to help in the manufacturing process. They used to make the soaps during the weekends and sell them in the market during weekdays. With the profit, Dr Sidhan, his wife and Pradhaban used to go to Parry’s Corner and procure raw materials and herbs to make the next batch of soaps.” Temporary shut down For the brand, which was doing exceptionally well, a major labour strike in the 80s forced them to shut down the unit in Chennai. “When the work resumed in 1983, I was asked to come onboard and shoulder responsibilities. That was a learning curve for me too,” he says, adding that working hand-in-hand with the factory employees is one of the many reasons for the brand’s success. “It was Dr Sidhan who introduced the idea of providing perks and benefits to employees. His legacy, coupled with my interest in supporting employees, has been instrumental in establishing a successful labour force. From something as basic as providing a safe work environment to supporting the education of their children, our focus is holistic,” he says. In 2007, the group bifurcated into the AVA Group in the south, managed by Anoop and Cholayil Private Limited. It is managed by Pradeep Cholayil in the north. The making We take a tour of the Medimix manufacturing unit in Thirumazhisai. The Medimix aroma, sweet smell of perfumes, a brew of vegetable oils, vanaspati, the trademark ‘18-herb oil’, the sound of conveyor belts, soap stamping equipment, and the visuals of employees working like well-oiled machines are an assault on our senses.Walking us through the plant which has an 80-member workforce, Jayakumar, the factory manager tells us that unlike other soap brands, Medimix uses the oil directly. He points to a large vessel and says, “We heat a mixture of coconut oil, palm oil and castor oil first. When caustic soda is added to the fatty acid, we get the end product — soap,” he explains. After the oil is heated, two workers in unison pour a herbal extract and perfume to the blend, in a stainless steel cauldron. “This is stirred at regular intervals. The workers take turns to stir it. Once it froths and rises to the brim in an exothermic reaction, it is transferred. We make about 36 batches per day — 250 kilogram of soap per batch,” says Jayakumar while overseeing the production. The hot mixture is then transferred to cubical steel containers and allowed to cool for 24 hours. “We then remove it from the container and place the blocks on racks for about five days. Once it completely cools down, it is manually cut, checked for defects, stamped and then packed in boxes,” he explains. At any given point, there are efficient hands to work on the different manufacturing processes — from dipping, checking the pH value of the mixture, cooling, unpacking, cutting and stamping to packing. Once the powered-machine wraps the soaps with a transparent cover, the bars are transported to the next process via a conveyor belt. “Until a year ago, even this process, of wrapping the soap, was done manually. The conveyor belts are also a recent addition. Our factories and workers have worked and produced soaps even during power shortages,” beams Anoop. Women form 80 per cent of the workforce in Medimix’s factories. In the Thirumazhisai unit, about 45-odd women work in the cutting, stamping and packaging section. Vijaya and Arpudham swiftly pick the soaps off the belt and efficiently pack the soaps into a bright jade green box — the ‘50 years’ logo shines. “We’ve been working here for 25 years now. Every day we learn something new,” smiles Vijaya while packing the soaps. “I pack about 25 cases a day. One case contains 300 soaps,” she shares. The Medimix in south India alone accounts for 850 tonnes of soap bars per month. Growth and future From the Medimix Classic to developing hand washes and face washes, the brand has updated itself with changing times. “In western countries, people have already switched to liquid soaps and the trend is slowly catching up in India too,” says Anoop. The six plants in the south account for 100,000 bars of soap, every day.We learn that products like Medimix hair oil, shampoo and body wash have already been developed by AVA group’s R&D division. “We are preparing for the launch. We are waiting for the right opportunity to launch it,” he reveals. (Medimix comes in 35 gm, 75 gm and 125 gm variants. The soap is modestly priced from `26 onwards)

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