Ritesh Sahu
Managing Director,
After completing his MBA from Sydenham Institute of Management (Mumbai), Ritesh got into his family business and has been managing many distilleries in Odisha. As a determined entrepreneur he turned all his companies into successful ventures. Apart from making effective business strategies, Ritesh is an active participant in CSR activities as well.
In a recent interview with CEO Insights, Ritesh Sahu shared about his corporate journey and how he paved his way to success. Here’s a snippet from the same
"What Makes My Domain Understanding Exceptional Is The Leadership Team Of Boudh Distillery Whose Proficiency In Their Respective Sub-Domains Helps Me Run The Show"
Throw Some Light On The Professional Journey So Far. What Inspired You To Venture Into The Distillery Industry And What Inspires You Today?
Before setting forth into grain-based Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) production, I have 23 years of wide experience in managing eighty micro-distilleries in Odisha. Developed four years ago with the vision to step into an organized distillery industry, Boudh Distillery is a 60 KLPD grain-based ENA production located in the west of Odisha.
As there is no Grain Based distillery in Odisha, there seems to be a great opportunity to tap this market. The thought of fulfilling our state requirement of ENA, rather than importing from other states has inspired me to venture into establishing the distillery.
Looking back at the successful four years, the driving force for me was the generation of local employment, which satisfies me the most. My commitment to giving back to society through various CSR activities also drives me to do my best.
How Would You Define Boudh Distillery As An Organization? What Are The Unique Propositions It Provides To Its Customers?
Boudh Distillery is a multifaceted organization with a systematic work process starting from sourcing raw materials to its customers at the front end of the business. The speciality of the organization is that we care for the people who are related to it whether it’s our stakeholders or the people around the plant as well as the environment. Ever since the inception of Boudh, we are strictly following the quality control
measures and has adopted the latest technology not only this our plant has implemented a hundred per cent Zero Liquid Discharge and complies with the norms of the Pollution Board. Our value proposition is that we are pivoting on the quality of products through research-led analysis and innovation and the top companies choose us due to the preference for getting the best quality.
Why Did You Choose Odisha As Your Breeding Ground And How It Is Favouring You? What Are The Changes You Anticipate In The Market And The Opportunities You Foresee?
There are four major reasons for choosing Odisha as our production unit that is first, the emotional bonding with the state due to our cultural integration for more than 50 years of association. Secondly, other than the emotional aspect, there are a lot of opportunities in the state as far as ENA Grain is concerned, third, the availability of raw materials to the market is potentially able to consume our produce. Lastly, the industry-friendly policies of the state are strategically framed for sustainable development for both industries and the people.
The liquor industry will face huge competition in the market in the upcoming years, and the related products will face price rises like the price of rice will shoot up due to increase in demand for ENA and Ethanol. If one side we have huge risks so on the other side we have huge market potential in Odisha and all over India. We are looking forward to launching premium brands with innovations and creativity, especially the Ethanol Blended petrol Programme will pave the way for our growth. We have a 15 KLPD Ethanol production unit in place and as a part of our expansion project we are coming up with a 45 KLPD Ethanol Plant.
Tell us about some of the challenges you have experienced in your professional journey so far? How did you overcome them and what learning did you derive from them?
There have been numerous challenges which we faced throughout the journey. However, I never found myself alone during these challenging times. The entire family was always with me, especially the blessings of Late Rai Saheb Baldeo Sahu and guidance of Shri UdayShanker Prasad, Chairman of Boudh Distillery.
If you ask about a major challenge we faced while we started rolling out Boudh Distillery project, then yes there was a major challenge i.e. finding technical resources. When you look at something which is empowered by state-of-art cutting edge technology, you definitely need to have tech experts on board. Boudh Distillery, starting from production to environment protection aspects is a techno
Believe Balance Is Achieved Over Time So It Is Better To Allow Yourself To Remain Open To Redirecting And Assessing Your Needs On Any Day Is The Key To Finding The Balance
Why Did You Choose Odisha As Your Breeding Ground And How It Is Favouring You? What Are The Changes You Anticipate In The Market And The Opportunities You Foresee?
There are four major reasons for choosing Odisha as our production unit that is first, the emotional bonding with the state due to our cultural integration for more than 50 years of association. Secondly, other than the emotional aspect, there are a lot of opportunities in the state as far as ENA Grain is concerned, third, the availability of raw materials to the market is potentially able to consume our produce. Lastly, the industry-friendly policies of the state are strategically framed for sustainable development for both industries and the people.
The liquor industry will face huge competition in the market in the upcoming years, and the related products will face price rises like the price of rice will shoot up due to increase in demand for ENA and Ethanol. If one side we have huge risks so on the other side we have huge market potential in Odisha and all over India. We are looking forward to launching premium brands with innovations and creativity, especially the Ethanol Blended petrol Programme will pave the way for our growth. We have a 15 KLPD Ethanol production unit in place and as a part of our expansion project we are coming up with a 45 KLPD Ethanol Plant.
Tell us about some of the challenges you have experienced in your professional journey so far? How did you overcome them and what learning did you derive from them?
There have been numerous challenges which we faced throughout the journey. However, I never found myself alone during these challenging times. The entire family was always with me, especially the blessings of Late Rai Saheb Baldeo Sahu and guidance of Shri UdayShanker Prasad, Chairman of Boudh Distillery.
If you ask about a major challenge we faced while we started rolling out Boudh Distillery project, then yes there was a major challenge i.e. finding technical resources. When you look at something which is empowered by state-of-art cutting edge technology, you definitely need to have tech experts on board. Boudh Distillery, starting from production to environment protection aspects is a techno
logically power-packed and highly advanced Plant. When we started putting all internationally acclaimed advanced technology in place we faced the challenge to get the resources with knowledge of technical know how.
We started believing on the leadership board who took away the pressure of getting right kind of experts for each unit of the plant. They started hiring technical people across India for their respective areas of operations. And now the operational plant is in front of you. For me the take away is ‘building and believing on the team’.
Being the md, how do you plan to apply your exceptional understanding of the domain into boudh distillery and take it to the next level?
Every domain has multiple sub-domains. No domain understanding is exceptional until you have perfections in all sub-domains. What makes my domain understanding exceptional is the leadership team of Boudh Distillery whose proficiency in their respective sub-domains helps me run the show.
Yes, of course there are certain things out of my experience in the domain such as business expansion and growth strategy that helps the business in creating a road map. Forecasting the market’s demand-supply equation is the key support that my team seeks from me.
What is your success mantra of balancing professional personal life? Going forward, what are the goals that you wish to invest in and how do you plan to take them further?
We cannot structure a perfect schedule, someday we focus more on work while the other days we use our time to pursue hobbies and spend time with family. I believe balance is achieved over time so it is better to allow yourself to remain open to redirecting and assessing your needs on any day is the key to finding the balance.
From a vision perspective of 2030, we intend to open several distillers in India and become the largest Grain Based ENA producer. We also intend to come up with premium liquors and expand our foothold in the liquor category.
As per your extensive experience what advice you would like to give to upcoming entrepreneurs?
My suggestion to budding entrepreneurs is to encash your energy and dream big because the younger generation has more energy to make things happen. The distillery has certain challenges, but I am sure, the young entrepreneurs have that energy and dare to overcome the risks and live their dreams to their potential. Before diving into the industry, one should evaluate the risk of scarcity of raw materials, social taboos, and different excise policies at different stages.
Ritesh Sahu, Managing Director, Boudh Distillery Pvt. Ltd.
A pioneer of the liquor industry in Odisha holds twenty-two years of wide experience in the industry. He is a team player who uses technology-based solutions to achieve results while being customer-centric. As an ideal leader Ritesh Sahu is working tirelessly for the development of BDPL.
Quick Facts:
Favourite Cuisine:Thai
Favourite Book:The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey
Favourite Travel Destination: Thailand
We started believing on the leadership board who took away the pressure of getting right kind of experts for each unit of the plant. They started hiring technical people across India for their respective areas of operations. And now the operational plant is in front of you. For me the take away is ‘building and believing on the team’.
Being the md, how do you plan to apply your exceptional understanding of the domain into boudh distillery and take it to the next level?
Every domain has multiple sub-domains. No domain understanding is exceptional until you have perfections in all sub-domains. What makes my domain understanding exceptional is the leadership team of Boudh Distillery whose proficiency in their respective sub-domains helps me run the show.
Yes, of course there are certain things out of my experience in the domain such as business expansion and growth strategy that helps the business in creating a road map. Forecasting the market’s demand-supply equation is the key support that my team seeks from me.
What is your success mantra of balancing professional personal life? Going forward, what are the goals that you wish to invest in and how do you plan to take them further?
We cannot structure a perfect schedule, someday we focus more on work while the other days we use our time to pursue hobbies and spend time with family. I believe balance is achieved over time so it is better to allow yourself to remain open to redirecting and assessing your needs on any day is the key to finding the balance.
From a vision perspective of 2030, we intend to open several distillers in India and become the largest Grain Based ENA producer. We also intend to come up with premium liquors and expand our foothold in the liquor category.
As per your extensive experience what advice you would like to give to upcoming entrepreneurs?
My suggestion to budding entrepreneurs is to encash your energy and dream big because the younger generation has more energy to make things happen. The distillery has certain challenges, but I am sure, the young entrepreneurs have that energy and dare to overcome the risks and live their dreams to their potential. Before diving into the industry, one should evaluate the risk of scarcity of raw materials, social taboos, and different excise policies at different stages.
Ritesh Sahu, Managing Director, Boudh Distillery Pvt. Ltd.
A pioneer of the liquor industry in Odisha holds twenty-two years of wide experience in the industry. He is a team player who uses technology-based solutions to achieve results while being customer-centric. As an ideal leader Ritesh Sahu is working tirelessly for the development of BDPL.
Quick Facts:
Favourite Cuisine:Thai
Favourite Book:The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey
Favourite Travel Destination: Thailand