The number one contributor in this growth was Parachute oil which had a 48% market share in the coconut oil segment one of the reasons for this success was, the product was already popular among customers since BOIL used to sell it. After rebranding, Marico began an advertising campaign focusing on the importance of sacred coconut in Hindu tradition and linked all this value to Parachute coconut oil in the effort of becoming emotionally connected to people; they also worked on widening the distribution channel. We decided to look into categories where MNCs (multi-national corporations) are not present. One category which we identified was hair oiling. Hair oiling only exists in limited parts, mainly India, neighboring countries and the Middle East. When I meet analysts and those who want to invest in our company, the first thing they ask is, “What is hair oiling?” and then they tell us that this is a dying sector – which is true. But I was very clear that this habit will not die down in India, and we decided to take a big bet on hair oiling. The overall competitive environment was less and our chances of success were much higher. That bet on hair oiling has really paid off. The hair oiling market still grows and we have done a lot of work on the benefits of hair oiling, and our findings are going to be leveraged in future. Harsh replied by saying, “You know that we’re in the coconut oil market. We are serious about it. We have a far superior and deep penetrating distribution network. So, i'm giving you an opportunity to sell out” And I'm sure if you remember the champi, you must remember the oil she used to do it with, mostly it was that tall blue bottle named Parachute and this way Parachute also becomes a part of our childhood memories.

Parachute comprised about 61% of Marico’s revenue. All eyes were on Parachute now, this product was the major target of Keki and for Harsh it was the one to be protected the most. Face-off Marico’s products are sold in about 25 countries and it recorded a turnover of INR 61 billion in 2015-16. Even today, 25 per cent of the consolidated turnover comes from Parachute sales, with the brand maintaining its market share at over 50 per cent in India in the coconut oil category. Marico invests Revolutionary Fitness (Revofit); [15] launches a new brand – True Roots [16] that delays hair greying and launches its first digital exclusive brand – Studio X; [17] launched Saffola Fittify. [18] One in three Indians uses a Marico industries product today. Harsh Mariwala, Chairman of Marico, left the cozy cocoon of his oil trading family business at the age of forty to go on and start Marico in 1990. It is one of the largest, most successful players in the consumer products business. One out of every three Indians today uses a Marico product such asParachute, Saffola, Nihar,Kaya and Mediker. I think the biggest success of parachute is through innovations, and that happened in a category like coconut oil, where there are very limited opportunities for innovation.Where on the one hand Parachute had a 48% market share, Nihar Coconut oil had only 7%. So there it was, Marico’s Parachute came into the radar of Keki Dadiseth as he intended to acquire a company with maximum market share in the coconut hair oil market. And the war was about to break out. Game on

Bhushan, Ratna; Malviya, Sagar (25 March 2014). "Harsh Mariwala steps down as Marico managing director". The Economic Times . Retrieved 28 August 2016. There is this thing about HUL that it has thrived on takeovers & acquisitions, its popular brands such as Brooke Bond, Ponds, Kwality, and more were all results of mergers & acquisitions. What's interesting is, the biggest strength Keki had was also corporate acquisitions. (This Jodi was made in heaven) Remember what Keki said, ‘Marico will be a history’ had no meaning now. In fact, Nihar was on the verge of becoming history.

How did it begin?

to 94 – Marico goes from being an exporter to international marketer – sets up its first overseas office in Dubai. Malviya, Sagar (24 December 2018). "No fear of failure: Marico again sights health & wellness". The Economic Times. The face-off was about to begin. The strength of Marico and Harsh was that he had an in-depth knowledge of branded coconut oil, he had consumer insights, sourcing expertise, a well-established distribution & marketing set up as to how consumers connected with Parachute. Jha, Sneha (28 August 2017). "How Marico's digital crusader Mukesh Kripalani is fueling growth with digital innovation". The Economic Times.

Did I tell you about one acquisition Lever did, which is the most significant in our story, In the year 1993 when MARICO came into existence Lever had acquired an oil company called TAMCO which had a product similar to Parachute called Nihar Coconut oil? Below is a first-hand account from Mr. Mariwala during INSIGHT 2013. He talks about identifying your product and how innovative ideas and execution helped the Parachute brand leapfrog from a small entity to market leader. The company expands with its first overseas manufacturing facility in Bangladesh. Marico acquires Mediker in the same year Marico acquires South Africa's leading hair styling business – Isoplus; [13] launches Saffola Active [12] Slimming Nutri-shake (marking entry into nutraceuticals category) and makes a strategic investment in Zed Lifestyle (Beardo) [14] a b c Sreedhar, Vidya (5 May 2023). "Marico Q4 Results: Cons PAT rises 20% YoY to Rs 302 crore, sales growth muted". The Economic Times . Retrieved 27 June 2023.Lever acquired a brand called Cococare to compete with them Marico acquired Oil of Malabar and relaunched it at a lower price.

The fight with the Hindustan lever strengthened Marico & Parachute even more in terms of structure, marketing, and brand value and enhanced its reputation as a ‘fighter’ which stood against the acquisition major that lever was. The Bottom Line International Agency for Research on Cancer (17 June 2011). "Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–102" (PDF). Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. pp.3, 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2011 . Retrieved 11 November 2011. But as they say, nothing lasts forever. In the same year, Hindustan lever came into the picture, (We know this company as Hindustan Unilever or HUL now) one of the most reputed FMCG firms looking for expansion and also came along Keki Dadiseth, the newly appointed chairman of Hindustan Lever. Marico and Parachute was the brainchild of Harsh and defeat was not acceptable and there was no question of selling out. He was ready for a battle!Bombay Oil Industries Limited: Sound logic behind revamp of family business". India Today . Retrieved 17 May 2018. Parachute Advanced entered the skin-care category with the launch of Parachute Advanced Body Lotion (PABL), another innovation by Marico. The year also marks the launch of Parachute Gold hair cream in the Middle East market targeted to women which today has great equity amongst the consumer. Marico strengthens its presence S.E. Asia through a male grooming, skin care and food portfolio acquired in Vietnam the same year. As of 2019–2020, the company generated a turnover of ₹7,315 crores. [7] Marico has 8 factories in India located at Puducherry, Perundurai, Kanjikode, Jalgaon, Paldhi, Dehradun, Baddi and Paonta Sahib. Marico makes a public offering of equity in Bangladesh; a first for one of its overseas subsidiaries. In the year 2006, Harsh Mariwala saw a huge potential in the deal. The weapon which was introduced to kill his empire was acquired by him in the end. Now Nihar & Parachute both began to thrive together under Marico.