MontyyBucks Inc was started by a team of five people and it is engaged into imports and distribution of various brands in the domain of Baby Care, Home Care products and Garden Planters. It is an exclusive importer for PURA Kiki’s Stainless Steel Feeding Bottles which are the safest, most adaptable, and most eco-progressive Baby Feeding Bottles. Alpa Jagyasi, Founder and Director at MontyyBucks Inc. shares and spoke on the challenges and opportunities in the baby care segment in an exclusive interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT).
November 18, 2019
MBT: Kindly take us through the business journey of MontyyBucks Inc.
Alpa Jagyasi: We started MontyyBucks Inc on 6th May 2015. Initially, we were a small team of five people based in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, including I and my husband who is the co-founder Mr. Sanjay Jagyasi along with three other staff members. We share the same vision and the main idea was to provide internationally acclaimed high-quality products that improve the quality of life. MontyyBucks offers feeding solutions for babies and kids, health products along with other high-end products. We have had challenges in the past, and we still face some, however with our strong work ethics and dedication, we firmly believe we are positioned for growth.
MBT: Please outline on the product range covered at your company.
AJ: We provide products from top international brands and our product range includes:
Baby feeding high-quality stainless-steel bottles from PURA Kiki USA along with PURA Kiki bottle accessories: PURA infant bottle are 100% plastic-free, environmentally progressive also 100% BPA/BPS-free and toxin-free feeding solution. These bottles easily convert into a Sippy bottle, straw bottle or sport/water bottle by simply swapping the nipple out for another PURA silicone lid.
Avado Organics: These are the natural and organic range of skincare products for babies.
DIY kit: It has science, art and craft kits for children to enhance their creativity and intelligence.
Self-Watering Planters: They enhance the interior with self-watering pots which suits all interiors. They require less watering and offer better plant growth.
Furthermore, we are also the licensees for Dora the Explorer Preschool Learning Game & PAW Patrol Preschool Game.
MBT: Describe your association with PURA and the unique features of the products by the brand.
AJ: Buying bottle for your infant can be a very daunting task especially for new mothers who naturally would want to purchase safe and hygienic products for their infants. Recent studies show that plastic is hazardous for environment and it can be harmful for infants as well as for adults alike. We understand and acknowledge the importance of safe, non-toxic, 100% plastic free bottles and hence, we are the exclusive importers for PURA Stainless in India. PURA is a pioneering leading international brand which manufactures 100% plastic free bottles. It has won numerous awards and has its own patents. These PURA feeding bottles are made with stainless steel, i.e. 18/8 food grade and comes with medical graded silicon accessories. The parents can use PURA bottles for years as there is no need to buy multiple bottles. One bottle can be converted into another with swap of silicone top. ‘One Life One Bottle’ is our mantra. Why buy so many bottles when we can simply use just one bottle for multiple purposes. It also helps to reduce carbon footprint. PURA bottles are safest, most adaptable and environmentally progressive bottles available in the global market. It is really essential today that we promote and buy only environmentally safe, non-toxic products.
MBT: What are your distribution and retailing strategies? How do you plan to expand your reach across the country?
AJ: We believe in channel sales strategy as that is the best way to have a better graph in the sales. Currently, we are planning on expanding our reach. There are many platforms we are using to connect with the retailers directly. We understand that a right wholesale distributor is necessary for a brand to get stable in any city. We have appointed distributors in many cities who cater to retailers. We directly deal with large format departmental stores. To expand our reach all over India, we are planning a stronger digital media presence along with participation in B2B exhibitions. We have our products listed on many B2B Platforms. We are the fastest growing company in India and we intend to become the leading brand very soon for high tech innovative quality products.
“we are the exclusive importers for PURA Stainless in India… It has won numerous awards and has its own patents. These PURA feeding bottles are made with stainless steel, i.e. 18/8 food grade and comes with medical graded silicon accessories.”
MBT: What is the current market reach of the brand PURA in India?
AJ: We initially started catering the Mumbai market with mostly big stores like Green Bell, Juhu, Kamdhenu, Nepeansea Road, Roopam CST, etc. We then began partnering with new distributors. We have a few numbers of distributors who are located in prime metro cities. We distribute products to many retail outlets through our distributors. We also cater to great departmental stores like Loyal World Bangalore, Dorabjees Pune etc.
For B2C, we are available on Amazon, FirstCry and Hopscotch and many others etc. We have our own website www.montyybucks.com where our customers can easily find their favourite products.
Currently, we have our presence in major cities in India through retail outlets. We also get the customers through FirstCry outlets. Now, we are tapping for more retailers and large format departmental stores.
MBT: What do you think are the challenges and opportunities in the present-day baby care market in India?
AJ: India has a huge population and a very big market, which attracts businesses all over the world. Most Indians like to buy budget friendly products; hence the world believes they can sell anything in India that is cheap. We need to change that perception by spreading awareness. There are adverse effects of cheap and toxic products on environment and health.
Cheap products do not last long, and they can cause harm. Quality products come at higher prices as the manufacturing cost is higher. We need to understand the value of the products. When it comes to health of babies, most parents like to opt for safe and non-toxic products, however many parents are not aware about toxic products which endangers the life of infants and cause diseases.
Our mission is to create awareness. In the longer run, some parents may pay higher price for buying cheap products. I am glad that the new generation of educated parents are much more informed and they give priority to safety of their little ones. We have a huge opportunity to introduce advance quality safe products to make the life of parents easy. We are confident that we will receive customers’ support and appreciation with time.
“You will get to see the DIY Kits of our brand in Hamleys Stores very soon… We are intending to add two more products range to our existing product line.”
MBT: Could you give us a glimpse on your association with other brands?
AJ: We are currently offering few top international brands along with PURA Kiki stainless steel bottles. We hold a license of Dora the Explorer and Paw Patrol for our DIY Kits. This DIY Kit comes with a self-watering table top garden pot and a whole lot of activities, soil, seeds for kids to make them understand the value of healthy food. We need to make children aware about various techniques we can use to reduce carbon footprint. We have designed the box in such a way that the kid will be reusing the outer box as a bird house and inner as storage drawer. There are so many licensed products that the industry churns out. A small change as this can go a long way.
MBT: What do you think are the strengths that give a unique edge to your company?
AJ: We think creatively, from a different perspective. We believe in offering safe innovative, and creative solutions. Our biggest strength is the values and ethics which we strongly believe and follow. We present new products only after carefully examining every aspect of the products. Our products offer great value for money and they are always long lasting. Over the years, we have earned trust and respect from customers by providing them unique solutions through life transforming products.
MBT: Could you please share if there has been any recent development and also the future plans of Montyybucks?
AJ: We have recently registered with Hamleys and you will get to see the DIY Kits of our brand in Hamleys Stores very soon. We are looking forward to forming more such associations with other large retail organizations as well. We are intending to add two more products range to our existing product line. It would take a few months more before we actually introduce it in the market.
MBT: How do you think the participation in B2B exhibitions help a company in strengthening its brand name in the market?
AJ: A B2B exhibition is the best platform to launch products and to get a good entry in the industry. It helps the brand to gain visibility and to reach out to the right audience. These exhibitions provide opportunity to do a great deal of networking. It is a must platform if one wants to grow the brand exponentially.
