India has a huge and very old tradition of Paan (betel leaf). Despite of the legacy till the last few years paan business had lost its importance and reputation as people used to spit but as the famous saying goes by “When times are bad is when the real entrepreneurs emerge”.
Just like that one entrepreneur Sharad Dattatray More emerged and changed the face of this business with his brand Shaukeen. As they say It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. Sharad More made a huge difference in the Paan business. A brand that created a buzz and made everyone fall in love with Shaukeen paans. Let’s have a look at the intriguing story of Sharad More and Shaukeen.
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Born in 1969 and brought up in Mumbai with a small family of parents and sister Sharad More has always been a child with an intriguing mindset. His father was a Mill-worker and mother used to make tiffins. The area he was living was unsafe so his mother sent him at his uncle’s place in Pune for studies. Here Sharad More got admission in Corporation School. After completing his high school More wanted to work. He joined Shinde newspaper agency and he started giving papers to boys in Yerwada for further distribution. After finishing this work in morning, he decided to utilise his remaining day and he without salary joined an auto rickshaw garage in order to learn. But after he got a hand injury, he had to leave that work and he got an opportunity to work in a paan shop.
In 1984 Sharad More started his paan shop on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya and Shiv Jayanti near Swikar hotel. Even though he had no experience he learned fast. He used to learn how to make paan at deccan shop. He was learning and growing. While working he acquainted with many reputed people. But he always had one regret that women, families never came on paan shop. While working he studied a lot about it and started one of the finest brands in Paan business ‘Shaukeen’ in 2005 that serves everyone in the family. It was the first AC paan shop which provided more comfortable atmosphere to female customers. Near Nal Stop he got a place for shop and took bank loan for it. As it was a new concept for people to understand and digest it took 2-3 months to succeed. The first media article gave them the necessary spark and since then many news publications covered them.
More crossed the first milestone of providing comfortable place for female customers to buy paans and he soon launched a wide range of variety in paans. Right from ice paan to one of its kind’s chocolate paan which is inspired by chocobar and created by Sharad More. Shaukeen gives you the best. Shaukeen has never compromised with the quality and hygiene and that’s what makes them best from the rest. They soon started family packs, party packs, wedding celebration packs, variety of paan packs and parcels and it got tremendous response. They also worked on their costing as well to make the paans affordable for customers. After this they got demand for franchise and then they started doing it as well. The huge responsibility was to maintain the taste and hygiene of paans in all the shops, it had to be similar. They created a model for it and worked on it. They provide all the material to all shops which helps to maintain the similar taste in all the shops. Before giving franchise to anyone they first give them 2-3 months training in their shop. They are focused more on customer satisfaction than money. Sharad More and Shaukeen’s main motto is to not play with people’s health. They use dryfruits, honey and all the natural products in their paan which makes it healthy and people love it. Soon they created a high-tech wending machine with the help of Wendy King company and Mr. Khattad. This wending machine helps customers to have the paan of their choice.
Sharad More has always been keen about providing the best to the clients. Shaukeen has wide range of products/paans but the primary 2 categories of the paans are eatable and spitable. Though Shaukeen is focusing more on eatable paans but in the spitable paan they educate addicted people about how to eat the paan and maintaining hygiene. They provide healthier options. Sharad More has also started plantation of betel leaves in Maharashtra to give the best and most hygienic product to people from start to end.
More started this business as a small venture, soon his sons Bhushan More and Bhargav More joined him in the business and today they have 10 shops all over Maharashtra. Until 2025 they are targeting to capture global market for the expansion of the business and to start this beautiful tradition of paan in foreign countries. As we can see there are many Indians who are living in various foreign countries. They are trying to give the taste of Shaukeen to them also by expanding business there. More believes that more than a business it’s his service for his clients and he feels grateful for all the love people show towards their efforts.
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