Siblings are like oil and vinegar, not the same, but stand together through thick and thin. Such is the bond between the brothers Sumit and Siddharth Suneja, who are founders of the safe and organic baby products brand, Rabitat.
The two admit they have had it easy all their life. After all, their family owns the famous movie distributor Eagle Home Entertainment. “We never valued money and hard work. I worked with my dad for the first 10 years. Then I decided to start something of my own, and Siddharth, who had just completed his college, joined me,” recalls Sumit, 41.
Together, they launched the first audiobooks company in India, Reado, in 2010. However, even after five years in the industry, the business did not take off. “We were just way ahead of our times. Audio podcasts that are present now, we did them back then. We had got serious capital to launch our app and had also put a lot of our own money,” says Sumit. But their camaraderie remained unaffected by this setback. “Even as kids, we never fought because Sumit is eight years elder to me and we had nothing in common to fight for. We took bad decisions, but always fixed them quickly,” says Siddharth, 32.
During their business trips to the US for their audiobooks, they noticed the increasing requests from friends and family to get diaper bags, feeding bottles and other baby stuff, apart from electronic gadgets. “So in 2016, we began importing international kids’ brands (the same brands people were asking for in India). But in May 2019, one of our topmost brands fired us and partnered with a bigger company, and that triggered us to focus on starting out on our own,” says Sumit. The duo has just started to create the same quality products at a reasonable price.
“People don’t want cheap, they want value. And this is what we bring on the table,” says Siddharth. Their product line consists of stainless sippers, bottles, food jars, hooded towels, swaddles, pillows, bags and features eight cartoon characters for kids between 0-6 years of age. The two play to their strengths when it comes to keeping the ball rolling at work.
“While I am the CEO and take charge of the new launches, and product designs and manufacturing, Siddharth looks at sales and operations. He runs the heart of the company and I run the brain,” says Sumit, who has designed all the smash characters Shyguy, Mad Eye, Diva, Miss Butters, Spunky and Sizzle for the products. Communication is the key, which is why their weekly meetings are sacrosanct. “We keep giving each other ideas, and though we may disagree, always reach an agreement,” says Sumit.
It is why they could jointly resurrect Rabitat that got affected by the pandemic. “We had planned to launch the brand in May 2019, but by the time the products were manufactured and reached India, it was 2020,” says Sumit, pointing out that the biggest blow was the hit that their back-to-school collection took, as schools continue to stay shut. “We had shot and advertised for it. But we picked ourselves up. And today we have a run rate of `12 crores!” It was a simple tactic that rescued them.
“It was summer, so we urged parents to encourage their kids to stay hydrated in summer using our stainless steel tumbler, and we sold more than 50,000 bottles in six months, with complementing products from the range,” reveals Siddharth. Today, Rabitat products are available in Australia, Dubai, New Zealand and “soon in Saudi Arabia,” quips Sumit. Next stop: a brand called Headway comprising lifestyle products for adults under the parent company Merlin Brands, in the coming weeks.
RAPID FIRE
Bestsellers: (For toddler) Stainless steel tumbler, bottle and food jar; (For newborns) Swaddles, bedsheets and hooded towels
Something you like about Siddharth: He is way too patient, and I love that
Something you like about Sumit: His creativity and drive for excellence
Something you don’t like about Siddharth: He gets scared easily and doesn’t take bold decisions easily
Something you don’t like about Sumit: He is so aggressive that sometimes I have to rein him back to think over it again.