Simran Khara, who recently shot to fame through Shark Tank, as the Founder of Koparo Clean, joined the green bandwagon following the ordeal of scrubbing clean during Covid. Her search and need to use the right kind of chemicals with the right ingredients encouraged her to get into the cleaning chemical manufacturing business.
We were researching on what goes inside the cleaning products and strangely did not find much from the labels on the products. We realised certain chemicals like bleach, ammonia, phosphates, and even artificial colours went into the making of cleaning chemicals. Some of the products were formulated in the 70s & 80s. They were formulated for good reason, but in today’s context there is a drastic change in the kind of building materials used in the linen we wear. There is no need for harsh chemicals like benzene chloride. I saw a need for safe chemicals and an opportunity to launch something on these lines. Koparo was born three years ago, and Shark Tank was the absolute place for a startup to showcase and reach consumers and to build awareness through my story,” said Simran.
“We are in an interesting decade for India. I found that the homecare sector is large and in need for better options. If there is a narrative to be written around naturally derived, more sustainable, cleaner, children safe, pet safe… cleaners, I want to be the person who is writing that script,” she added.
While there is awareness on the need to use eco-friendly chemicals, there is requirement to understand one’s need and the right solution to meet that need. “For example, germicides would be required for an operation theatre in a hospital, which has different SOPs and protocols. But your home does not need that level of disinfection. In fact, such levels of germicides will introduce toxins in your home.
“On a similar note, in case of laundry, in the 70s a typical office goer would wear a bright and white shirt which the homemaker would scrub to keep it white. This has changed. Where we go to work has changed. How we define ourselves has changed. The way we dress up has changed. Hence, we have laundries which provide whiteness for hospitality linen and laundries that provide gentle care for childrenswear or chiffons & silk sarees.
“Again, it is all about preferences. Let us not be oblivious of the fact that for whiteness, clothes should be bleached. And whether you want to put bleached clothes next to your skin. Consumers today who use natural skincare products will not want to wear a coat of bleach on top of their skin,” added Simran.
Having understood the need for better cleaning solutions in the retail space, Simran is fast expanding by engaging contract manufacturers to improve production capacity and meet rising demand. “This will also help in reducing the time between two delivery cycles. We are careful in choosing partners, who share the same values. We want to ensure that the kind of ingredients used in the production process are in right order. There is a promise we have made to the consumers, and we will honour it. Besides, we are supplying directly wherever we can. At this point in time, we do not have distributors. Koparo has been an online business till date, so it has a direct relationship with the customers,” she added.
While Koparo is catering to the D2C market this year, it plans to expand its reach through the online channels, including Flipkart, Zepto, Amazon, BlinkIt, Big Basket and Instamart.