Ayurvedic wisdom meets modern living with Auric

In the latest episode of the Food Frontiers series, we engaged in a conversation with Mr. Deepak Agarwal, founder and CEO of Auric. Auric is revolutionising the health beverage industry by combining Ayurvedic wisdom with modern convenience to promote wellness in today’s fast-paced world. From his time at Unilever to founding Auric six years ago, his mission is simple: making wellness easy for busy lifestyles.

In this conversation, we explored Mr. Agarwal’s entrepreneurial journey, the vision behind Auric, and how the brand is reshaping the future of health-focused beverages. Auric’s innovative products are gaining recognition not just in India but across global markets like the US, UK, Canada, and the Middle East.

IBT: Auric has positioned itself uniquely in the health and wellness market. Can you share the inspiration behind establishing Auric and your vision for the brand when you first started?

Deepak Agarwal: About 15 years ago, I suffered a serious back injury that led me to try physiotherapy. But when it didn’t work, I turned to yoga. After five years of practicing yoga, I was finally healed. That’s when I wondered if Ayurveda, another ancient healing system, could help too. So, I explored it and found it just as powerful. This journey made me realise two important things: First, many people have a distrust of pharmaceuticals and are seeking natural ways to heal, which is why yoga and Ayurveda are becoming so popular. Second, people want to be healthy but struggle because they don’t have the time or energy to focus on it. That’s when I had the idea for Auric—to use the wisdom of Ayurveda to make wellness simple and accessible for busy people.

IBT: Auric offers a wide range of ayurvedic beverages and wellness products. What is your process for product development, and how do you ensure that these products align with modern consumer needs and preferences?

Deepak Agarwal: Auric uses social media intelligence and consumer research to understand consumer needs and preferences. We aim to add value to these needs and understand consumer formats of consumption. For example, we developed a dissolvable tablet that dissolves in water, providing hydration benefits for both Indian and global consumers. The tablet contains Ayurvedic herbs, botanicals, and bioactives, which are beneficial for smokers, cholesterol, weight loss, and sexual wellness. This convenient way to consume a complex of 10 to 12 herbs while improving hydration is a key aspect of product information intelligence and development. This approach allows consumers to take complex herbs in an easy and convenient way, improving their overall health and well-being. This approach is a key aspect of Auric’s product development process.

IBT: As a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, what strategies has Auric implemented to capture the millennial market? How do you differentiate your offerings in a competitive landscape?

Deepak Agarwal: A direct-to-consumer brand (D2C) in India involves reaching consumers directly without intermediaries, including e-commerce platforms like Amazon. Auric believes that the wellness and supplements industry has low penetration, leading consumers to first visit online for discovery and research before making a decision. Being a D2C brand is crucial for Auric, as over 2/3 of our sales come from our website and Amazon in India and outside. This allows Auric to understand consumer thoughts, hooks, and marketing strategies.

After receiving the product, Auric speaks to the consumer, gaining insights into what works and what doesn’t work for them. Our marketing strategy is focused on social media platforms like Google, YouTube, Meta, Instagram, and Facebook, bringing consumers closer to Auric. This approach allows Auric to understand what works and what doesn’t work for consumers and tailor our marketing strategies accordingly. Overall, being a D2C brand allows Auric to better understand consumer behaviour and preferences.

IBT: As a startup in the wellness industry, what are some of the major challenges you have faced since founding Auric? How have you navigated these challenges?

Deepak Agarwal: The pandemic has been the biggest challenge in the last six years, disrupting global supply chains and causing a surge in demand for wellness products. Despite the demand, supply was not keeping up with the demand. To address this, a flexible supply chain structure was built, focusing on reducing production times from design to development, raw material purchase, packaging, and final quality approval.

The second challenge has been the evolving consumer preferences. Previously, it was challenging to find online consumers, but now, people are demanding 10 minutes of delivery as a D2C brand. This has impacted distribution structures and foundations, and it is crucial for brands to be adaptable and ready to serve consumers where they want. By navigating these challenges, companies have been able to maintain flexibility, agility, and adaptability, ensuring they remain at the service of consumers.

IBT: Given the rise in consumer interest in holistic health solutions, how is Auric innovating within the traditional framework of Ayurveda? Are there any new product lines or concepts that you are particularly excited about?

Deepak Agarwal: Our innovation is driven by how consumer preferences evolve. For example, take Liv.52, a well-known liver detox supplement by Himalaya. It’s been around for decades, but traditionally, people were required to get a doctor’s prescription before using it. But why wait for a prescription when it’s a safe, over-the-counter supplement? So, we decided to innovate by changing the format. We turned it into a dissolvable tablet that makes it easier for consumers to incorporate liver detox into their daily routine without barriers.

Another example is the ghee market. Consumers are becoming more health-conscious and want higher-quality products, especially when it comes to Ghee. There’s growing distrust towards traditional brands, and consumers are now asking about the source of the milk. Over the past few years, they’ve shifted from wanting milk from crossbred cows to traditional Indian breeds like Gir or Sahiwal cows, known for producing A2 milk. In response, we started offering ghee made using the traditional Ayurvedic bilona method, which enhances the quality and purity.

Looking ahead, dietary supplements in India are still under-penetrated—only 8% of households consume them. We see this as a huge opportunity for innovation. We’re focusing on ingredients like KSM-66 ashwagandha and CholesterStrong, derived from milk, to expand the supplement category and meet evolving consumer needs.

IBT: How does Auric incorporate consumer feedback into its product offerings? Can you provide an example of a product or service that was significantly influenced by customer insights?

Deepak Agarwal: We’ve found two key ways to really understand what our consumers want. First, there’s direct communication—our team actively engages with customers to learn about their preferences. The second method is looking at internal data, like how people interact with our brand on social media. This includes everything from views and clicks to comments and purchase behaviour. These insights help us fine-tune our marketing, packaging, and even product formulations to better meet changing consumer tastes.

For example, when we launched our liver detox product in the U.S., we got some great feedback. Consumers loved the product for making water more enjoyable and helping with bloating and liver health. But they wanted it to be a clean label, without any stabilisers. While we had initially designed it with a longer shelf life in mind, we’re now working on a version that’s 100% clean label, which we plan to launch by the end of the year. This is the kind of valuable feedback we wouldn’t have gotten if we weren’t so closely connected to our direct-to-consumer channels. And that’s why we feel it’s so important to listen, adapt, and improve.

IBT: Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for over the next five years? How do you envision the brand evolving in response to industry trends and consumer demands?

Deepak Agarwal: India is known for its fashion, IT professionals, spices, cuisine, yoga, and Ayurveda. The aspiration is to bring an Indian brand based on these practices to the global market, bringing wellness into daily lifestyles. The goal is to create a global brand that reflects India’s traditional wisdom and brings it to the global health industry. The goal is to make a mark in the global health industry within five to 10 years, showcasing the importance of yoga and Ayurveda in promoting wellness and bringing Indian traditional wisdom to the world.

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Deepak Agarwal is an IIT Delhi and HUL alumnus. 15 years ago, he suffered a backbone fracture. This incident led him to his lifelong mission of rebuilding trust in Ayurveda. He is the founder and CEO of Auric, making a comprehensive range of health & nutrition products to make wellness easy for busy lifestyles with Ayurveda.