The First Priority Is Human Values

Ayurveda has been around for more than 5,000 years and its popularity is still growing, as ava group Managing Director Dr AV Anoop explains.

- Sharon Masige

For Dr AV Anoop, Managing Director of AVA Group, the biggest change he has seen in the 35 years he’s been with the business, is the growing preference for Ayurvedic products.Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine from India that was developed more than 5,000 years ago. The system is based on the belief that good health depends on a balance between mind, body and spirit. With the Sanskrit words ayur meaning life and veda meaning science or knowledge, Ayurveda also provides guidelines on diet, exercise and lifestyle recommendations.

AV Anoop has a PhD in philosophy from the Medicina Alternativa Institute, an affiliate of The Open International University for Complementary Medicines in Sri Lanka, and is an avid supporter of Ayurveda. During the 1980s, he joined his uncle’s soap-making business, Medimix, which has since become one of the largest Ayurvedic bath soap brands in India.

Medimix later became a part of the AVA Group of companies, specialising in a wide range of consumer products, with AV Anoop as Managing Director. Apart from its flagship product, Medimix, the company stocks a range of other personal care, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics products.

“When I took over, our product visibility was small,” AV Anoop tells The CEO Magazine. “Over the past 10 years, I’ve found that Ayurvedic products have become important globally and now have high visibility. Initially, there was some negativity towards Ayurvedic products. But now, the market is open to them.”

“We provide quality products,” AV Anoop adds. “No harmful ingredients are used in any of our products. Medimix is handmade and all our products are natural-based. So as a policy, we will not do anything to harm the environment or society.”