Titans still: The story of Dentonic

50 years on, Ala Chemicals is still alive and well.

KARACHI:

A few days ago, a postman delivered an envelope at the gate of Ala Chemicals, a company located on the fringes of the SITE Industrial Estate that makes oral care products. Inside was a two-page handwritten letter sent from Peshawar by a retired banker.

“There is no specific purpose for writing this,” wrote 61-year-old Wazir Mahmood in Urdu. “But today when I was brushing my teeth with Dentonic in the morning, I remembered the days gone by.”

He went on to relate the tale when his father brought the tooth powder for the first time four decades ago. “I wonder what would have been the count of plastic bottles if I had collected them all,” he concluded.

This type of letter written in a natural tone is sent to the company every few weeks by loyal Dentonic customers from across the country. Every letter receives a reply from the owner, S A Alavi.

Only a handful of Pakistani brands enjoy a following like Dentonic, which has survived competition from multinationals backed by huge marketing budgets.

Alavi, 77, singlehandedly made Dentonic a household name. The story of his journey begins in 1963, 50 years ago when he started making the tooth powder in a two-room workshop. “I knew I wanted to do business of my own but I had no idea what to do,” he told The Express Tribune.

In the late 1950s, Alavi was doing odd jobs − working in a sugar mill or supplying ghee to retailers in Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan. He came across the tooth powder idea accidentally.

“I had a severe toothache. It was so bad that I often asked God to end my life,” says Alavi.

One day he ran into a dentist who was wandering around selling homemade oral care products. “I was desperate. I hurriedly explained my problem and he gave me a tooth powder a few days later. It worked and soon I wanted more.”

This unknown dentist, who will get lost in history, had to leave town. “I insisted he tell me how to make the powder myself. This is how I learned about the ingredients and the formula,” Alavi says.

It was easy for this sole proprietor of Ala Chemicals to take credit for Dentonic. But even now with his fading memory, he never forgets to mention this mysterious dentist. As a matter of fact, he links his success more with luck than his hard work.

Throughout the 1960s, Alavi strived to popularise Dentonic, going shop-to-shop in different cities and convincing traders. All along miracles happened.

“One time a gentleman approached me saying use of Dentonic has improved his eyesight. Another time, someone said Dentonic has enhanced his hearing,” Alavi reminisced.

“I really don’t believe the first story but there is some truth in the second one. A dentist confirmed that badly swollen gums can affect one’s hearing after all,” he laughed.

While sales rose by word of mouth, Alavi needed cash for working capital to keep up with the orders. “Getting a loan of even Rs2,000 without knowing someone important in the government was impossible. Sales were made in credit whereas I was paying my suppliers in cash,” says Alavi.

This is where a relative Z D Kirmani, who was working with the Press Information Department, came to his rescue. As luck would have it, Kirmani’s son Tariq Kirmani also worked with Alavi for a while. Tariq would later go on to head Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The high mark for Dentonic came with release of his logo and animated advertisement which is still recalled by millions. The smiley logo is Alavi’s personal achievement. He used first three letters of his family name A-L-Avi to make a cartoon character that was an instant hit among kids.

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Besides the advertisement, Ala Chemicals realised the importance of showcasing its brand at popular shows on Pakistan Television. “Initially, we were small sponsors of Neelaam Ghar, which had a large audience in those days. But then in a matter of few years, we were sponsoring the whole show,” recalled Alavi.

The company doesn’t share its financials but the highest sales ever recorded was 20 million bottles. “Sales of the tooth powder haven’t gone down despite stiff competition from other brands,” he said. It also makes toothpastes but Dentonic’s share in this segment remains low.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2013.

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