Our Legacy

Pan India Growth

Exports

Our Journey

Infrastructure and Facilities

The leadership team

Our legacy

A journey of taste steeped in culture and culinary traditions

It was way back in 1894; Shri Laljee Godhoo set up the Laljee Godhoo & Co., and began a journey that would span generations and geographies. Like all great journeys, it was a humble beginning and the company dealt exclusively in ‘Lumps’ of Hing (Asafoetida) that was prepared manually by hundreds of workers. At the time, no sophisticated machinery was used. Goods were prepared by churning products by hand.

Sale of ‘Laljee Godhoo & Co.’ Asafoetida initially started in Mumbai, after which it spread to South India which is our primary market today. This was accomplished by Shri Khimji Laljee, with the aid of a Gujarati family settled in Chennai.

The first branch.
Rooted in quality.

Laljee Godhoo & Co. opened its doors to the Southern Markets by establishing its First branch in Nagapattnam (currently non-operational), followed by Kumbakonam and then Chennai. As the quality, aroma and distinctive pungency of LG Hing won more hearts, demand from the South of India kept increasing.

To meet the increasing demands in South India, Shri Umakant Vahalia and Shri Kumud Chandra Harikrishna Bhatt came forward to lend assistance.

Evolving with the times.
Continuing with the tradition.

1976-1978 – evolving from lumps to powdered form to meet the needs of homemakers.

With the evolution of a busier lifestyle where women had no time to dry and grind the lumps to get the perfect powdered texture, we wished to provide our customers with just the right product which would provide the same taste without all the effort and time. Steps to accomplish this were taken by Shri Ajit Khimji Merchant with the introduction of Compounded Asafoetida in Powder Form in 1978 and with this, we also introduced the 50gm bottle of Compounded Asafoetida which is seen in almost every household today.

Pan-India growth

With the possibility to be in
every cooking pan

1980’s – reaching beyond South India in the powdered format

Sales rocketed after 1980’s with the introduction of hing in the powdered form. It seemed to have served the needs of every community, all over India. While the Lumps were adding flavor to Rasam and Sambar predominantly prepared in South India, the Powdered Asafoetida was now being used in many products ranging from vegetables, to dals prepared in every household in India.

Respecting the Raw Ingredient

The distinctive LG aroma and flavour is an outcome of our adherence to quality. What separates LG from other brands is that in the world of growing demand, commercialization and expansion, we believe in maintaining purity and respecting the raw ingredient. We hope to continue to serve our consumers to the fullest of our abilities, maintain quality and consistency in all we deliver.

Exports

Quality traverses the world as it triumphs the hearts.

‘Hing’ or ‘Asafoetida’ remains an integral part of Indian Cuisine, Culture and heritage. Today, our product is available in most markets overseas.

USA, UK, Canada, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Japan and New Zealand are some of the countries that avail our product.

Our journey

1894

  • Shri Laljee Godhoo set up the Laljee Godhoo & Co.
  • Sales begin in Mumbai.

Early 1900’s

  • Sale spreads to South India
  • Establishing first branch in Nagapattnam (currently non-operational), followed by Kumbakonam and later Chennai

1978

  • Shri Ajit Khimji Merchant introduced Compounded Asafoetida in Powder Form
  • Launched the 50gm bottle of Compounded Asafoetida which is seen in almost every household today

1980s

  • Expanding across India
  • Acceptance beyond rasam and sambhar into curries, dal, etc

1990’s – early 2000

  • Begin exporting to almost all continents
  • Serving the culinary needs of Indian diaspora

2023

  • Introducing a range of pure and blended spices

Infrastructure and Facilities

Where tradition and technology work together

The company’s state-of-the-art primary production facility is in Mumbai. Besides, there are two packing units in Chennai and Kumbakonam.

Our Manufacturing Unit at MIDC Mumbai is spread over 20,000sq.ft. It has 3 floors with some of the most advanced and sophisticated machinery to provide precise quantities while preserving the aroma of asafoetida.

We have an in-house lab to verify the chemical composition of our product against the FSSAI requirements. At L.G. we adhere to the most stringent quality and hygiene standards.

The ground floor of the unit consists of machines to aid production. Powder is processed first through a sigma mixture, after which it is put through a Hammer Mill and finally a sieve. Gum Arabic, flour is added to the mix in the process. An emulsified liquid is then Dehydrated and packed into 50kg bags. Asafoetida is further differentiated as per units i.e. packed into 50g, 100g,200g and 500g bottles.

Separate Packing units are installed at Chennai and Kumbakonam to meet the demands of the southern markets. These can be distinguished by their unique packaging.

Our products are processed solely through machines for uniformity and to meet the rising demands of the Markets.

The leadership team

Building the LG legacy. Shaping a vibrant tomorrow.

Partner

Ms. Riddhi Merchant

A partner at LG, Riddhi is this enterprise's 6th generation of the family. She spearheads multiple organizational functions, focusing on Marketing, Production and legal aspects. She has an M.A. in Psychology and is driven to take the organization to new heights.

Partner

Mr. Bimal Ajit Merchant

Mr. Bimal Merchant, son of Mr. Ajit Merchant, is the man behind the product before it is packed into the famous white bottles and cardboard packets. He has immense knowledge about the raw product, i.e., asafoetida; its nature, qualities, and varieties. He oversees the procurement, production, and packaging of asafetida.

Partner

Mrs. Heena Bimal Merchant

Partner, Mrs. Heena Merchant has been instrumental in bringing about growth to the company for more than a decade. She oversees administration, Sales, Exports and Accounts. Her relentless efforts to make positive changes have been a source of inspiration for all those associated with the L.G. family.

Partner

Mr. Karan Aroon Vahalia

Mr. Karan Vahalia attends to maintaining records of raw materials and supervises production. He handles matters relating to labour and assists Shri Bimal A. Merchant in day to day matters, in addition to acting as a link between Shri Bimal Merchant and various government authorities.

Partner

Mr. Pallav Kumud Bhatt

Mr. Pallav Bhatt, son of Shri. Kumud Bhatt, has provided sapient advice with relation to legal matters on multiple occasions. His father Shri Kumud Bhatt used to oversee the accounts and sales during his time.