It is often said, “A pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.” And perhaps the closest realisation of this idiom is the story of German stationary major, Faber Castell. Established in 1761 by Kaspar Faber, the company is today among the largest and oldest manufacturers of pens, pencils, and other office and art supplies as well as high-end writing instruments and luxury leather goods.

“We manufacture more than 2 billion wood case pencils in a year and are market leaders in most of the categories we operate in,” says Daniel Rogger, CEO, FaberCastell. Rogger, who is the first professional CEO to run the family-owned business, spoke to Outlook Business during his maiden visit to India (post his appointment in 2017). “We are in the process of building a strong brand in India. It is already a part of our top 10 markets globally. The target is to double our revenues from India in next five years,” says Rogger.

While he refuses to divulge revenues from the Indian market, news reports state that the revenue of Faber Castell India went up 6.8% to Rs.1.8 billion in year ended Mar