Lijjat Papad was acing ‘work from home’, long before it became an accepted form of work culture.
This gave women financial independence without requiring them to step outside their houses. It allowed a homemaker to balance her family with a source of income.
Did you know it was started by seven Gujarati homemakers with a loan of Rs 80?
In 1959, Jaswantiben Popat, Jayaben Vithalani, Parvatiben Thodani, Ujamben Kundalia, Banuben Tanna, Chutadben Gawade and Laguben Gokani rolled papads on their terrace and sold them in a local market.
They sold 25 kilos of papads from one shop to another within a few hours.
In the next 3-4 months, the team grew to 200.
Today, it employs more than 45,000 women across India.
On maintaining consistency...
1: All raw materials are purchased from one place to ensure the taste is the same.
2: Everyone is given a standard base and rolling pin to ensure an equal size of papads from every region.
3: Finally, the products are tested and coded in their laboratory in Mumbai.
It was a blend of catchy jingles, lip-smacking flavours, and the entrepreneurial spirit of these seven homemakers that made Lijjat Papad a Rs 1,600-crore company.
“One of the principles is to ensure that only the best quality of raw materials are utilised in the papad, and there is no compromise on this aspect,” says Swati Paradkar, president of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad.