|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
Feature
Humble Vada Pav, a money-spinner without much investment
|
|
Saturday, 09 August, 2008, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Irum Khan, Mumbai
|
 Mumbai's rain may be chaotic with messy roads and railway lines. However, the rains give the city a pleasing pause from the routine marathon and the only opportunity to realise the gift of nature to the mankind. Hawkers vacate their makeshift stalls, trains run slow and the list of absentees in the company's register mount defiantly. Amidst this disordered environ two stalls that flaunt busiest schedules and unending customer queues are the roadside chai shop and the vada pav corner.
Vada Pav, small bread stuffed with scrumptious vada, is the easiest, cheapest and quickest deal to satiate one's hunger. It is the most cost-effective and well balances the time factor, the most important aspect for cities as busy as Mumbai.
It's a 2000 crore industry, and millions of vada pavs are sold every day in Mumbai itself. It is an unorgansied sector, hence, making it even more difficult to obtain the exact consumer figure on the paper.
Says Dheeraj Gupt, MD, Jumbo Vada Pav, " It's difficult to count the total sale of vada pavs in the country as the industry is unorganised. However, India is a very large market for vada pav. We are now plannig to expand out business by opening units in states like Gujarath as Mumbai has too many joints already."
The vada pav stall is placed almost in every corner of the city without much investments in terms of land, interiors, manpower, licensing fees, raw materrial and inventory.
The vada pav is priced according to the purchasing power of the masses.
The cost for a vada pav is somewhere between Rs 3 and Rs 7. Vada pav, though a speciality of Maharashtra, is also found in other parts of the country.
Says KB Varal, a worker in IRCTC (Indian Railway Canteen Tourism Co-orporation), " We sell an average 250-300 vada pavs in a day. With 2 vadas at Rs 9, what more can a consumer ask for."
True, vada pav has been a common man's meal throughout the year. Even with limited money one can be assured that the stomach wont remain empty.
Says Gopinath Verma, a businessman and a regular customer at the railway canteen, "I have been visiting this place for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past one year. Nothing can be compared with a vada pav made here."
The fear that burger, its western competitor, would cut the bisuness of Indian vada pav has been put to rest, as burger could no way match the taste and cost of the tiny vada pav.
Says D J Jadhav, working for the railway canteen for 40 years, "The customers for vada pav have been increasing over the years. Where people spend at least Rs 20 for a frugal meal, if they get a filler in just 5 or 10 bucks, why would they waste time and effort visiting a funky resturant."
The business has also proved to be a money spinner for entrepreneurs who dared to experiment vada pav selling on a larger scale.
It does not require campaigning as it is a commodity driven and unbranded product, though there are a number of brands like Joshi Vade Wale, Goli Vada Wale and Jumbo King fast emerging.
These vada pav chains were established to get a maxed benefit from the vada making business. Says Yogesh Mirwani, business development head, Goli Vada Wale, "We decided to venture into this business simply because we wanted to tap the urban population. No other food is as appreciated as vada pav beacause of its taste and the cost effectiveness. We have people landing from Mercedes as well as roadside beggars coming to us for a quick bite. It is a Maharashtrian dish so people have an emotional attachment with it." In fact, the Shiv Sena is planning to launch Shiv vada pavs named after the legendary Maratha king.
The location and the season to carry out the business is also important. Says Mirwani, " Stalls put up near colleges and industrial zones always do more business than those in residential areas. Besides, rainy season is the best for a vada pav business to flourish."
Vada pav is not just local but is fast reaching the global market. Mumbai-based Goli Vada Pav is all set to take this Indian palate to the global market. Mirwani says, " Our aim is to capture the Indian market to its max. We have 250 openings in Mumbai and 5 in Pune. Once we cover Maharashtra, our next target would be to go national and then start franchisee business in the US and the UK. We have already received a number of applications from Indian technocrats working there. "
Vada pav primarily being an unorganised sector, it is difficult to keep a control over the hygiene factor. However, consumer awareness has lead vada pav makers to be more conscious about the quality they offer. Says Gupta, " 10 years back when I graduated, there were not many food joints that took special efforts in maintaing quality standards, but the scenario is completely different now and people have started focussing on the hygiene needs of food products."
The common man's association with a vada pav is so intimate that it is difficult to imagine a life without it. It is a symbol of resourcefulness and ingenuity.
Many think a vada pav to be a symbol of secularism. The pav, an islamic origin, and vada, a hindu creation, give the message of secularism in the most satiating way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|