Keeping up with the food revolution that is making people aware to go closer to nature and opt for organic food and steering his food industry to adopt environmental friendly waste management with the concept of recycle and reuse, visionary young and third generation entrepreneur of the well acclaimed Suhana spices of the Pravin Masala Food Enterprise, Anand Chordia, Director Technical, speaks to Corporate Citizen about his interesting journey to guard peoples’ and environmental health along with his company’s wealth…
A visionary with deep knowledge in product creation, technology and management, Anand Chordia, is known for his expertise in business dynamics and strategic thinking. A true optimist, he believes in motivating the young generation for building a better nation.
As Director Technical of Suhana Spices, he introduced strategies to revamp the 53-year-old family business of spices and pickles which now has become a legacy by streamlining the process of product development and design in manufacturing and business process. He has been instrumental in launching over 150 products that include instant mixes and an array of pickles which are market leaders. He initiated the approach of sustainability like waste to wealth, empowering farmers, green buildings, industrial revolution 4.0 in agri industry and social upliftment around Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) at multiple locations.
Taking a step towards Cleaner, Greener, Healthier, Sustainable and Prosperous India, Anand started a non-profit organisation - The Eco Factory Foundation (TEFF) with a vision to provide sustainable lifestyle solutions to rural and urban communities. He successfully established India’s first ever Waste Management Park-Learning and Awareness center for urban gardening and farming to address the national issue of Malnutrition and Food Security. He has also launched the unique Sustainable Farming Skill Development and Rural Entrepreneurship center to uplift the livelihood of Rural India.
As a youngster, I had seen that the business involved a lot of hard work, physical struggle for my grandparents and my father Rajkumar Chordia. Earlier, spices were sold in loose packets; later, branding came into the picture, at which time we were known to be more of the regional and local brand selling masalas. Later, Vishal, my elder brother who looks after marketing, also joined. We started 'Suhana' brand in order to touch the chord of the customer and that changed the perception of the company by offering very innovative products, 'Suhana' very quickly became a global brand.
I ardently believe that creativity and newness are always required for any business, services one offers and right innovation results in more invoices. Our research and development center is termed as innovation center where we not only develop products but innovate the way we want to do business holistically. We believe that innovation should be applied with common sense, as per customer needs and it should be taken to a logical end to the product that we develop and offer it to the market. I believe that actual business is a by-product of perfect innovative and enterprising ecosystem.
Today, with 3,000 tonnes of spices per month, our wide range of products comprise spice mixes, pickles and instant cuppa snacks which are conspicuous by their presence in small towns, cities’ grocery stores, departmental stores, online grocery platforms and even on the shelves of malls, in 21 countries, across five continents
When I was focusing on the technical excellence for our company, I was contemplating as to how to contribute to society. One of the areas that I envisaged was that, since we are in the agri-business, we should do something related to agriculture and the farmers.
In fact, after my education in New Zealand, I had worked on a farm. This was run on the concept of permaculture, which means, permanent agriculture. It is a complete self-sustainable system created by certain design principles on that land. It’s not only about the farm – it’s about the natural energy and process of looking at soil, seeds and manure, without using any chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The experience was quite satisfying. From then on, I used to think that if India wants to achieve sustainability and develop, this is what it needs. So when I came back, the thought of doing something in a truly sustainable way was always at the back of my mind. In 2015, I decided all my plants should go green...
I've always believed that waste is not a mere waste but it is a sort of wealth. A creative, constructive thinking approach will make it happen. So, I took it up as a challenge to inculcate this concept of sustainability and the idea of waste management in all our units. Then we came up with a holistic plan to deal with the different wastes we produce. Today, all our 11 plants convert the waste into some sort of wealth like fuel, manure, incense sticks, smokeless charcoal and many more such eco-friendly products. It is a 360-degree approach from Waste to Health and Wealth. Today, we have created 'India's First Waste Management Park and Learning Centre' for citizen training and awareness. Also with this, we have created 'Sustainable Agriculture Skill Development and Rural Agri-preneurs Centre' in our factory cum organic farm, 40 kms from Pune on the Pune-Solapur highway. We train people and farmers on sustainability and waste management in rural and urban areas. And that's how farming came up-it was the result of our concept of recycle and reuse. People from across the country visit to learn in a fun way. Students from IIT-Powai and IIT Delhi have visited TEFF to understand rural sustainability. Around 1500 citizens, students and 900 farmers have visited and benefited directly or indirectly through the initiatives of TEFF. It has taken up a very intense shape in just a couple of years.
We have a state-of-the-art warehouse in Bhuleshwar which recently won the CNBC award as warehouse facility for the year 2018 and received IGBC Green Building Platinum rating for it. Industries and various institutes today come to study and learn from the facility. We have implemented precise policies of dealing with waste. The entire warehouse runs on solar power, 100 percent water is recycled and a lot more is to see and understand. It has set an example to many industries on how Sustainable Architecture, Sustainable Design Principles are easy to adopt and how holistic design thinking and design principle helps in multiple ways for the corporate world as well as society.
'The Eco Factory Foundation (TEFF)' as we call our sustainability mission, has started the “Green Connect Initiative” to make sustainable lifestyle solutions and products available to urban markets. The initiative has been adding a lot of value to farmers’ lives and also to the citizens of Pune and Mumbai.
"We have a state-of-the-art warehouse in Bhuleshwar which recently won the CNBC award as warehouse facility for the year 2018 and received IGBC Green Building Platinum rating for it"
To me, food, farm, health, waste management and economic growth are all connected. We believe in the farm-to-fork and fork-to-farm concept. This is a circular economy approach. Generally, we adopt a linear economy, that is, take raw material, which you process and get finished goods. But, at the end of it, you also get some waste which we simply throw away, either outside the factory or into a public dump. And we go about with the business of selling the manufactured product. However, in the circular economy that we have adopted, nothing goes waste. As an industry, we produce a lot of waste-around 3000 plus tonnes per year. This is channelized to make some value-added products which are either used as fuel, manure or lot more. We also convert plastics to fuel by pyrolysis method and also produce biogas from biodegradable waste and this has resulted in a reduction in our manufacturing cost.
So, on our farms, we grow a variety of vegetables, pulses, millets, fruits and herbs. We sell our vegetables and fruits, as people are on the lookout for good and healthy products.
Hukumichand Chordia, Rajkumar Chordia, Anand Chordia and Adi ChordiaI believe that organic vegetable and fruits should not be expensive because we are saving on the expenditure on fertilizers and pesticides. So they should be sold at affordable rates. However, most of the sellers jack up their prices just because the produce is organic, making it beyond the reach of a common man to buy this healthy option. So, the value chain of organic vegetable and fruit produce is stymied in its growth, unlike in European countries where prices and awareness in consumer spurred people to opt for organic produce thus increasing demand and in turn, supply for them.
We have seven centres in Pune where we sell the farm produce. We also sell some herb formulations which can be used at home gardens. We have now embarked on producing organic seeds and saplings as I want to inspire people to start gardening and grow their own organic vegetables and fruits. I want to promote the ideology of waste to wealth and health as well. Now I'm also helping other agri-prenuers to build a holistic ecosystem. We are witnessing the hazards of an oil-based economy. We need to convert the oil-based economy to a soil-based economy. Then only will we prosper, in the real sense.
We have already created green heavens in three campuses in Pune city that showcase the power of simple techniques to reuse waste and grow nutritious crop produce without any chemical or expensive interventions. The Green Cover project has inspired many institutes, government bodies, corporate firms and educational institutes to get associated with TEFF for greening their campuses and implementing waste management policies. Inspired from the training program many farmers have started implementing globally practised low cost farming techniques, rural waste management techniques at farm level, citizens have started using biodegradable waste generated at the household level for urban gardening/farming. The training program has built a creative thinking approach in people.
We wish to widen this activity across the nation by creating similar such centres to spread the importance of waste to wealth and waste to health approach. We also wish to work with the government for making policies in the waste management sector. Add new technologies as they appear and be able to dissipate this information to people and create material in regional languages, offer internship to students to learn and dissipate leanings to wider range of people, adopt more campuses nation-wide to manage waste generated at campus level and build sustainable urban farms that will not only provide wholesome food but will provide much needed green lungs in the urban space.
"I’ve always believed that waste is not a mere waste but it is a sort of wealth. A creative, constructive thinking approach will make it happen. So, I took it up as a challenge to inculcate this concept of sustainability and the idea of waste management in all our units Then we came up with a holistic plan to deal with the different wastes we produce"
Foreign countries inspire us because of their cleanliness, hygiene and aesthetics they have built for decades together and they passionately preserve this culture. I always yearned to do it for my country, and I realized which is possible only if I set an example through my premises, so I decided to make our factories, sustainable and eco-friendly. Any industry, society, the community produces some sort of waste and many a time waste management systems and policies are not in place. We decided to create a waste management policy for which we sought the advice of some scientists and NGOs and we ourselves also studied a lot of things and experimented on wastes. After the rigorous implementation of four years, we are now able to successfully recycle, reuse, reduce and upcycle the waste which we produce and support the environment in many ways.
I think in recent years, there have been amazing development, experimentation and implementation of waste management at the municipal corporation level. Indore is a very good example of this. It is a case study that all other cities can take up. The problem with the Municipal Corporation Waste is the highly concentrated population which generates large volumes of wastage. Thus, segregation, proper disposal and conversion of that waste to anything useful become difficult. So I believe the approach we have taken through our Eco Factory Foundation is to make every individual aware and sensitized about the management of waste and provide skills to all stakeholders of proper disposal of waste. This will largely help all our cities to offload some load which comes on the centralized waste management facilities.
"As an industry, we produce a lot of waste−around 3000 plus tonnes per year. This is channelised to make some value-added products which are either used as fuel, manure or lot more. We also convert plastics to fuel by pyrolysis method and also produce biogas from biodegradable waste and this has resulted in a reduction in our manufacturing cost"
Our country has a high biodiversity compared to any other countries on the planet. We haven't simply valued that biodiversity. As we never valued it, we never thought of preserving it. As we haven't preserved it, now we realize that we have lost it. Now reviving it will take some time. But 'Make in India' is really possible if we 'Grow in India'. We need to support agricultural enterprise in order to correct the growth of our country. In India, our biodiversity is eternal if we maintain it. But we are not capitalising well on that.
Cleaner, greener, sustainable, healthier and prosperous are the five themes of my vision. By recycling and reusing we start to make the environment clean. One of our belief is that food can be grown practically anywhere and when we grow food in an organic way, the nutrition value is very high. Tests from the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL) shows that our vegetable produce has higher vitamin and mineral content. That proves, there is a direct connection between malnutrition and the chemical pesticide and fertiliser ridden food we consume.
I have been working closely with farmers and understand the challenges they are facing due to deteriorating soil quality and use of fertilizers and pesticides leading to burdens of loans on farmers resulting in suicides in the country. There is an urgency to reach out to these farmers to educate them in the right manner on the low cost and sustainable farming practices. With sustainable farming, a farmer's income would also get enhanced because of low cost farming.
There is a strong belief in our own spiritual values which I definitely have. To me, in a real sense, my spiritual journey is both internal and external. In my external existence, I really want to make a positive difference in people's lives by setting an example.
Gauri and Anand Chordia complement each other due to their common love for nature and deep respect for each other’s space
It is the serenity and calmness in her disposition and voice that is striking about Gauri Chordia when you first meet her. It is her love for nature and landscape designing that complements Anand’s passion for 100% waste recycling and reusing in their factories and development of organic farms around them. More importantly, family values are thickly intertwined as this charming couple continues to strengthen their bond through complete commitment to family and respect for each other.
Gauri states with a twinkle in her eyes about Anand, "I love his enthusiasm and energy. He is constantly doing something new and inspires you with his love for conserving the environment." Propelled by his interests, Gauri too dabbles her fingers in landscape designing, some of which is seen in some of their factory premises and their home. Says Anand, "She is extremely good at interiors and landscape designing. She has an aesthetic sense and so does a good job in landscaping, although she has no specialized degree in it."
She holds a Masters in Economics degree from the prestigious SNDT University; she believes that home management is a full-time job itself and with good organizational skills, time management and selflessness, one can have a fulfilling life as a homemaker.
So, how did they meet? Says Anand, "Our parents were family friends and we used to keep bumping into each other during social get-togethers, since childhood. We got married in 2004 and it has been a wonderful journey. She supports me in everything I do wholeheartedly and adds a lot of value to that. I adore her simplicity and humbleness. She is a good mother to our children, Adi and Adya."
Although both the children are good in academics, Anand believes that, "I want them to focus on arts and sports too. Adi pursues tabla and tennis as hobbies and has a flair for writing. He has a talent for singing too. Both Adi and Adya hold creative workshops in Slime. Academically they are very strong. But for me, that's not the only thing."
What is their take on a large number of marriages ending up in separations or divorces? States Anand, "My general observation is that young couples are not ready to accept the unexpected." For example, accepting failures is a part of life but youngsters are not prepared for that. Small failures pull them down so much that they are unable to come to terms with it. Whenever I’m interacting with students, I always tell them to look forward even if they fall. All they need to do is stand up and move ahead. My grandfather must have attempted to do business more than 25 times and failed and still, he was persistent. And I feel if someone has this quality, he or she is bound to succeed.
"The ability to accommodate with the spouse and take life positively, is missing. I find that the lifestyle of the couples has become very selfcentric, which was not the case earlier''
- Gauri and Anand
He continues, "Similarly, with marriage, I see the ability to accommodate with the spouse and take life positively, is missing. I find that the lifestyle of the couples has become very self-centric, which was not the case earlier. It was more about community, society and togetherness. That would allow our own ability to adjust to everyone, very naturally. This isolation is hampering a couples’ ability to stay together. Also, it is important for the couple to understand that both should develop an ability to respect each other's views-only then it can be a joyous journey.’’
What are the essentials of child upbringing? Say Gauri and Anand, "It's been a learning process for there is so much newness every day. Raising a child is a very important and sensitive responsibility. And for that, the mental nourishment of parents is important. They need to understand the value of one human life and what it can achieve. Even if I as a parent haven’t achieved it, it is my responsibility to see that the next generation has the ability to achieve it. For that, we as parents need to respect their views, if we approach parenthood by being friends with our children, I think we will see a different India for sure. If we build leaders, they will contribute to the nation, in a positive way."
Spending quality time with the children is essential. Says Anand, "We take them to our farm many a time in order to teach them the importance of nature. We travel a lot and stay away from the digital world. The digital world is important but it is pulling down their time to do productive things. Recently, I read a news report which stated that WHO has termed mobile addiction as a mental disorder. Distracting children by encouraging them to pursue physical and creative activities is very important. Four of us together conceptualised the Microgreen business as a project. Recently, Adi and Adya held their maiden workshop on making Slimes. They taught 30 children, the art of Slime making. We are giving such exposure to them so they learn to get inspired and motivated."
Indeed, harmony with nature, people, your own spouse and children is the key to happiness and success and Chordias are a living example of that.
By Vinita Deshmukh
