We are connected with 2000 local farmers and I love it, says Mapro's MD Mayur Vora

Success Quotient is a weekly feature that appears every Friday in Firstpost, which looks at the pains and joys en route to success for a head honcho - whether a CEO, MD or an entrepreneur. The column looks at the ideas that helped launch a company, its highs and lows. Mahableshwar-Panchgani is India’s own strawberry county. Over 80 percent of the country’s strawberries are grown here. The region has also been made famous by Mapro Foods, a maker of fruit-based products, which was founded here more than 50 years ago. It is one of the oldest food companies in India, and specialises in fruit jams, squashes and syrups though it also manufactures chocolates made from cocoa butter. Excerpts from a conversation with Mayur Vora, Managing Director, Mapro Foods. Can you tell us how the company came into existence? It was started by my uncle, Kishore Vora, who was a pharmacist. He worked at a pharmacy here. He  set up the business to help farmers in the area whose fresh produce of strawberries and raspberries were being sold in distress. In an 8X12 tiny room armed with two kerosene stoves, four vessels and a thermometer (he could not afford the more apt refractometer), my uncle began his ‘processing unit’ with an investment of Rs 800, where the family cook would help with the stirring. [caption id=“attachment_2245712” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Mayur Vora, MD, MAPRO[/caption] His first batch of strawberry jams was sold at the same pharmacy store he worked at. It was well appreciated. As the demand grew for the jams, he employed two persons to help him. The jams were sold under the brand name, Vora Products. Jam-making soon replaced his pharmacy career. There were other companies then in the area who made jams. What worked in your uncle’s favour? The jams that we made had a higher percentage of fruit content - 45 percent against 25 percent of our competitors. That worked in our favour. When did the company change its name to Mapro? My uncle  got into a partnership for a brief while with a friend in Mumbai. The name of the company was then changed to Mahableshwar Food Products with the brand name Mapro. Though the partnership was dissolved, the name was retained. You did a management degree from IIM-Ahmedabad. What made you come back to join the firm? I love Mahableshwar. It is a simple place. The climate, the people here and the life they lead are very simple. I worked for a short period with Voltas. Around that time in 1983, my uncle was planning to leave the business. He asked me whether I would like to take over. It was a business I was familiar with through all my growing years and Panchgani seemed so much more tempting after living in other cities; so I took up the offer. I was 25 years old then. What changes did you bring in after you took over? My uncle was kind enough to be around so that I learnt the ropes of the business. When he left, there were as many as 300 fruit-based products. I cut that down and streamlined the product profile. We also purchased a 2,000 sq feet factory in 1988, which is where Mapro Gardens is located today. In 2006, we set up a unit in Satara and in 2012 in Pune. We also have a unit outside Maharashtra in Pathankot, Punjab which is yet to start operations. My son Nikunj joined the firm in 2008 and is focused on cocoa-butter chocolates. What drives you to work daily? I don’t go to office daily any more! I oversee what is happening but we have professionals in place. I love the fact that we are connected to the local populace, the 2000 farmers, the community around us. Which among your products are part of your daily routine? Well, I start my day with a crush in milk. I don’t eat the jams a lot though. Has the sugar-free brigade tempted you to make jams and crushes to cater to their taste? Not at all. There is a huge demand for sweets and sweet-based products. The demand is more for fruit crushes, both water and milk-based. Every season, we launch 5-7 varieties but the eternal favourites of customers are strawberry crush, rose syrup and mix fruit jam. How do you decide on which flavor to put out? We have a huge repository of flavours. We check new flavours regularly. I get an overdose of them during our tasting sessions held weekly. My daughter hates sweets. Before she got married and moved away from Wai, she was our taster! If she did not like it, then it was the right product to be put up on the market! Now, of course, we taste and check everything but I hold the last word on the flavour now. I guess my team also checks my mood before calling me for tasting sessions! What are your future plans? There is a lot of growth potential in the industry. When I took over, production of fruit-based products was at 1,500 kgs. Now it is 25,000 MT a year. We could touch 1000 crores turnover in five years time.