Category Archives: Business & Economy

Unions to unite Sheep Breeders in State

Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation Ltd., Chairman Panditrao Chidri (second from left) is seen addressing a press meet at DC office in city this morning. Also seen are (from left) Animal Husbandry Deputy Director Dr. Devdas, ZP member Patel Javaregowda and State Kuruba Sangha President Prakash.
Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation Ltd., Chairman Panditrao Chidri (second from left) is seen addressing a press meet at DC office in city this morning. Also seen are (from left) Animal Husbandry Deputy Director Dr. Devdas, ZP member Patel Javaregowda and State Kuruba Sangha President Prakash.

Mysuru :

Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation Ltd (KSWDCL) has plans to set up Sheep Breeders’ Union, similar to that of Milk Unions in the State, said KSWDCL Chairman Panditrao Chidri, here this morning.

Addressing the press persons at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in city, he said that the KSWDCL had decided to the set up unions across the State to help the sheep breeders to secure more funds from the State Government.

Chidri said that he planned to set up a total of 1,000 sheep breeders’ unions in the State and later, a federation of sheep breeders’ unions. Adding that farmers were being granted various loans in the State, Chidri said that State Government had announced Rs. 1.20 crore for purchase of 20 sheep and one Ram under the ‘Pashu Bhagya’ scheme. This apart, he also mentioned that sheep breeders were granted an interest-free loan of Rs. 50 lakh through District Co-operative Central (DCC) Banks in the State.

He also added that considering the increase in the number of sheep deaths in State, the KSWDCL had announced for compulsory vaccination of sheep to avoid them being infected by diseases and said that vaccinations worth Rs. 2 crore had been procured by KSWDCL.

Chidri also announced that 18 ambulances have been purchased to check for sheep diseases throughout the State. The ambulances will work similar to that of 108 ambulances and visit various places to check for sheep diseases based on the complaints received.

He also added that the KSWDCL had already distributed compensation of Rs. 8 crore for sheep breeders in the State and said that another Rs. 1.5 crore was pending to be distributed.

Adding that sheep breeders were being cheated in the market, Chidri said that a Committee headed by an IAS officer had been formed to look into the irregularities in the sheep market and also added that the KSWDCL would soon install about 50 weighing machines at sheep markets across the State at a cost of Rs. 5 crore to help breeders weigh their sheep scientifically.

The KSWDCL has taken up artificial insemination of sheep in the State to breed good quality of sheep and ‘Narisuvarna’ , a special sheep breed from Maharashtra would be brought to the State to help in production of good breed, said Chidri.

Adding that the Chief Minister Siddharamaiah had granted Rs. 100 crore for KSWDCL, Chidri said that though the KSWDCL was started in 1974 during Devaraja Urs regime as CM, it was being granted only Rs. 6 crore per year as funds. He said that State Government had also been asked to announce support price for wool.

The KSWDCL has already organised sheep breeders’ conventions in 19 districts and plans to organise a State-level convention at Davanagere soon, said Chidri.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com /Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday -July 08th, 2015

‘We are among the top 3 in water heaters’

The response to A O Smith from the consumer and trade community in India has been so good that it has encouraged us to make more investments.

ParagKulkarniBF13jul2015

It has only been seven years since A O Smith, the world’s No.1 water heater maker, entered the Indian market. The NYSE-listed, $2.36-billion (2014 revenues) company first introduced its range of water heaters in the India market, and now claims to be a leading player in the segment. Very recently, the company started selling its water purifiers as well. Deccan Herald’sGeorgy S Thomas recently sat down with A O Smith’s newly appointed India Managing Director Parag Kulkarni to discuss the company’s journey so far and its future strategies. Excerpts:

When did your India journey begin?

We started operations in India seven years back. Our first manufacturing plant was inaugurated in 2010 at Harohalli, KIADB Industrial Area, just outside Bengaluru. We have 20 acres of land over there. In the first phase, we set up a plant spread over 75,000 square feet. Our water heaters are manufactured there. It has been received well by the market as a premium offering. We are among the most recalled brands in the modern retail outlets.

What is your product range in water heaters? How are they priced?

Our water heaters range from 1-litre capacity to about 100-litre capacity. Prices start from Rs 3,000 for the 1-litre offering to Rs 15,000 for the 25-litre offering. The 100-litre offering is custom-built and targeted at commercial establishments like hospitals, hotels, etc. Our water heaters boast of patented, unique blue diamond technology (glass coating) which increases the life of the inner tank. The lining is stronger and more corrosion-resistant than that of competing products. The A O Smith range of water heaters come with five‐star rating for energy efficiency. They feature digital and wireless remote control which not only enables the user to set temperature, but also shows the energy consumed by the unit and has a real time clock and a built-in timer.

Another feature on the aesthetics front is that our water heaters come with interchangeable decorative front panels in eight different colours. The colours can be changed to match that of the tiles in the bathroom. We transformed the water heater industry in the country.

What is your market share in water heaters?

This is data which is very difficult to pull out because nobody publishes it. Suffice it to say that we are among the top three players in the market.

What are the volumes that you do?

Again these are unpublished data and difficult to share. What I can tell you is that the response to A O Smith from the consumer and trade community in India has been so good that it has encouraged us to make more investments.

What is you installed plant capacity?

What I can tell you is that 75,000-square feet is what was invested earlier. But very recently we have gone ahead and made another investment, and now the plant size is 226,000 square feet. Our installed capacity is much ahead of our current requirements. It is 3,100 water heaters per day and 300 water purifiers per day.

What’s the size of the India water heater market?

It is estimated at around Rs 800 crore. South India is the largest market for organised water heaters.

What else is new at A O Smith?

We recently entered the reverse osmosis (RO) water purifier market. There are three models in the market now. One of them is called PURITEE+ HOT. It has 10-litre capacity, of which 9.8 litres is for regular water, and 0.2 litres for hot water.

What is the price range of your water purifiers? What is their value proposition?

Prices for the water purifiers range from Rs 17,000 to Rs 25,000. We offer two-year warranties which are much higher than that of our competitors.

Our unique patented Side Stream technology gives RO membrane life of 12,000 litres from the usual 6,000 litres. Our purifiers boast of seven-stage amino purification process.

Two of our water purifiers come with the unique ColourMatch system which can be matched to the kitchen decor. We have also introduced ‘The Greatest Buy Back’ offer where you can get Rs 3,000 off on exchange of any water purifier to upgrade to an AO Smith model.

What is the size of the water purifier market?

The water purifier market in India is approximately estimated at Rs 3,500 crore. Of this, the RO market is estimated at Rs 1,200 crore. The RO market in India is growing at 22-25 per cent CAGR.

In which all markets do you distribute your products?

We distribute water heaters in 23 class A cities, 61 of 67 class B cities, and 314 of 400 class C cities. Our water purifiers are distributed only in the Delhi/NCR and Bengaluru markets.

What about customer service?

We have launched the ‘Power of 1’ service, which is one of its kind. We are committed to respond to the customer’s problem within one hour of the call being registered on the toll-free number. The customer problem will be rectified and closed within one working day. And the solution will be provided the first time itself. We have an outsourced call centre, where calls will be attended by AO Smith-trained operators. They take the call and house visits are done by our A O Smith-trained technicians. This service is available in the top ten cities of the country.

What are your investments so far in India?

We have invested upwards of $50 million in India so far. We will be investing more in India to grow the market.

Do you do research and development (R&D) in India?

We have a full-fledged R&D centre in India, which commenced operations in 2010. We have an R&D team of around 35-40 people who work on products for the Indian market. Innovations by the India R&D team include the hot water dispensing purifier, remote control for temperature in water heaters, side membrane technology, ColourMatch system for the water purifiers and water heaters, etc.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Economy & Business / by George S. Thomas / DHNS – June 29th, 2015

Loud patterns, bold statements

Ajay Kumar
Ajay Kumar

Bengaluru’s designer Ajay Kumar marks his fashion week debut with his quirky menswear collection

At first look, Ajay Kumar’s clothes scream “look at me”. Face to face with the quirkily-dressed man, and you know his collection is all him. He’s wearing floral-printed cream pants, a white sharply cut bib shirt, sports a very Italian brown-brogues-without-socks look, a waxed twirly moustache, and a Mohawk hairdo to boot. He shows me a flaming red jacket he usually wears.

“I like flamboyant,” he declares with a hearty laugh and a twinkle in his eyes. A NIFT graduate who’s worked with Blackberry’s, Indigo Nation, Reid & Taylor, and Peter England, Ajay has embarked on his own creative journey now — he will be launching his eponymous menswear label “Mr. Ajay Kumar” at the Gen Next designer platform of Lakmé Fashion Week in its Winter/Festive 2015 edition in August. “If someone has achieved something they should show it. I was inspired by the movies, by the corporate life and look…you should not hide behind anything. I like to dress up, look bold. You should be someone to look up to,” he says with finality.

The 36-year-old Bengaluru-based designer is from Uttar Pradesh and makes no bones of his lower middle class upbringing. He grew up in Bokaro Steel City, Jharkhand, where his father was Deputy Post Master; he credits his parents with being his biggest support, specially having come from a small town where a career in fashion is far removed from life. He talks of how he almost applied to be an aeronautical engineer, then got through a hotel management course, before he finally landed in National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi. He now lives in Bengaluru with wife Lavanya Venkatraman, co-founder at a fashion startup, and son Siddhanth. He wanted to be in Bengaluru, the corporate hub, and live the life with a beautiful house, car, and clothes. Ajay’s collection ‘Consonance & Dissonance’ is taking shape at his newly set-up studio in HSR Layout. On one side hang his sports collection and after-office wear, “bread-and-butter” shirts he designs with his partner Bhupesh. “Every designer uses market input to create something that sells. Then, there are the things he makes for his passion.” He says he styles for photo-shoots to sustain. “I like to style a whole look. I’ve always done that.”

On the opposite end of his studio, is his “passion” — the collection he’s taking to LFW. “Everything has importance in our lives. The problem is that we try to make everything perfect. But in every person there is something positive and negative. And if I don’t have the negativity, I don’t have personality. Even in a piano, the black and white keys are about consonance and dissonance…So my collection has lots of layering of patterns, colours; they are multitudinous. I’ve not tried to synchronise anything.” Earlier everyone looked toward the West but now there’s a turnaround and everyone looks towards India, even for silhouettes, he says.

Out of the eight ensembles he’s taking to the LFW 2015, six are ready. “The silhouettes are structured yet flowy, Indian yet contemporary. I’ve always created very constructed patterns. A guy should look sleek. You’ll find in this collection drop-crotch pants, cowl necked shirts, angrakha styled shirts, Rajasthani- style Bhagatri en’s kurtas fused with formal white collars, a tuxedo-inspired jacket, a kilt-inspired pant with an overskirt…” Black and white geometric patterns are interrupted with colourful flowers, elephants, birds, and motifs of men in pagdi, twirling their moustaches! “This elaborate surface work is hypnotic and like the kaleidoscope.” Bib shirts and layers, really, though, are his thing. “I can wear anything. I can look like what I want. We can experiment. We all have licence to do it.” That quite sums up the man, and his creations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Bhumika .K / July 09th, 2015

Premji gives half of his stake in Wipro for charity

In Wipro's annual report for the year ended March 2015, Premji said he has now allocated the equivalent of 39% of the company's shares to a trust focussed on philanthropic initiatives, mainly primary education.
In Wipro’s annual report for the year ended March 2015, Premji said he has now allocated the equivalent of 39% of the company’s shares to a trust focussed on philanthropic initiatives, mainly primary education.

Bengaluru :

Wipro’s billionaire chairman Azim Premji, the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, has set aside more than half of his wealth for charity by allocating an additional 18% stake in the company to fund philanthropy.

Premji, who will turn 70 this month, controls a 73.39% stake in India’s third-largest software company, which is worth about Rs 99,500 crore ($15.7 billion). In Wipro’s annual report for the year ended March 2015, Premji said he has now allocated the equivalent of 39% of the company’s shares to a trust focussed on philanthropic initiatives, mainly primary education. The additional 18% stake forms the latest tranche of shares Premji has allocated for charity.

The Giving Pledge is an effort to invite the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit half of their wealth to philanthropic causes and charitable organisations. In his pledge in 2013, Premji said he believes that those who are privileged to have wealth should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged. “Over the past 15 years, I have tried to put this belief into action through my personal philanthropic work. Over these years, I have irrevocably transferred a significant part of the shareholding in WiproBSE -0.03 %, amounting to 39% of the shares of Wipro, to a trust (of which ownership of 21.14% was transferred and for the balance, the trust is entitled to the beneficial interest of dividends and sale proceeds),” Premji wrote in a letter to shareholders.

People close to Premji said he has been quietly and steadily been transferring wealth to fund philanthropy.

“Apart from the Tata Trust, nothing comes close to the commitment made by him on this front,” said a person who knows him well. “And now, he has two engines to carry on philanthropy—the Azim Premji Foundation, and the newly formed Philanthropic Initiatives formed to making grants to NGOs.”

Last year, Premji hired Amnesty India head G Anantha Padmanabhan to build an organization that will offer grants to external agencies.

“The new initiative of making grants to NGOs has just started under what we call Philanthropic Initiatives. We are continuing to look at various areas, e.g., nutrition, water — the only area that we have decided on is support to NGOs working with the most vulnerable people — eg, street children, urban homeless, teenage girls from disadvantaged communities, women at risk of violence,” said Anurag Behar, CEO of Azim Premji Foundation and vice-chancellor of Azim Premji University.

“The Foundation’s work continues to expand and deepen in helping improve public (government) school education across seven states, which have about 350,000 schools. The university that we run also continues to expand. This year, we have launched a Master’s in public policy and governance and also our undergraduate programme,” Behar added.

Philanthropy has been on the rise among the rich in India as Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates , the world’s richest person, and business magnate Warren Buffet urged the wealthy to give their fortunes to charitable causes.

According to the Hurun Research Institute, at least 50 individuals donated over Rs 10 crore to philanthropic causes in 2014.

Premji, Anil Agarwal, Shiv Nadar and Ratan Tata were the most generous givers in India, according to the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2014.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Business> India Business / by Pankaj Mishra, ET Bureau / July 08th, 2015

Training in Ginger Cultivation for farmers held at Horticulture College

The dignitaries are seen watering a sapling to inaugurate the training programme at College of Horticulture in Yelwala, Mysuru, on June 30.
The dignitaries are seen watering a sapling to inaugurate the training programme at College of Horticulture in Yelwala, Mysuru, on June 30.

Mysuru :

A ginger training-cum-exhibition was held at College of Horticulture (COH), Yelachahalli, Yelwala, Mysuru, on June 30 by Horticultural Extension Education Unit of College of Horticulture for the benefit of ginger growers around Mysuru.

Farmers around this region are growing ginger since 5 to 8 years after its introduction by the traders from Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the border areas of Chamarajanagar. Although farmers have accepted this as a lucrative and remunerative crop, the package of practices was not well-known. Hence, this Extension Unit organised a training programme on ginger for the benefit of farmers from Chamarajanagar, Hunsur and Hassan.

About 100 farmers attended this training along with scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) Suttur and Gonikoppa, University of Mysore and officials of Department of Horticulture, Mysuru.

Dr. K.T. Shivashankar, Retd. Dean, UAS, Bengaluru, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the programme. Speaking on the occasion, he expressed happiness over the conduct of the training programme which was long due. He advised the farmers to follow the advanced technologies in ginger cultivation to harvest rich dividends.

He also cautioned them that it was very difficult to raise any other crops after the harvest of ginger crop. He suggested the farmers to form an association of growers to discuss their problems.

Dr. Arun Balamatti, Programme co-ordinator, KVK, Suttur, Dr. Sathyanarayana Bhat, Principal, Government Ayurveda College, Mysuru, also spoke. Dr. Krishnakumar and Dr. B.C. Anand, SADH, Mysuru and Dr. Vasanthkumar Thimkapur were present. Dr. K.M. Indiresh, Dean (Hort.), COH, Mysuru, presided.

Training on ginger cultivation was imparted by experts: B.N. Harish on varieties and package of practices; G.K. Sudharshan on diseases; Dr. Prasadkumar, on pests; H.B. Rashmi on post harvest products; Professors of COH and Anjanappa, Agronomist, NETAFIM, Bengaluru gave lecture on use of drip irrigation.

An exhibition was also arranged with display of products of ginger, disease symptoms, diseased and infected specimens of ginger crop etc.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday – July 03rd, 2015

App to give info on land you stand on

Bengaluru:

Eyeing a piece of land but unsure of buying it? Soon, finding out details of land records will be as easy as booking a cab on your smartphone — thanks to an app that will be unveiled in the next few weeks. All you need to do is key in your name and mobile number.

For instance, if you’re sipping a cuppa at an MG Road cafe and use the app, you will get the plot number of the place via SMS and know whether it’s a government or private property.

The government is in the final stages of testing the app, with officials at the survey, settlement and land records department already using it. The app is like an android application but the back-end work of syncing details of land records has been a mammoth task and is being verified.

Munish Moudgil, commissioner, survey, settlement and land records department, said: “The app will use longitude and latitude details from GPS coordinates and give citizens the requisite information. Not only will it benefit them during transactions, but also help government officials who now have to go back to dusty files to check records.”

The app is meant to serve a twofold purpose. “…One, to give government officials from various departments easy access to information on land so they can do their job without having to rummage through their desks. Second, it aims to help citizens,” he said.

It’ll come in handy for those looking at buying land — they’ll get to know if someone is trying to sell them government land or if it is the right survey number.

HOW IT WORKS

You have to enter your name and mobile number. Within minutes, you’ll get an SMS with details like survey number/plot number, whether it is a lake (as per records), forest land, rajakaluve, government or private land. “We are factoring a 30-metre error that could pop up because of the GPS coordinate of the person. If there is another plot with a survey number within 30 metres of the person’s location, details of that will also be sent to the user,” said Munish Moudgil, commissioner, survey, settlement and land records department.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by Chethan Kumar / July 01st, 2015

Food trucks on a roll

Road rovers

spitfireBF29jun2015

Thanks to the number of food trucks that have come up in the City, the foodies here are a happy lot. Though the concept of food trucks is not new in India, it has been gaining popularity in Bengaluru only over the last two years. These trucks have found many takers and one can always spot a lot of crowd around them.
Owned by Sudarshan MS and Francis Xavier along with two others, ‘De3-The Eatery’ was started in March 2013 and serves Continental, Italian and American food. One can spot it in Shanthinagar, Kammanahalli and Jayanagar. “We always wanted to do something different and focus on quality and cleanliness. The idea of starting a food truck came in as we wanted to popularise the concept of mobile and clean restaurants with an open kitchen. So when people see how their food is being prepared, they get a sense of satisfaction,” says Sudarshan.

Many of these food trucks have a clear idea of their target customers. ‘The Great Indian Bhukkad’ was started by Suraj Agarwal in 2014 and caters mainly to the students of PES University, Banashankari. Parked at the college premises, it offers a variety of rolls and wraps among other Chinese dishes. “Our USP is that we cater only to students and our prices are reasonable. The students know that we serve clean and hygienic food and really appreciate the taste. We are glad that we have been able to establish a relationship of trust with them,” says Suraj.

‘Spitfire BBQ Truck’, which was started in 2014 by Sidhanth Sawkar and Gautami Shankar, moves around in Sahakara Nagar, Kammanahalli, Indiranagar and Koramangala. As the name suggests, it serves barbecued delights. “Bengalureans today are getting into food culture professionally. As the city is a melting pot of different cultures, people here are open to different types of food. Everyone has high expectations from us not just because of the food we provide but also the personal bond that we have built with our customers,” says Sidhanth.

Their experience of working in the food industry in the United States led Siddharth and Bharath to start ‘Off Road Food Truck’ (ORFT). The place, which was started in January this year, often stops in Sahakara Nagar and Kammanahalli and serves burgers, sandwiches, Spanish rice, chicken and fried ice creams. “We were working for different restaurants in the US. It was our interest for food that brought us together. Our idea was to go up to people and serve them rather than they coming to us,” says Siddharth. According to him, cleanliness, affordability and convenience are the things that attract the crowd to ORFT.

Some of these trucks are area specific too. ‘Frying Wagon’ in RT Nagar was started merely two months ago but has been seeing great business. The truck serves Chinese dishes and rolls and the dishes are served only on eco-friendly paper plates. Vijay Kesarkar and Soujanya Vijay, the owners, say, “Our business is picking up and now people are aware of us. They look for cleanliness, quality and hygiene and come to us because we meet their requirements. Our prices are reasonable thanks to which, we have a lot of students coming to us. Even the IT crowd comprises a chunk of our customers.”

‘Meals on Wheels’ is another such truck that can be spotted near Richard’s Park in Frazer Town. Serving Chinese cuisine with a twist, one can often see foodies relishing a variety of momos, Chinese ‘bhel’ and saucy lollipops here. “The concept of food trucks is becoming popular in India and people in the City are more open to it now. The business too is growing at a fast pace,” says Syed Harris, who owns the truck along with Aftab and Maaz.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Surupasree Sarmmah / DHNS – June 29th, 2015

Chunky jackfruit kebabs steal the show

Mangaluru :

Jackfruit is all set to dispel the notion that kebabs can be made only from meat. The chunky jackfruit aril makes tasty kebabs and also tasty machurian.

The many avatars of jackfruit, like idlis, kadubu, sheera (kesaribath), cake, appam, vada, wild jackfruit juice, were on display at the jackfruit mela that was held at Fisheries College in Mangalore on Saturday.

Demonstrating the making of kebabs and manchurian, Shankar Prabhu, a progressive farmer, said: “Jackfruit has changed my life. Though it’s available only during the monsoon period, its shelf life can be extended to about six months with ready-to-cook and pre-packed ready-to-eat food processing techniques.

A grocery store owner at Sanoor, said: “This fruit has made my life. The prosperity I could not achieve from my grocery shop business of two decades was made possible through jackfruit in seven years. I regularly participate in such melas once a week.”

He added that at a recent two-day mela at Kumta, he made a transaction of Rs 1 lakh. “The products we brought disappeared within a day. There was a long queue for the food we prepared using jackfruit,” he said. For six months in a year, he embarks on this journey of popularizing jackfruit during the monsoon season in the city.

Raghava and Vijayalaxmi, a couple from Dharmasthala, have been dabbling in jackfruit delicacies for a year. They make dry jamoon and other jackfruit-based condiments like garige, unduga, pickle, pappad, tender jackfruit in brine etc.

Muralidhara Prabhu from Bantwal, who started the Halasu Preemi Okkoota (Jackfruit Lovers Federation) a year back, said: “Though there are 75 varieties of jackfruit, mostly in Kerala, in the district, however, we have not more than 10-12 varieties.”

His sale at Pilikula a few days back earned him Rs 30,000 in a day. “Not every jackfruit can be used to make all dishes. For finger chips, pappad and garige, we use a particular variety. If you use the wrong kind, the chips will be hard or go soft within a day. Pappad prepared from a wrong variety of jackfruit can make it tasteless,” said Prabhu.

On display were more than 20 varieties of jackfruit, including the red, fleshy jackfruit. So much was the attraction that red jackfruit bulbs were selling at Rs 30 to 40 a dozen.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / June 28th, 2015

Going back in time

Baked goodies

ExcelsiorBakeryBF27jun2015

The story of ‘Excelsior Bakery’ is a long one, one that dates back to many decades. Sagadevan, an enthusiastic baker, learnt the art of baking from the British and started his own venture in Shivajinagar. The small but popular confectionery store has withstood the test of time and has passed down four generations.

Saipreeth Muralidharan, the youngest to join the modest venture, says, “My great grandfather worked with the British at a bakery called ‘Bangalore Bakery’, in Cantonment, for a few years before it was dissolved. In 1930, he started his own bakery on Seppings Road and with the help of a British woman named Emery, learnt the tricks of the trade. She was the one who named it ‘Excelsior’ because she thought the number nine is lucky. The door number of the bakery was also nine at the time (now it has changed to number 36, a multiple of nine).”

A variety of cakes, buns and breads can be found here. But unlike the famous Iyengar Bakeries that spot the City, ‘Excelsior’ has a niche clientele. “We start preparing for Christmas a month and a half before; our plum cakes are famous and have special spices and essences that have been passed down from father to son. Our items, unlike other bakeries, have influences from the British, so it’s a niche crowd who come to buy our goods,” says co-owner Anuradha. Every year, for St Mary’s Feast, they prepare a 70 kg cake.

After Sagadevan, his only son Angannan took over. He passed it down to his two sons, Dharmalingam and Muralidharan, who are the current caretakers, along with Saipreeth (who is the latter’s son). Many of their customers are third or fourth generation loyalists. They come to feast on treats like the Japanese cake, ‘barfi’, mint bread, ribbon cake, honey cake, sponge cake, puffs and spiced breads. One aged customer says that his grandfather used to bring him here when he was 20. “Another customer recently came to the bakery from Chennai. His relatives, who live in Bengaluru, would take our products to him when they visited. He wanted to see the shop for himself and went back with nine loaves of sweet bread!” relates Saipreeth.

Along with scrumptious sweets and savouries, they also customise cakes. “We’ve always done it,” says Saipreeth, as he showcases some of the cakes that are shaped like a ship, Rajnikanth, Michael Jackson, Ben 10, Disney characters and more. “If a person gets a picture of a cake, we make it,” he adds.

What makes the bakery different is that they aren’t afraid of change. In February, they renovated the entire place and added a few things. “Before, most of the goods were of second sale, but now almost everything is ours. Also, we introduced a new menu that caters to the youth. Now it has a non-vegetarian component to it, with chicken rolls, pizzas, burgers and puffs. We only use chicken, but for ‘Ramadan’ we are planning to make mutton ‘samosas’,” says Saipreeth. They had to get a halal certificate, and now they are making delicious savouries. “We also introduced tea and coffee because people were tired of  aerated drinks. And we installed a bench for the older generation,” he adds.

They strive to keep preservatives out of their goods. “We try to not use gels and chemicals but these days it can’t be helped. But most of our products don’t have much of it. In cakes, if gel is used, it becomes softer but doesn’t last long,” says Muralidharan.

Saipreeth, an engineering student, says that he initially didn’t have plans to enter the baking business but it was inevitable. “It was my boss’ birthday and I took some goodies from the bakery to work. There, my colleagues ate everything up real quick and asked where I bought them. I hadn’t told them I owned a bakery, but when I did I got many suggestions on how to improve it. Cashing in on these, I thought to myself that I could help the bakery instead of working on someone else’s dreams.”

With plans to expand and attract the youth, they are going to introduce more products. “All our new products are items that Saipreeth and his friends like; it all depends on his liking and understanding,” jokes his mother, Anuradha.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Ananya Revanna / DHNS – June 20th, 2015

This ice cream cart is now running online

Corner House has partnered with food ordering start-up Swiggy to take orders online.— File Photo
Corner House has partnered with food ordering start-up Swiggy to take orders online.— File Photo

Bengaluru-based Swiggy promises to deliver food in about 35 minutes.

Corner House, a popular Bengaluru-based ice cream parlour, has partnered with food ordering start-up Swiggy to go online. Consumers can now use a mobile app to order ice creams of their choice delivered from different outlets across the city.

To celebrate the partnership, Corner House said it has introduced a special sundae, a sweet ice cream dessert, available exclusively through Swiggy.

This includes chocolate brownie base topped with butterscotch ice cream, caramel sauce and an optional sprinkle of nuts.

“We are also excited with this new partnership with Swiggy which will bring Corner House right into people’s homes,” said Dhananjay Rao, who runs operations at the iconic parlour. His father Narayan Rao set up Corner House more than three decades ago. He initially started it as a bakery and a fast food place and then converted it into an ice cream parlour. “We also felt that the moment was right considering the increasing feedback that we have been getting from our customers to go online,” said Mr. Rao.

Bengaluru-based Swiggy, founded by BITS Pilani alumni Sriharsha Majety and Nandan Reddy and IIT Kharagpur graduate Rahul Jaimini, promises to deliver food in about 35 minutes.

Its delivery executives use smartphones and an algorithm-powered app to efficiently deliver food. Consumers can also discover popular restaurants and track their food orders in real time.

“I hope that this exclusive collaboration will bring in more customers to our platform,” said Mr. Majety.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – June 25th, 2015