Description

FAIRYTALE BEGINNING

LAKSHMI'S GONGURA

- A SUCCESS STORY OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Excerpts from article published in THE HINDU , 8 March 2013(Women'sday)

titled -'Lakshmi's Gongura - A success Story ofSocialEntrepreneurship'

"There is only one most beautiful baby, and every mother hasit",said the famous philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthy. He wasreferring tothe recipe of Avakai. And this 'secret' of makingpure, authenticand delicious pickles thus passes on forgenerations.

Lakshmi's Gongura - The Traditional House of Andhra PicklesandPodis, the business that she founded a little over two years agoina small way has come a long way, and is poised to scalenewheights.

The beginning was almost like a fairytale as with allspectacularsuccess stories, nurtured of course by hard work andcommitment to a'vision' and purpose. When asked on how it allstarted, she smilesunassumingly and quotes Madam C.J. Walker, thefamous Americanentrepreneur and philanthropist, "I got my start bygiving myself astart."

Her aged mother who used to herself make a mouth wateringvarietypickles and podis (spice and masala powders) once upon atime waslonging for that unique old nostalgic experience' ofsavouringtraditionally made healthy and tasty Aavakai. Theconstant stream ofvisiting North Indian friends of her husband, asenior bureaucrat inthe Central Government, longed for original'South Indian' Aaacharsand Masala powders, and not those off-theshelf ones availableeverywhere that "taste like chemicals", shequotes them.

WHAT WE ARE

Authenticity is not just a concern but our obsession. We donotcompromise on our cherished Andhra tradition of pickle andspicemaking that is also rooted in the ancient time testedIndianscience of Ayurveda.

It is the 'Original taste of tradition' that sets Gonguraapartfrom the rest. These are the differentiators"
(1) No artificial preservatives of colours are added
(2) Ingredients like chilies are the purest obtained fromnativeGuntur and Vijayawada in A.P
(3) They are prepared by traditional cooks inhygienicconditions
(4) The focus is on health and nutritive value apart fromdelicioushomemade taste.

Gongura is founded in its vision to be the best in tasteandtradition and a benchmark in originality. It also has asocialcause. 10% of its Net profit is pledged to public charitableTrustsand NGOs in India that work in the area of healthcare ofchildrenfrom economically weaker sections of the society. NGOs inthe fieldof animal rescue and welfare are also in our ambit ofcorporatesocial responsibility.