Sujata Agrawal

The Taj Group's community development programme in Chennai took a Piscean turn when it found a different sort of supplier for its seafood requirements: women self-help groups. And that was but the beginning

Jayalin's day begins early. By 4 am she and four members of the Thenkumari women's self-help group (SHG) from Kasimedu, in North Chennai, are out on their kattumaran boat, fishing in the Bay of Bengal. Back on shore two hours later, they have separated the best of their catch — fish and crabs — and packed it in ice for delivery to the Taj Coromandel hotel, where they will clean and fillet it. In the evening they return to the hotel to take orders for the next day.

Life has, undoubtedly, taken a different turn for them since they were appointed as vendors for the Taj Coromandel.

It all began in September 2003, when the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), southern region, approached the Taj Coromandel and asked them to help develop alternate marketing channels for SHGs who supply fruits and vegetables. For the Taj this was a welcome initiative, as they were looking for opportunities to help local women gain economic independence, as part of their community development theme for that year, which was 'building livelihoods'.

A pilot project to supply fresh seafood was initiated with the Thenkumari Women's SHG, but a lot of work had to be done before the first supply started trickling in. N. Srinivasan, who was then the materials manager at Taj Coromandel (he is currently with the Taj Mahal in Mumbai), met the women and explained the project. He made it clear that the Taj was looking at this as a business venture and not a charity programme. He emphasised the need for high quality products and timely delivery. The women were then trained on issues such as hygiene, quality, delivery and cost management. Many of the initial samples were rejected, but the women persevered and were soon able to meet the Taj standards.

They started by supplying 20 kg a day. Impressed with their quality and ability, the hotel decided to teach them to clean and fillet the fish. Soon, the quantity supplied by them was increased and they now supply 1,600 kg per month, which is almost 40 per cent of Taj's seafood requirement.

Says Jayalin, "We have never been late in our deliveries. We know that it is important to deliver on time and give the best quality, otherwise the hotel's reputation suffers." Jayalin and her team (Daisy, Valli and Mary) are proud to be a supplier to the Taj. They have gained greater respect within the community and their lifestyle has changed. The increase in income means that their children can go to better schools and even colleges.. But the best reward for their efforts was when they received the Taj's Best Vendor Award for the year 2003. Emboldened by their success, they bid for and won the annual contract for 2004-05.

The success of this venture encouraged the Taj to look for more SHGs who could supply other requirements. It soon tied up with the Ullasa Paravaigal Women's SHG to supply vegetables. Here, too, the women were trained by Taj personnel in hygiene and taught to clean vegetables with chlorine solution in pure water. They procure fresh vegetables from the Koyambedu wholesale market at 4 in the morning and reach the hotel by 8.30 am to clean and cut them. The Santhoshi Matha SHG supplies other products such as ghee and some vegetables. The fourth vendor, Easwari SHG, responded to an advertisement by the hotel and, after approval of samples, has started providing dry snacks for the staff canteen.

The project has been a win-win situation for both the hotel and the SHGs. The hotel gets quality products directly from the supplier and the SHGs have sustained business. "Initially," says Mr Srinivasan, "I was a bit doubtful about the SHGs' ability to provide high-quality goods, but when we saw their eagerness to learn we knew it would not be difficult."

Apart from training the Taj also helped them by initially making cash payments every day. This made things a little easier for the SHGs, since it reduced their working capital requirements. Now all payments are made by cheque and each woman is the proud signatory to her own bank account. "We are constantly encouraging the women and giving them support when needed. The key to the success of this model is to build a relationship," emphasises Mr Srinivasan.

Other Taj properties in Chennai, the Taj Connemara and Fisherman's Cove, have also joined in the initiative. The SHGs received further encouragement through a conference organised by Taj Coromandel encouraging other companies in Chennai to source products from them.

The project has received recognition from the United Nations and the M. S. Swaminathan Foundation has identified it as a best practise. Srinivasan is happy that he has been able to help the community through this initiative and hopes to replicate the process in Mumbai. He has started by asking SAHAJ, a tribal women's welfare association in Gujarat, to supply baskets worth Rs 1.2 lakh.

The SHGs are not the only entrepreneurs that Indian Hotels has created. In its latest venture, IndiOne Hotels, the first of which opened in Bangalore recently, the company has decided not to have a food and beverages set-up. Instead, it has sourced young entrepreneurs from the nearby Whitefield area to provide high-quality meals for their guests.

Clearly, Indian Hotels has found a rare formula — one that enables the company to help others while helping itself.

Uploaded in March 2005