Lijjat Papad: The Story of Seven Ladies and Their Journey to Success

Seven women on a rooftop found the taste of India, Lijjat Papad. It has grown tremendously to empower 45,000 women.

Every single house in India knows the name Lijjat Papad. Although most of us have at least once in our lives ate the classic snack, few of us are aware of the spectacular brand’s origins, which were created by seven ladies on their rooftop with a little investment of Rs 80 borrowed for the original raw material. However, after 60 years, it produced a staggering Rs 1,600 crore in revenue in 2019, was co-owned by 45,000 women in 2021, and produced 4.8 million papads daily.

The history of Lijjat Papad

Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, a women’s worker cooperative, manages the trademark. Thus, seven women in Girgaum, a neighborhood of Bombay, made the decision to take control of their lives in 1959. Banuben, Ujamben Narandas Kundalia, Parvatiben Ramdas Thodani, and Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat.

Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh, a social worker, lent N Tanna, Laguben Amritlal Gokani, Jayaben V Vithalani, and Diwaliben Lukka Rs 80 as startup capital for their company. However, using the money, they purchased raw ingredients and took over a papad-making company that was in dire need of help.
On their first day, the women had 4 packs, and in their first year, they had sold papads for a little over Rs 6,000. Therefore, the brand name “Lijjat” was chosen in 1962 following a contest with cash prizes. Sales were getting close to Rs 2 lakh at the time.

The 90-year-old co-founder of the Lijjat Papad firm, Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, received the coveted Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind last November.

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