Hubballi
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Jowar rotis
The Times of India, Aug 03 2015
Hubballi's jowar rotis now make it to Oz, US
35 women make 12,000 rotis a day
The humble jowar roti -the North Karnataka staple -is now crossing the seas to reach homesick Kannadigas yearning for its chewy wholesome goodness.
Growing demand from Australia, England, West Asia and the US has spawned a small-scale industry in Hubballi, a busy commercial hub 400km north of Bengaluru, with dealers and agents spread across the region. Exported in its kadak (crisp) avatar, the jowar roti has a shelf life of 6-9 months. Started in a mess with a paying guest facility in Vidyanagar in 2011, Poorva Food Products has swiftly expand ed from 2-3 women making 500-600 rotis, to around 35 women patting out 10,000 12,000 pieces a day . With sales touching 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh rotis a month, the monthly turnover of the 3,800-sqft unit, set up in the city's industrial area, is pegged at Rs 6-8 lakh.
Business is channeled through dealers who buy rotis in bulk to sell at their own outlets and to customers spread across Karnataka, India and abroad.
Each roti costs Rs 3.50.About 10-12 rotis are packed into a food grade packet and placed into boxes to be exported without breakage -with three layers of packing for transport within India, and seven layers for export. The highest demand is from Bengaluru, Bidar, Kalaburagi and Vijapayapura in Karnataka, besides Gurgaon, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Surat and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Demand peaks during festivals like Sankranti and the marriage season, touching 3-4 lakh rotis a month. Online booking and payment are pushing up sales, with orders being sent to the customer's doorstep.
