The Hindu Business Line : IIM-A setting up organic drinks bar on campus

Ahmedabad, July 21 The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, in collaboration with two of its alumni, is soon going to offer organic food to its students on campus. An outlet of ‘Joos’, an organic food retail chain started by ex-students, will be set up in the old campus by month-end. On the menu will be more than 40 organic drinks, drinks from medicinal plants and a range of organic food items, according to Mr Siddharth Jaiswal, Founder, ‘Joos’. “We are focused on the organic food category and will offer the kahwa tea from Kashmir, kokum from Maharashtra and Seabuck from Ladakh in as authentic a taste as possible,” said Mr Jaiswal, who completed his Post-Graduate Programme in Agri-Business Management from the institute in 2008.

Having been closely associated with organic farming even before joining IIM-A, he set up the Organic Farming School in Patna last month to train farmers. The Organic Farming Association of India is an active supporter of the school and Joos procures many of its raw materials directly from its members.

The Joos outlet on campus will also be made from natural materials such as wood, bamboo, jute, paper, mud, cloth and the 200 sq feet kitchen will be overarching tables under a Neem tree. Prices will be kept competitive, starting from Rs 15 onwards, he said.

“We are betting on larger volumes from this kiosk that will support our low pricing strategy here,” he said.

The first outlet was set up at an initial investment of Rs 20 lakh from personal funds, with the break-even period of two years.

The long-term plans of the retailer are to expand through a mix of company owned, franchisee and kiosk outlets, in the tier-I and tier-II cities.

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