It was the year of 2014 when a company named Ramoji Wafer and Namkeen Pvt. Ltd. was born. The founder and managing director (MD) of the company and the owner of Darshan Boardlam Ltd. (founded in 2007-08), Jitubhai Patel, thought that the sales of his innovative furniture boards weren’t regular enough and he wanted to produce something that people can regularly consume. This is what led to the birth of this company. In five years, with an annual turnover of about Rs 25 crores, the company has already become is a leading manufacturer, exporter, supplier and wholesaler for crispy and crunchy range of Wafers, Namkeen and Noodles. Jitubhai and his very enthusiastic and hard-working team now aims to compete in the global world.
Students of Class 11 Commerce at AVM got the opportunity to visit this aspiring company on 20th April 2019, where they were given a guided tour around their manufacturing facility by the company’s Vice President Vikkimbhai Patel (AVM Class of 2013), who is MD Jitubhai Patel’s son.
First, the students were shown the noodles production line, where raw materials like flour, water, oil and other additives were turned into noodles and packaged under the brand name ‘Snappy’, a sub-brand of ‘Ramoji Foods’.
Then, the students witnessed the processes in the potato chips unit where the potatoes were washed, peeled, sliced, fried, masala sprayed, and packed into chips bags (using Japanese software and technology) under the name ‘Restart’, another sub-brand of ‘Ramoji Foods’.
Thereafter, the curious students were shown around the nearby facility of Darshan Boardlam Ltd. where particle boards and other furniture items are manufactured using wood, cork, straw and plaiting materials.
Finally, the students got the opportunity of a very open-ended question-answer session with the Vikkimbhai and his dad Jitubhai. In his natural flair, Jitubhai provided all with a deep insight into their businesses and the challenges they have faced over the years and continue doing so. The inspiring father-son team also explained about the internal reforms they have brought about to not just survive in today’s competitive world, but to excel.
This excursion turned out to be a great insightful industrial visit for the students, equipping them with real-life knowledge of business activities and introducing them to the tactics used by businesses.
Reported by: Jagrat Sandesara, Harsh Hingu (11 Commerce)
