Ya'll Nibbiars
In India, most of the strawberry produces from the firms of Panchgani, Mahabaleswar. Originally strawberry is not native to this place. In fact, it only started growing there when the British introduced it in 1920s. Over 2000 acres of land is under strawberry cultivation in the district. Around 20 thousand tones strawberries are produced in just a session. In early days, strawberry producers of that area were facing problems to sell the strawberries produced by them. As strawberry is a fragile fruit, it becomes rotted within 24 hours of plucking from firm. So that the helpless farmers sold their products to the local vendors in cheaper price. Even the farmers got the money when the vendors sold all of their products and vendors did not paid the farmers for rotted strawberries. For these reasons, the farmers were struggling to find a good way to preserve these strawberries and to get a considerable price. Mapro founded in 1959, the Company had its humble beginnings in the hill-town of Panchgani, near Mahabaleswar, when a businessman named Kishore Vora a pharmacist by profession, decided to make some strawberry jam. He then went on to develop innovative products such as jelly sweets, fruit cubes with fruit juice and rose syrups with rose petals all for the first time in country. Today, his ‘hobby’ has borne fruit in the shape of Mapro, one of the most modern, hygienic, quality-focussed fruit product manufacturing units in India. His vision has been taken forward, thereby transforming the region around Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, the erstwhile sleepy hill stations of Maharashtra, into a flourishing fruit processing zone.
Mapro founded in 1959, the Company had its humble beginnings in the hill-town of Panchgani, near Mahabaleswar, when a businessman named Kishore Vora a pharmacist by profession, decided to make some strawberry jam. He then went on to develop innovative products such as jelly sweets, fruit cubes with fruit juice and rose syrups with rose petals – all for the first time in country. Today, his ‘hobby’ has borne fruit in the shape of Mapro, one of the most modern, hygienic, quality-focussed fruit product manufacturing units in India. His vision has been taken forward, thereby transforming the region around Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, the erstwhile sleepy hill stations of Maharashtra, into a flourishing fruit processing zone.
When Mapro started making jam from strawberries they used only a kerosene stove, some domestic utensils and a thermometer. Mr and Mrs Vora started the journey from their kitchen with the capital of ₹800 only. The farmers used to sell their produced strawberries to Vora family in a pre-determined and considerable price. The Vora couple processed the strawberries and made jam from it. Packed the jam in some small jar for sale with the stickers of ‘VORA JAM’. After studying so many recipe books and applying new techniques, Vora made his new recipe, where there was 45% of real fruit In comparison to another fruit products had only 25%. He used to sell the jams in his pharmacy and some in local grocery stores. It was the first journey of Mapro. Mapro bought 3 houses for making homemade products from strawberries like jam and crush. Mapro took permission from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and started their first ever ‘Mapro Food Park’ in Panchgani, near Mahabaleswar and opened it for public. Day by day their production as well as customers was increasing rapidly. They used to make various products from various fruits including strawberry.
From the Mapro Diarie's.