nickshanagher

There are many ideas in Verghese Kurien’s autobiography I Too Had a Dream that will stir the minds of independent retailers. His is the story of how the little guy wins. Of how to work with markets to win success. Of the importance of marketing. And how to leverage advantage from your connections. Dr Kurien's achievements are remarkable. How he developed the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation in a sleepy rural town 350 miles north of Mumbai, India has lessons for independent operators in the UK today. The town Anand started supplying milk to Mumbai in the 1940s after a milk scare. An enterprising businessman Pestonjee Edulji, who owned the Polson butter factory in Anand, persuaded the British to give him the rights to supply milk to the city. Armed with the sole distribution rights, Pestonjee first created big demand for Anand milk and second exploited the farmers who produced it. The British were happy with the better milk supplies and Pestonjee became ve...