Kokum fruit juice tastes of success in Karnataka

Kokum or Garcinia indica has a special place in Karnataka. Found on the edges of forests and farmlands in the Konkan region, the juice wrenched out of the fruit is a favourite household drink.

It is considered to have tremendous medicinal value. It is believed to cool down the body. Scientific studies have also documented its many health benefits including how it acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Ganapathi Hegde, 46, from Hadinbaal in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district is perfectly placed to elaborate further on kokum’s many benefits.

He, after all, has been a major beneficiary of it. 

Persistence pays

Since a little over a decade ago, Hegde and his wife Divya have been earning their livelihood by manufacturing and selling various kinds of kokum beverages. They make it in different flavours – with sugar, with ginger and even chilli. But irrespective of the taste, their kokum drink is a big hit.

Thanks to kokum, Hegde is now a successful entrepreneur. It has been a difficult journey, though. 

Initially, he and his wife stood before marriage halls to distribute their product free of charge. They even went to government-sponsored fairs and travelled as far as Bengaluru (500 kms away) to find potential customers.

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Their persistence and their products have paid off.

“I don’t know whether you will believe me,” said Hegde. “But someone even bought the bottle that was kept aside for sampling!” Such is the demand.

Misfortune leads to an opportunity

The couple started hesitantly in their venture initially, more out of compulsion than by choice.

In 2010, the Hegde family was struck by a misfortune when the family patriarch slipped and suffered a bad injury. The family too slipped into a financial crisis.

It was then that Bhagirathi – Ganapathi’s mother – decided to take the advice of a well-wisher. Till then, she would collect raw kokum rinds and sell them to the businessman. 

“Instead of selling me, why don’t you do it yourself,” the businessman suggested and Bhagirathi immediately saw sense in the suggestion.

“Kokum has been traditionally used in cooking as well as a remedy against body heat. But we had never sold or marketed them. This was entirely new,” Bhagirathi recollected.

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A family venture

Once in the trade, she learnt the ropes quickly. She learnt to extract kokum juice on a large scale and the amount of sugar to be added.

She did not understand litres as a unit of measurement. Instead, she learnt everything through the measurement of bottles. 

Marketing was left to Hegde, who was working as a clerk in the local apiculture society in Honavar.

“Today you can just search on the internet. But back then I didn’t even know where to procure the bottles used for storage,” he recollected. 

Named Swastiq Gramodyoga Malige, the venture was a success. Today, the production stands at 25,000 kg per day from 25 kg in 2012. 

Bhagirathi, who has won numerous awards for her work, no longer helms the business. At 63, her health is not as great as before. But she is extremely proud of all the accolades she has received. 

“I’m getting goosebumps even thinking about it,” she quipped, recalling an award ceremony in Dharwad. 

She is content too, with her son and daughter-in-law taking the business to newer heights.

Their repertoire of products has grown too, alongside the business. 

Innovation is key

There are in all five varieties – kokum with pepper, kokum with jeera and kokum with chilli included. 

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What is more significant is that the ingredients used are procured locally. For example, the ginger used is the Jawari ginger available in local plantations.

“I always wanted to use only locally available food sources for my products,” Hegde pointed out.

But the most fascinating product is their kokum tea – an invention of sorts by Ganapathi. 

Sales of kokum juice usually fell around the winter and he wanted to remedy that by offering a kokum drink for the colder months. 

Local farmers benefit 

Since every raw product is procured locally, he has managed to educate farmers about best practices.

“I’m paying farmers more if they bring kokum rinds that are properly ripened and then dried.” 

The juice can only be extracted from properly ripened fruits. If they fall on the ground and get soiled, the rind can’t be used. So, he has been encouraging farmers to properly harvest fruits by using tarpaulins.

“If you visit us during April-May, you can see men, women and even local tribespeople bringing us 5-10 kg of rinds every day. We pay them immediately,” Hegde said.

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Kokum juices, for sure, are scripting a success story – irrespective of their flavour.

The lead image shows bottles of kokum juice ready (Photo by Amulya B)

Amulya B is a multimedia journalist, writer and translator based in Bengaluru. Her stories explore the intersection of culture, society and technology. She is the winner of Toto Funds the Arts for creative writing and Laadli Award. She is a Rural Media Fellow 2022 at Youth Hub, Village Square.