Most of the 20th year of this century is behind us. The year 2020 will go down in history as the one in which the status quo is challenged like no other times and probably altered for ever. This Pandemic has affected us all and exposed the fault lines in our systems and governance, economies, and markets. This time we cannot turn our head away from the inequalities in the society. The vulnerable bear the brunt of job loss, hunger, and lack of opportunities. The privileged are shielded better as they have access to many resources like better healthcare, sanitation, easy loans etc.
The core ethics
of business, the value that it creates for all the stakeholders and the impact
on nature have all become such important parameters in our decision making.
When markets are driven by such motivations, businesses respond and invest in studies
and research to find solutions that are better aligned.
One such place
we recently visited is "Sappadu" https://www.facebook.com/sappadugoa/ which
ticks all the boxes of a new age ethical and responsible business. Since the
lockdown on one side we have been deprived of our eating out and dining
experience. On the other side there has been high levels of furloughs and job
losses in the restaurant and hospitality industry. These are challenging times
for small and medium enterprises. It is also times like these that trigger innovations,
unique business models powered by home chefs with a fresh take on menus that
are sourced locally are making an impact. These businesses further get a boost
by social media, they are sought out, liked and shared. The need for such an
ecosystem was brewing for a while but to challenge the conventional and set
business practices was never going to be easy. The current crisis is what it
took for us to recalibrate and experiment with such models.
Consumers got
access to healthy, homely, locally sourced meals and businesses got access to a
new market segment for growth. Opportunities and revenue were lost in the
conventional businesses while they were being created in the niche and new age
businesses.
Our experience
at "Sappadu" is the embodiment of all that we have tried to
articulate in this post. We were hosted by a lovely couple in their beautiful
home in a picturesque part of Anjuna village, here in Goa. The idea of
"Sappadu" (means a meal or lunch in Tamil) was born during the
Pandemic, conceptualized by Anuj Shah and his wife when they joined hands with
a dynamic home chef from Tamilnadu who was in the lookout for a job. We came to
know of them through an Instagram post. They do not operate in any of the
conventional frameworks of a restaurant or a cafe. We must prebook in advance.
There are limited number of bookings taken. They serve only on Sundays. Since
it is in their home the ambience is nothing like a restaurant, it is like going
to a friend’s house. These processes ensure high levels of quality control of the
ingredients sourced to hygiene and cooking. It is not like a industrial kitchen
which churns out dishes as per order.
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