Dispatches from real India (Part 4): Dr.Karumbu

In all the previous posts in this series (1)(2)(3), the focus was on real people who are working hard and making a difference to their families and the country. Lest this is misunderstood to be all about nostalgia, here is something that is at once looking forward but with local underpinnings. This time the character in question is a corporate entity, Mr.Karumbu (Mr.Sugarcane).As many of you know, sugar cane juice is a popular summer beverage in India, mainly south India. It offers a refreshing dose of natural sugar on a sweltering afternoon. It requires minimum preparation and no additives but for the occasional ginger to give it a kick. The only downside to sugar cane juice is that it is almost always found on the road and mosquitoes and insects occasionally get crushed along with the sugarcane. It does not make for a healthy drink in the dust and grime of the streets and most people stay away from it for just that reason.I am a huge fan of the beverage but was hesitant to go to the street side vendor nearby given the surroundings. As if to answer my prayers and that of thousands more, I stumbled upon a nice store in R.S.Puram called Dr.Karumbu.[gallery ids="1222,1221,1220,1219,1218,1217,1216,1215,1214,1213"]Dr.Karumbu is an excellent example of innovation on homegrown produce. It takes the production of sugar cane juice and makes it clean and audience pleasing without increasing the price significantly. It also adds flavors to sugarcane juice which gives the drink an extra platform to be more popular.I happened to drive past the store in R.S.Puram and immediately brought my vehicle to a halt. A karumbu juice shop- I had to try this. I walked in and was pleased to see things nice and orderly with a menu, no less. I ordered a bottle of sugarcane juice with ginger- the operator smilingly wore a pair or disposable gloves, gathered a few chopped and peeled sugarcane pieces from a closed cooler. He then put the sugarcane sticks carefully into a fully closed and well maintained box. The box chugged and then came to a stop. The operator than picked up a clean PET bottle from a pile arranged carefully on a corner. He then turned on a tap to collect the juice. Once filled, he took the bottle to a cap sealing unit which plugged in a cap to the bottle and sealed it. Voila!I was blown away by the efficient process, the arrangement of things and the cleanliness of the infrastructure. And best of all- the juice was outstanding. And all this for less than a dollar. A cup costs Rs.20. A small bottle, Rs.40 and a full 1 liter bottle worth of sugarcane juice was Rs.70. I was told that the equipment was made in Bangalore and assembled on site. Dr.Karumbu had two outlets in Coimbatore and were looking to grow. The sugarcane juice in a shop concept I am told is also catching on in Chennai and Bangalore.All in all, I was thrilled. I made multiple trips to the shop before I left town and sampled all the variants. Needless to say sugarcane juice with ginger was the runaway favorite. If you are in Coimbatore, do try their shop. You will not regret it. To me, this is an excellent example of building and refining on one's own specialties. Something that will benefit India a great deal instead of just aping the culinary habits of the west.Other Posts in the series:Dispatches from real India (Part 1)Dispatches from real India (Part 2)Dispatches from real India (Part 3)