One of the oldest signposts on Mumbai’s dairy map is the iconic Parsi Dairy Farm which was founded in 1916 by Nariman Ardeshir. Since then, this legendary place has been revamped by the fourth generation of this amazing family. Under them, Parsi Dairy Farm has spread its tentacles and expanded to many more frontiers. Sumita Chakraborty, Editor-in-chief, TheGlitz caught up with the super-talented fourth-gen of this legendary family to know more about the iconic Parsi Dairy Farm. Read on…
Parsi Dairy Farm is iconic and a signpost in Mumbai’s history. Could you tell us about the Parsi Dairy Farm journey?
We are the oldest operational dairy in the country founded in 1916 by our great grandfather Mr. Nariman Ardeshir. He started with a single can of milk and moved to dairy products like curd, ghee and butter. Later, he had farms in Mazgoan, Jogeshwari and Andheri. He soon started home delivery of milk which became iconic in Mumbai city. Shortly after he started Indian sweets and there has been no looking back. With urbanisation, he needed to move the farms further which is when he purchased the Dairyland in Varvada. We also run a vegetarian garden restaurant there and sell all our products too.
You all are a part of the fourth generation and under your helm, Parsi Dairy is expanding and the intrepid story is being retold in a new way. Could you tell us how you all are retelling the Parsi Dairy story?
It’s a simple story of consistency and trust. We believe in purity and simplicity. Our recipes are more than 100 years and we continue to work towards our customers’ wants and needs as our great-grandfather, grandfather and parents did. We add no preservatives and have the freshest dairy and mithais in the city!
What are the challenges you all have faced? How did you tackle the setbacks?
In such a long-running business, there will always be challenges but we work as a team and always find a creative way to sort these out.
Could you tell us about the innovations and plans you have in mind for the Parsi Dairy ongoing story?
With over 30 dairy products and 80 Indian sweets, we plan on introducing new sweets and fun reasons to visit the stores regularly. We have our new kulfi popsicles, freshly made flavoured yoghurts. The Great Indian Toffee dispensers give reasons for children to come enjoy the experience at the stores too.
We are also available in supermarkets and general stores. We started our own e-commerce website to be available to more customers and make sure everybody has something from Parsi Dairy Farm!
The Three major milestones in Parsi Dairy’s journey?
Starting home delivery – which was exclusive in the 1920s and had a long waiting list!
Introducing yoghurt in India in the 1980s.
Rebranding and expanding with our own stores.
What’s next?
We are slowly and steadily starting more outlets all over Maharashtra and hopefully pan India. Soon enough export!
If there was a quote to describe Parsi Dairy, what would it be?
Consistent!
