The ABC of youth

For the Chinoys of ABC Farms Private Limited in Poona, cheese-making is "family fun” they say. Not run-of-the-dairy cheese but exotic flavored natural and processed cheeses – Paprika Mozzarella, Marble Cheese, Blue n’ Mascarpone Torte, Gorgonzola, Roquefort… "We love making new, absolutely unheard of cheese!” laughs father Sohrab.

Earnest and young entrants into the family business are Zubin (26) and twins Tina and Diana (23), children of Sohrab and his German wife Marlene. "I couldn’t be happier (that the children are in the business),” states Sohrab. "I have never caught them by the hand. No scheming, no indirect induction. They were left free and easy to select their own (work).”

"It’s fascinating to see how Dad tackles different problems that come up. Each day is a new challenge,” asserts Zubin. All three commend their father as a sterling mentor. "We have learnt so very much, not just about cheese-making but about a whole lot of things. Dad is so knowledgeable. We know what he has gone through to build up the business. I can’t imagine not joining ABC Farms. The hands-on experience is amazing,” says Tina. Having picked up proficiency in cheese-making, Diana says she and her twin have tried their hand at making dips and desserts, mainly tiramisu, which are on sale at ABC Farm’s retail outlets in Poona.

Besides the 60 varieties of cheeses which are 100 percent vegetarian, ABC Farms makes other dairy products like ghee, butter, paneer, fruit-yogurts, shrikhand and a lemon-flavoured variation of lassi called Lemsi. The products are marketed directly out of ABC Farms’ head office as well as three company owned retail outlets in Poona and through agents in Bombay, Goa and other places. ABC Farms also has nine restaurants in Poona (seven at Koregaon Park and two at Kondhwa) and a small hotel in Goa.

Presently, the focus of the younger generation is on a mix of management, accounts and administration, rather than production. "In today’s world, a firm background in finance is a must. The rest is easily understandable,” asserts Sohrab. "Zubin is very fond of computers, he controls the information and keeps us aware of what’s happening. He has his hands full, being in charge of the three outlets — licenses, upkeep, maintenance, sales, staff, etc. He is also involved in controlling the different restaurants.” Tina, continues the father, looks after the cash flows, accounts of the dairy, stock of alcohol, ordering, dispatch of production as well as major clientele outside Poona, etc. Diana is very good at and enjoys accounts — she scrutinizes the balance sheets crystallized by the managers, looks after local clients as well as the family’s personal accounts, etc. "Each one is given the opportunity to do what makes them happy,” declares Sohrab.

"Ours is no multi-million dollar store – only cows, cheese and the fresh outdoors!” quips Sohrab. The ‘outdoors’ consists of 41 acres of land at Dehu Road on the outskirts of Poona, with organically farmed fields of lush green maize and alfalfa, and several head of crossbred Gir Holstein cows and pure bred Swiss Saanen goats, as well as local and crossbred goats.

On the banks of the Pawana river in the aristocratic Koregaon Park area is ABC Farms’ verdant restaurant complex which also houses the cheese dairy. Set amidst fruit trees and a herb garden, the restaurants are popular with Poona’s hip and happening crowd and with families with children who savor its swathe of green in an overcrowded city. The Swiss Cheese Garden is famous for fondues; the Shisha Café serves Persian, Continental and Indian cuisine, D’Wine has Chinese and Indian… ABC Farms also has two more restaurants at Kondhwa — Basho which serves Continental and Indian food and Parwara which has only Parsi food! Parwara is very good, says Sohrab, and it’s always full of customers. Run by Adil Mistry who is a catering graduate, Parwara also takes orders for outdoor catering and home delivery.

ABC Farms Beach Resort at Calangute in Goa also has two restaurants, though one is currently shut due to renovation. "La Fenice is run by an Italian couple and is one of the finest for Italian food on that stretch of beach,” says Sohrab. Not far away, he adds, is J & A’s Little Italy, run by Ayesha and Jamshed ________ and Fiesta run by Maneck and Yellow Contractor. "We have added a seventh room at the Resort in addition to the six existing ones,” continues Zubin. The room tariffs, valid till December 19, are Rs 400 for a double room, Rs 600 for a deluxe double room and Rs 1,000 for a suite. There is an additional charge of Rs 200 for air-conditioning. While cable TV and a fridge are available in all rooms, the suite has a kitchenette as well. The new suite, priced at Rs 1,500, has the additional facility of the use of a swimming pool situated a short distance away in an apartment complex, Zubin informs us.

At the Dehu Road farm, the children are "still learning,” says their father. In 1976, Sohrab’s father Eruch, along with his mother Freny’s brother Adi Bhathena (founder of Wanson Thermax) and Rohinton Aga (late managing director of Thermax) had purchased 27 acres of land and started A.B.C. Farms, named after the first letters of their surnames. After a two-year stint at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Bangalore, which earned him a gold medal and an offer to work in a dairy in (then) West Germany, Sohrab obtained a master’s degree from the Gelnhausen Molkerei Hochschule near Frankfurt, which he did in German! He met Marlene, a trained dairy bacteriologist, while he was working in Germany. Back in India, life at the fledgling farm was tough and in 1979, Sohrab with wife and young son decided to move back to Poona city. His uncle Minoo Bhathena offered him an outhouse behind his residence in East Street. "I remember Dad purchasing the property in Koregaon Park in the ’80s and building the A.B.C. brand, with value additions along the way,” Zubin observes.

Entering a market dominated by heavyweights like Amul and Aarey, selling cheese was no piece of (cheese) cake! Sudden problems cropped up, such as when Rajneesh Ashram, one of his biggest customers, decided to move out of Poona to Oregon, USA! With Indian palates unaccustomed to exotic flavors, Sohrab held a cheese exhibition with over 50 varieties in 1993, exhorting people to freely taste and buy only what tickled their tastebuds! Success slowly followed, with A.B.C. Farms’ research and development capability and quality control bringing in discerning customers like five-star hotels, hospitals, restaurants, etc.

Marlene has been the dairy’s microbiologist from the start and she makes the mother cultures for the cheeses. The children are contemplating a course at the NDRI to ferment their cheese-making and other dairying skills. "My granduncle Nusserwanji Govewalla used to be known as the milk king of Bombay. His Byculla Dairy Farm behind Victoria Gardens had over 1,500 buffaloes,” Sohrab had told Parsiana in 1998. His maternal uncles Adi and Minoo had set up the milk bar, Farmer Brothers, at Dadar T.T. in the 1940s. When the government-run Aarey Milk Colony was established, private entrepreneurship in the milk trade became difficult and the dairy moved to Kamshet near Lonavala. Eruch and Freny managed the Dehu Road farm till 1997. The young Chinoys are the fourth generation in the family to be associated with a milk-related business. "Work should never be mundane or boring. It should be interesting. You should be having fun,” says Diana.