A dabbawala (one who carries the box), sometimes spelled dabbawalla , tiffinwalla , tiffinwalla or dabbawallah, is a person in the Indian city of Mumbai whose job is to carry and deliver freshly made food from home in lunch boxes to office workers. Tiffin is an old-fashioned English word for a light lunch, and sometimes for the box it is carried in. Dabbawalas are sometimes called tiffin-wallas.
Though the work sounds simple, it is actually a highly specialized trade that is over a century old and which has become integral to Mumbai's culture.
The dabbawala originated when a person named Mahadeo Havaji Bachche started the lunch delivery service with about 100 men. Nowadays, Indian businessmen are the main customers for the dabbawalas.


Kamlabai Educational & Chritable Trust (ISO 9001 : 2008 Certified)
Mumbai Dabbawala Education Centre, Vikhroli

 Who are dabbawalas.........
We are successor of the great worriers “Mawle”, who were associated with the Nobal king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire. They starved to protect people from brutality of the rulers. We are starving to feed our people on time.

We carry tiffin (Lunch box) from the home of customer and carry it to their work place of work.
  • Started in 1890
  • Charitable trust: Registered in 1956
  • Avg. Literacy Rate: 8th Grade Schooling
  • Total area coverage: 60 Kms to 70 Kms
  • Employee Strength: 5000
  • Number of Tiffin's: 2,00,000 Tiffin Boxes i.e 4,00,000 transactions every day.
  • Time taken: 3 hrs
How they work.........

We work as work is workship. Our motto is 100% customer satisfaction. With no error. Our logistics and supply chain system is top in the world. With SIX SIGMA rating. We work on central, western and harbour raily lines. We care for the health of our customer by providing home cooked food prepared by their loved one.

  • Error Rate: 1 in 16 million transactions
  • Six Sigma performance (99.999999)
  • Technological Backup: Nil.
  • Cost of service - Rs. 300/month ($ 6.00/month)
  • Standard price for all (Weight, Distance, Space)
  • Rs. 36 Cr. Turnover approx. [6000*12*5000=360000000 i.e Rs. 36 crore p.a.]
  • “No strike” record as each one a share holder
  • Earnings -5000 to 6000 p.m.
  • Diwali bonus: one month's from customers
  • Zero % fuel
  • Zero % modern
    technology
  • 99.9999% performance
  • Zero % investment
  • 100 % Customer Satisfaction
  • Zero % Disputes
Disciplines
  • No Alcohol Drinking during business hours
  • Wearing White Cap during business hours
  • Carry Identity Cards

News.........
  • Prince Charles honored us by his visit on the 4th of November, 2003.
  • He spent 20 minutes with us.
  • He took keen interest in our way of functioning, expressed surprise at our efficiency and was struck with awe when he was told that we didn’t employ any technology.
  • The prince was presented a small memento, accompanied with a garland, a Gandhi topi and a trophy by the dabbawalas.
  • British High Commission official said the idea was to show him something that was unique to Mumbai. "I don't think any other city anywhere in the world or even India has such a system,"
  • At Terra Madre World meeting of Food Communitiesbetween October 20 to 23, 2004 and October 26 to 31, 2006.
  • For marriage of Hon. Prince Charles of England on 9th April, 2005.
  • At YPO Chapters Kenya & Nigeria in April, 2007.
  • At London for Opening of Tiffin Bite Hotel in June, 2007

light tomorrow with today

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