ENTREPRENEUR/FOOD SPECIAL ..JACK FRUIT

James and the Jackfruit Factory  How a former Microsoft director hopes to give the humble tropical fruit a fresh lease of shelf life      Dr Shyamala Reddy of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, says jackfruit is the best “organic fruit”, and if people are repelled by it, it’s because of the latex or the gum in it. “Everyone loves the taste and aroma of jackfruit, but not its gum,” says the researcher who organises “jackfruit workshops” to bring under one umbrella farmers, agri-scientists and companies that wish to market the fruit. Reddy says she is part of an initiative that buys jackfruit from farmers and sells it in tetrapaks. “The health benefits that the jackfruit offers are numerous. It is the meat equivalent for vegetarians,” she says adding that its high potassium content helps lower elevated blood pressure, flavonoids protect against cancer and anti-oxidants fight various other ailments, including anaemia.     But then storing jackfruit, which is highly perishable, is a major wrench, she admits. Its weight — typically in the range of 3-5 kg — makes transportation in bulk difficult.     Despite such odds, a handful of people have explored the commercial possibilities of marketing jackfruits. A couple of years ago Anne Ryu, the US-based founder of Global Village Fruits, was in India to bring together farmers, researchers and others to market this fruit-vegetable worldwide by showcasing hundreds of recipes that could be made from it. According to reports, she also plans to make wine using the fruit and start a Jackfruit Institute, similar to the Breadfruit Institute of Hawaii, US.     In India and elsewhere, especially in countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, packaged versions of the fruit — chips, seed flour and so on — are in supply, but in low quantities and only for a few months of the year. Enter James Joseph James Joseph, a former Microsoft director, has been scouting for ways to make his favourite fruit available all year round. The 46-year-old’s eureka moment came at a dinner at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai where Joseph managed to get top chef Hemant Oberoi to replicate a dinner the latter had prepared in 2010 for US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. One signature dish was Varqui Crab for non-vegetarians and Varqui Kumbh (made from mushrooms) for vegetarians. It immediately struck Joseph that the chef could replace the mushroom with jackfruit. The chef, of course, had his reasons for not doing so: lack of availability of the fruit all through the year; a strong aroma that could neutralise other flavours; and its latex which makes the kitchen messy.     “I still couldn’t let go as the health benefits of jackfruit are too good to ignore. The wisdom passed down through generations through my maternal uncle who is 80-plus is that ‘a jackfruit tree in the yard extends the human life by 10 years’,” declares Joseph, who as a Microsoft director had worked for four years from his hometown Aluva, near Kochi, Kerala, and had won the best global performer award from the software giant. Last year, he quit his high-flying job to set up Professional Bharati, an online platform he is keen to develop as a one-stop shop for CXOs wanting to relocate to their hometowns and still earn handsomely.     Back in his hometown, Joseph had become a semi-agriculturist besides being a marketing consultant, growing fruits and vegetables in the backyard of his home as well as in a property he owns a few miles away. Meanwhile, he also “experimented” with jackfruit burgers for his own consumption, with much success. But the idea behind freeze drying — a process used for preserving perishable material by dehydrating — came from the son of a businessman he had befriended on a train journey. Selwin Koshy, the son of the late Thomas Koshy — the former president of Thai Carbon Black and a roommate of Aditya Vikram Birla at MIT — who runs an export processing firm and is well-versed with the process, suggested that Joseph try freeze drying. Finding a Partner Joseph soon hired Amalgam, pioneers in food processing with factories in Kerala and in Bangalore, to procure jackfruit, process and sell the freeze-dried fruit in packets of his choice. The soft launch is expected next week. Joseph will earn a royalty on the sales of his brand, Jackfruit 365.     A stickler for perfection and quality, Joseph insists on farmers supplying unopened jackfruit as opposed to the traditional practice of storing opened and sliced jackfruit in plastic packets. “This is to ensure safety of the product,” says Joseph. All processing facilities of the Amalgam group, which employs more than 2,000 people, have the required certification for export to the Americas, European Union, Japan and Australia, says Joseph.     An engineer by training and father of three girls born in three different continents where he has worked previously as a marketing professional, Joseph says his motivation to promote jackfruit as an alternative to apple and potato is three-fold. The Microsoft Circle of Excellence award winner wants to create an organised market for a rich natural resource, 80% of which is wasted every year. Joseph, who is married to a doctor, says he is looking at a “native solution” to increase fibre in the diet of the country’s professionals who are increasingly falling prey to lifestyle diseases.     “Most importantly,” says Joseph, “I want to create an engine which will contribute to the midday meal programme to bring more kids to school.” He wants to sell his product, very rich in nutrients and fibre (see Benefits…), to either MNCs such as Nestle or local giants such as Amul, who have a wide network of retail outlets. “I have designed the package in such a way that each pack will contain the equivalent of one jackfruit and can contribute to five mid-day meals through Akshaya Patra,” he says. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO, distributes freshly cooked, healthy meals daily to 13 lakh underprivileged children for free in 9,000 government schools in nine states. As regards the sales of jackfruit products, Joseph didn’t disclose the price points of various packs.     “They [jackfruits] are in abundance in India, yet wasted,” rues Bangalore-based Reddy. Jackfruit grows across many parts of India, especially in the western and eastern areas. Reports suggest that more than 400 crore worth of jackfruit is wasted every year in Meghalaya alone. Attractive Proposition Freeze-dried jackfruit chunks can be rehydrated by heating in warm water for 20 minutes before they retain their original weight. Worldwide, freeze-dried products are considered the next best alternative to fresh produce.     Being a vegetable-fruit, says Joseph, ripe jackfruit can be used in place of apple and the green fruit in place of potato, eggplant, soya chunks and so on. In fact, various studies show that jackfruit increases the human body’s capacity to absorb iron, making it effective in preventing and curing anaemia. It is also a great source of antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids that make it beneficial for protecting against cancer, especially those of the colon, lung and oral cavity.     Dishes that can be made from jackfruit are all mouth-watering irrespective of the cuisine being oriental or continental or tandoori, says Jaffar Ali, executive chef at the Taj Group of hotels. Explains Joseph: “Chefs get a range of options [thanks to jackfruit], from a powdered form to make panna cotta, crispy form to make oriental fried dishes, tender form to make a kathi roll, or paste form to make pie or lasagna, by controlling rehydration.”     Ravi Venkatesan, a former Microsoft India chairman, is impressed by his former colleague’s new pursuit. “James was in the UK and he wanted to work from his hometown. We had our doubts about how a person in enterprise marketing [who has to constantly interact with CIOs, CTOs etc] could successfully work from one’s hometown. But we decided to take a bet on him and I was pleasantly surprised by his performance,” says Venkatesan. “He demonstrated a lot of flair and innovation. At heart, he is an entrepreneur.”     Venkatesan goes on to narrate the story of how Joseph managed to rope in top chef Oberoi to replicate the dinner served for the Obamas who had stayed over at the Taj Hotel to pay respect to those killed in the 26/11 attack. “He was exceptionally brilliant. I wish him success in his new venture,” he says referring to Joseph’s jackfruit evangelism, titled Operation Fibre.     Joseph, who was inspired to relocate to his hometown Aluva by a local farmer who asked him to convince big corporates to shift to the country’s small towns, says that the opportunities that India’s non-metros and smaller towns and villages offer are endless. “One has to just tap them,” he says. He for sure is doing just that. • Benefits of the “QUEEN OF FRUITS” Ripe jackfruit can be used in place of apple and the green fruit in place of potato, eggplant, soya chunks, and the like Jackfruit is rich in fibre; it is high in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, phytonutrients, carbohydrateand protein and so on. Contains no cholesterol or saturated fats Various studies show that jackfruit increases human body’s capacity to absorb iron, making it effective in preventing and curing anaemia A great source of antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoid that make it highly beneficial to protect against cancer, especially those of the colon, lung and oral cavity Contains high quantity of potassium, helps lower high blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack; also known to improve digestion OPERATION FIBRE The title of Joseph’s plan to popularise jackfruit and make it viable for commercial sale in India GROUND ZERO Joseph works out of his hometown Aluva, near Kochi, in Kerala; has converted an ancestral farm of cash crops into an organic farm, 90 minutes by car from his workplace