While business can create a stressful and cut-throat atmosphere for employees, Naga Spice and Herbs set up in 2016 at Rikhumai Taphou, is cut from different cloth. What started in her small apartment then, Naga Spice & Herbs is now one of the organic spice manufacturing unit in Manipur.Longsaola Paul, the gritty proprietor could give any entrepreneur a run for their money.Few years ago, she was distributing her spices as free samples to neighbours.Fast-forward to today and has make ” POUMAI” a household brand.
A true entrepreneur is a doer, not just a dreamer. Where people see risks they see rewards. Every year thousands aspire to be an entrepreneur but very few succeed in becoming one. These individuals have been consistently slogging behind creating opportunities that may not even exist in the first place. The Naga Society is a casteless and classless society where, traditionally, women have enjoyed a high social positioning and a fair spirit of independence, playing very central roles in family and community affairs; however, it is also a patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal society where, for instance, family names are carried forward through sons, who are also the family members that inherit family land. In a society where the traditional law of the Naga society clearly distinguishes gender roles and gendered responsibilities, for a Naga Woman to breaks that old cliché ‘a woman’s place is in the home’ and venture into entrepreneurship is always a predictable spicy journey.
Through the road less taken, Mrs Paul Longsaola along with her husband K.K Shekho of Maiba Village ventured into organic food processing unit in the year 2016. She established Naga Spice and Herbs with the intention of exploring locally found spices and herbal products, which are in demand from different countries for export. She is one of the self-made entrepreneurs who by dint of her hard work and passion, has built the brand labelled “Poumai” everything from scratch and today we see her crowned in the organic food processing in Senapati Manipur.
Moment of inspiration
Longsaola Paul , hit upon the idea of starting a spice business wheh she was supplying the non-local products from Dimapur to the local vendors in Senapati.On asked of her inspiration she shared,
“My association with traders help me research, analyze and inferred huge market for organic products and windows of opportunities for its value added products.It fuelled a zeal to integrate my aspiration with a dedicated backward linkage consisting of a cluster of marginal women farmers from rural villages to produce spice crops of comparative advantages with special focus on empowering women and generating employment for the unemployed youths”.
The name Naga Spice and Herbs was born which was very clear with her aspiration to deal in local organic products. However, for the brand name POUMAI, “it just sprouts up like a fox thoughts” she smiled.
The Initial Struggle
The road to success was a hard one, Longsaola recalls. “During the initial days, we sold our products from door to door.There were times, i was left all alone with not support system.I was down but each time, i failed, i chose to rise up again.That’s how dedicated i was,”She says.
Longsaola Paul faced the typical challenges of mompreneur, while trying to balance a healthy work-life at home. Like all moms, she experiences Mommy guilt. Anytime she is doing something other than caring for her children, she feels like she should be with them, and the anxiety increases when I am pursuing a hopeful business opportunity that she strongly love and believe in it. Lack of funding is another big struggle for her, who subscribed to the false honor badge of being a supermom who can do it all alone, without asking for help. With no savings, she had a harder time, taken longer time to borrow money/capital with high interest to secure her returns from sales and repay back the loan. One significant flaw she shares as women is that women downplay their worth, they undervalue their efforts, and they don’t charge what they are worth. This resulted in containing with less profit or loses in many occasions. In the beginning, she pushes herself too hard, failing to say NO to what doesn’t’ serve her or failing to say YES to what will grow her. So many people scoff and roll their eyes when you start a new business. She was criticized and misunderstood, she lost friends, and many family members don’t get my choice to be a mompreneur along the way.
Notable success and the Journey thus far
Her company Naga Spice and Herbs became the first entity from Manipur to obtain Organic Certification for their Production and Process. Very soon the Naga Spice and Herbs first export was made in November 2017 to United States of America and thereafter extended the shipments to UK and Australia as well. She has participated in many International Events and Meets. Amongst few worth mentioning are the 19th Organic World Congress (2017) and World Food India (2017). The Naga Spice and Herbs have been featured in the “The Hindu”. She has also participated in International Buyer & Seller Meet 2019 at Imphal and Biofach India with India Organic Meet 2017 at Greater Noida. At present, the company has a well modern spice processing unit at Rikhumai Taphou and a retail outlet at district Headquarters, Senapati. The firm process and market the following product lines: Ginger (Flakes and Powder), Turmeric (Flakes and Powder), King Chili (Dried, Powdered and Pickle) Black Rice (full grain), Xanthophyllum (Dried and powder), etc. under the brand “POUMAI”. Today, the firm is giving direct employment for more than 20 individuals and indirect employment to more than 2000 contract farmers from different corners of Manipur under Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA).
Her Success Mantra and Unique Selling Proposition
What started as a tiny homegrown business that became global is an unlikely success story in a patriachal scociety. The success story of Naga Spice & Herbs is an exception to the rule rather than the norm – a venture that truly inspires and motivate.
Longsaola Paul attributes her flexibility, versatility and readiness to learn as keys to her sustainability. “Empowering rural women was our aim. Some of these women have been with us since the inception of our company and have worked hard for the success of the business. It is because of them that our company has survived”. She also credit her husband and the women in her circles who relentlessly believed in her vision and stood by her through thick and thin in her tribulations.
“Indigenousness, Quality and Authenticity are the three pillars of my company. We maintain the organic status of our raw materials by procuring from only those cluster farmers whose produced are monitored by Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) to make sure they are free from synthetic contamination. We seek the expertise of Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA), Directorate of Horticulture and Soil Conservation , Government of Manipur, Spice Board, Government of Manipur, Subject Matter Specialist, etc. for best package of practices in Production, Processing and Marketing”, smiled Longsaola Paul on being interviewed of her company’s unique selling proposition.
Her thoughts and message on ‘Entrepreneuship’
Spreading entrepreneurship in general and women’s entrepreneurship in particular has always relied on local culture and local social capital. Where entrepreneurship thrives, it is because local values and political powers implement a policy conducive to an enhanced role for women and entrepreneurship in general. This clearly signals the public awareness of women’s role in the economy and of an emerging shift in the distribution of power. As new generation of highly educated and motivated women are emerging, let us pro-actively collaboate as a team and provide an eco-system that empower them with equal opportunities and carve niche enterprises of their own choice and not by family lineage, she share her vision.
Conclusion
Our Times attempts to bring to the fore inspirational success stories of women entrepreneurs like Paul Longsaola, who are breaking glass ceilings and shattering gender stereotypes..It salutes her glaring spirit of overcoming socio-economic challenges/obstacles to fuel her entrepreneurial dreams.She is not just an inspiration to women entrepreneurs but an epitome of women creating positive impact and making a difference.
There are only just a handful of successful female entrepreneur whose stories truly inspire. The journey ahead awaits us. Winds of change have to be blown in for every aspiring and talented women entrepreneurs to walk the road less travelled by. With support from the government and the industry, women can continue to make great strides in the world of business. The days of women standing side by side with men in the world of entrepreneurship are not far. (Naga Spice and Herbs can be personally reached at Nagaspiceandherbspoumai@gmail.com. Their products can be purchased at nagaspiceandherbs@amazon.in or ordered via https://www.indiamart.com/nagaspiceherbs/profile.html or purchased directly from her retail outlet AJ Complex, Below Reliance Trends Showroom, District Headquarters. For more queries and details, contact +91-8259070904/+91-986258551
