Andrea and Dabbawallah friends. Dabba is a steel container, and walla means the person or carrier - hence dabbawalla.
Did you ever wish a home-made lunch could be delivered to you at your office at exact 12 o’clock? That’s exactly what has been happening in Mumbai (India) for the past 125 years.
Dabbawallas have a long history whose roots originate when India and Pakistan was under the British rule. The people who were employed there did not want to eat out at local cafes, so they started this service in which cooked food from their homes would be delivered to them exactly at the set time. This service started 125 years ago and is recognized as the most efficient service, not only in Mumbai but also in other countries. They received considerable worldwide attention when the efficiency of their system was featured in a BBC special with Prince Charles.
Dabbawallas are a group of committed yet mostly illiterate rural workers. Their system comprises of just 3-4 symbols to indicate the delivery destination. Their food supply chain is the most efficient supply chain in which there is 99.99% accuracy, which means only one wrong delivery out of six million transactions, because of this US business magazine Forbes gave them six sigma rating. They are also noted in the Guinness book of world record.
Dabbahwallah sorting tiffins for delivery
Dabbawallas number around 5000, and they deliver almost 200,000 tiffin lunch boxes every day at the very low cost, i.e. $9- $11 per month. The most amazing thing? They make very few mistakes considering that they use the local train services, bicycles, and trolly for the deliveries in the densely populated city of Mumbai.
Trying to read my Happy Tiffin business card
Dabbawallas are a fantastic example of time management, team work and of elegant logistics. The deliver no matter the weather – rain, heat, or monsoon, and their excellence is a result of team work and a shared commitment to satisfying customers through dedication and accuracy.
I was very impressed and had a great time visiting with them this past month. Thanks!
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It’s great to see pictures of “where it all started” ~ thanks for sharing!