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{{short description|Indian state government owned dairy cooperative society}}
{{About|the cooperative}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Anand Milk Union Limited
| trading_name = '''Amul Coop'''
| native_name = The [[Kaira District]] Co-Opp Milk Producers Union Ltd.
| logo = Amul official logo.svg
| logo_size = 250
| type = [[Cooperative]]
| industry = [[Dairy]]
| products = Milk products
| foundation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1946|12|14}}
| founder = [[Tribhuvandas Patel]]
| location = [[Anand, Gujarat]], India
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = [[Jayen Mehta]] (managing director)
| revenue = {{profit}} {{INRConvert|80000|c}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Amul group plans Europe entry |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/business/news/amul-ready-to-enter-european-market-after-us-success-md-jayen-mehta-latest-updates-2024-10-06-955772 |access-date=7 October 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
| revenue_year = 2024
| owner =
| num_employees = 1,000 (officers and employees) <br /> 3.6&nbsp;million
(milk producers)<ref name="amul.com">{{cite web|url=https://amul.com/files/pdf/English_Final_GCMMF_Press_Release_for_Annual_General_Meeting_on_18th_July_2020.pdf|title=Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (AMUL) achieves a turnover of Rs. 52000 crore 7billion crores with 17% growth|work=Amul|access-date=1 April 2020|archive-date=18 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918074747/https://amul.com/files/pdf/English_Final_GCMMF_Press_Release_for_Annual_General_Meeting_on_18th_July_2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| divisions = *[[Banas Dairy]]
* [[Dudhsagar Dairy]]
| website = {{URL|https://amul.com/|amul.com}}
}}
'''Amul''' is an Indian dairy brand owned by the [[cooperative|cooperative society]], Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), based in [[Anand, Gujarat]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Laidlaw |first=Alexander Fraser |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvtAAAAMAAJ |title=Cooperatives and the Poor: A View from Within the Cooperative Movement : a Development Study Prepared for the International Cooperative Alliance and the Canadian International Development Agency |date=1977 |language=en |access-date=11 March 2023 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404052238/https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvtAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Govind |last2=Rosencranz |first2=Armin |date=2021-10-20 |title=Cows and their milk |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/cows-and-their-milk-1503020618.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103142210/https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/cows-and-their-milk-1503020618.html |archive-date=3 January 2023 |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]] |language=en-US}}</ref> GCMMF is controlled by 3.6 million milk producers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Reeta |title=General Management Review |url=http://www.etgmr.com/GMRjan-mar04/art7.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040302120048/http://www.etgmr.com/GMRjan-mar04/art7.html |archive-date=2004-03-02 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=www.etgmr.com}}</ref>
[[Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel]] founded the organisation in 1946 and served as its chairman until his retirement in the 1970s. He hired [[Verghese Kurien]] in 1949,<ref>{{cite book |last=Heredia |first=Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYEkjpYkHrMC&pg=PA65 |title=The Amul India Story |publisher=Tata Mc-Graw Hill |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-07-463160-7 |location=New Delhi |pages=65 |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309030608/https://books.google.com/books?id=TYEkjpYkHrMC&pg=PA65 |archive-date=9 March 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Misra |first=Udit |date=10 September 2012 |title=V. Kurien: India's White Knight |newspaper=Forbes India |url=http://forbesindia.com/article/special/v-kurien-indias-white-knight/33719/2 |url-status=live |access-date=11 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402160414/http://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/v-kurien-indias-white-knight/33719/2 |archive-date=2 April 2019}}</ref> initially as the general manager, where Kurien guided the technical and marketing efforts of the cooperative. Kurien briefly became the chairman of Amul following Patel's death in 1994, and is credited with the success of Amul's marketing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dasgupta |first=Manas |date=9 September 2012 |title=Kurien strode like a titan across the bureaucratic barriers and obstacles |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3877337.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912032719/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3877337.ece |archive-date=12 September 2012}}</ref>
Amul spurred [[White revolution (India)|India's White Revolution]], which made the country the world's largest producer of milk and milk products,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dairy Articles |url=https://indiadairy.com/dairy-articles/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=IndiaDairy |language=en-US |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309203116/https://indiadairy.com/dairy-articles/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and has since ventured into overseas markets.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/amuls-worlds-biggest-vegetarian-cheese-brand/articleshow/1288927.cms|title=Amul's world's biggest vegetarian cheese brand exports cheese to the US, Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong with sales estimated to touch 600 tonne in 2005|newspaper=The Economic Times|access-date=1 July 2020|last1=Srinivas|first1=Nidhi Nath|archive-date=5 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005134854/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/amuls-worlds-biggest-vegetarian-cheese-brand/articleshow/1288927.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>
==History==
[[File:2_The-Amul-trinity_Kurien_Shri-TK-Patel_HM_Dalaya.jpg|thumbnail|250px |[[Verghese Kurien]], [[Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel]], and [[Harichand Megha Dalaya]]]]
Amul was founded on 19 December 1946 as a response to the exploitation of small dairy farmers by traders and agents. At the time, milk prices were arbitrarily determined, giving [[Polson (brand)|Polson]] an effective monopoly in milk collection from Kaira and its subsequent supply to [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=George |first=Shanti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbI6AAAAMAAJ |title=Operation Flood: An Appraisal of Current Indian Dairy Policy |date=1985 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-561679-8 |language=en |access-date=9 March 2023 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404052239/https://books.google.com/books?id=dbI6AAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ruth">{{cite book |last=Heredia |first=Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYEkjpYkHrMC |title=The Amul India story |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill |year=1997 |location=New Delhi|isbn=9780074631607 }}</ref>
Frustrated with the trade practices (which they perceived as unfair), the farmers of Kaira, led by [[Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel|Tribhuvandas Patel]], approached [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], who advised them to form a cooperative. If they did so, they would be able to directly supply their milk to the Bombay Milk Scheme instead of working for Polson.<ref name=tehelka>{{cite news|last=Suhrud|first=Tridip|author-link=Tridip Suhrud|title=The magic of manthan|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=op040806the_magic.asp|access-date=2 February 2011|newspaper=Tehelka|date=8 April 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111211535/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=op040806the_magic.asp|archive-date=11 November 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sardar Patel sent [[Morarji Desai]] to organise the farmers.<ref name="Ruth" />
Following a meeting in [[Chaklasi]], the farmers formed the cooperative and resolved not to provide Polson with any more milk.<ref name="tehelka" /> Milk collection was decentralised, as most producers were marginal farmers who could deliver, at most, 1–2 litres of milk per day. Cooperatives were formed for each village.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thapar |first=Romila |title=Seminar, Issues 497–508 |journal=Seminar|year=2001}}</ref> By June 1948, the KDCMPUL had started pasteurising milk for the Bombay Milk Scheme. Then-Prime Minister [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] visited [[Anand, Gujarat|Anand]] to inaugurate Amul's cattle feed factory. On 31 October 1964, he spoke to farmers about their cooperative. After returning to Delhi, he set in motion the creation of an organisation, the [[National Dairy Development Board]] (NDDB), to replicate the Kaira cooperative in other parts of India. Under the leadership of Tribhuvandas Patel, in 1973, Amul celebrated its 25th anniversary with Morarji Desai, [[Maniben Patel]], and [[Verghese Kurien]].<ref name="Amul Reference2">{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Sharad |title=Remembering Verghese Kurien – India's first milkman |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/remembering-verghese-kurien-indias-first-milkman/article30084051.ece |access-date=10 March 2021 |publisher=businessline |language=en |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021222527/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/remembering-verghese-kurien-indias-first-milkman/article30084051.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>
The cooperative was further developed through the efforts of Verghese Kurien and [[Harichand Megha Dalaya|H. M. Dalaya]]. Dalaya's innovation of making [[Skimmed milk|skim milk]] powder from buffalo milk was a technological breakthrough that revolutionised India's organised dairy industry.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kurien |first=Verghese |title=Ending Poverty in South Asia: Ideas that work |year=2007 |publisher=The World Bank |location=Washington D.C., USA |isbn=978-0-8213-6876-3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IV9m8gF6XDcC&pg=PA47 |chapter=India' s Milk Revolution: Investing in Rural Producer Organizations |editor=Narayan, Deepa |editor2=Glinskaya, Elena |access-date=13 January 2021 |page=47 |quote=If there was one technological breakthrough that revolutionized India's organized dairy industry, it was the making of skim milk powder out of buffalo milk. The man who made this possible and who had the foresight to defy the prevailing technical wisdom was H. M. Dalaya. |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309030609/https://books.google.com/books?id=IV9m8gF6XDcC&pg=PA47 |url-status=live }}</ref>
With Kurien's help, the process was expanded on a commercial scale, which led to the first modern dairy cooperative at Anand. This cooperative would go on to compete against the established players in the market.<ref name=epw>{{cite journal|title=Economic and political weekly, Volume 6, Part 4|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|year=1971|volume=6}}</ref>
The success of the trio (T. K. Patel, Kurien, and Dalaya) at the cooperative's dairy soon spread to Anand's neighbourhood in Gujarat. Within a short span, five unions in other districts—[[Mehsana]], [[Banaskantha district|Banaskantha]], [[Vadodara|Baroda]], [[Sabarkantha district|Sabarkantha]], and [[Surat]] – were set up, following the approach sometimes described as ''the Anand pattern''.<ref name=Ruth />
In 1970, the cooperative spearheaded the "[[White revolution (India)|White Revolution]]" of India. To combine forces and expand the market while saving on advertising and avoiding competing against each other, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., an apex marketing body of these district cooperatives, was set up in 1973. The Kaira Union, which had the brand name Amul with it since 1955, transferred it to GCMMF. Technological developments at Amul have subsequently spread to other parts of India.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cheese Industry in India|publisher=Chillibreeze}}</ref>
In 1999, it was awarded the "Best of All" [[Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bis.org.in/other/rgnqa_win_12.pdf | title = Annex iv: list of award winners of Rajiv Gandhi national quality awards | last1 = Shrawan | date = 29 May 2013 | website = bis.org.in | publisher = Bureau of Indian Standards | location = New Delhi | access-date = 15 May 2014 | archive-date = 2 December 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141202153812/http://www.bis.org.in/other/rgnqa_win_12.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>
==Promotion and advertisement==
{{See also|Amul girl}}
In 1966, Amul hired Sylvester daCunha, the managing director of an advertising agency, to design an ad campaign for Amul Butter. DaCunha created an operation consisting of a series of hoardings featuring topical ads related to day-to-day issues.<ref name="amulad">{{cite web|last=Varma|first=Mini|title=The moppet who put Amul on India's breakfast table|url=http://www.amul.com/story.html|publisher=Amul|access-date=2 February 2011|archive-date=13 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613085925/http://www.amul.com/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was popular and earned a Guinness World Record for the longest-running ad campaign in the world. In the 1980s, cartoon artist Kumar Morey and scriptwriter Bharat Dabholkar were involved in sketching the Amul ads; the latter rejected the trend of using celebrities in advertisement campaigns. Dabholkar credited chairman Verghese Kurien with creating a free atmosphere that fostered the development of the ads.<ref name="hindudabholkar">{{cite news|last=Rao|first=Subha J.|title=Punch guru|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2007/12/15/stories/2007121551330100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108194414/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2007/12/15/stories/2007121551330100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 November 2012|access-date=2 February 2011|date=15 December 2007|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>
Despite encountering political pressure on several occasions, daCunha's agency has made it a policy not to back down. Some of the more controversial Amul ads include one commenting on the Naxalite uprising in West Bengal, one on the Indian Airlines employees' strike, and one depicting the Amul girl wearing a Gandhi cap.
On 17 October 2016, the Amul Butter Girl celebrated 50 years since she first appeared in the topical ad, titled "Thoroughbred". The ad showed a jockey holding a slice of bread during the horse race season in 1966. The impish Amul girl had appeared for the first time even before that, with Eustace Fernandez showing her offering bedtime prayers with a wink and a lick of lips, saying "Give us this day our daily bread: with Amul butter".<ref>{{cite web |date=16 October 2016 |title=In pics Fifty years on, Amul's 'utterly butterly' girl is still a delight |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-pics-fifty-years-on-amul-s-utterly-butterly-girl-is-still-a-delight/story-jY5tN55PJQh6b5Ftcbzb5J.html |website=Hindustan Times |publisher= |access-date=23 January 2023 |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123145835/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-pics-fifty-years-on-amul-s-utterly-butterly-girl-is-still-a-delight/story-jY5tN55PJQh6b5Ftcbzb5J.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Their ad on ''Aagey Badhta Hai India'' had an excellent response from the audience. It spoke about how their milk is seen as a household product, with a catchy tune associated with it. It has over 39 lakh (3.9&nbsp;million) views on YouTube.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/zIQTwukIDyg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200708195023/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIQTwukIDyg Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|last=Amul The Taste of India|title=Amul Milk – Aage Badta Hai India|date=10 July 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIQTwukIDyg|access-date=9 April 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In February 2020, Amul posted a picture of the Amul girl treating [[Joaquin Phoenix]] with butter after his academy award win for his role in the 2019 film, [[Joker (2019 film)|''Joker'']].<ref>{{cite web |date=12 February 2020 |title=Amul smears butter on vegan Joaquin Phoenix's face in an ad celebrating Oscar win, gets slammed by PETA |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywood/amul-smears-butter-on-vegan-joaquin-phoenix-s-face-in-ad-celebrating-oscar-win-gets-slammed-by-peta/story-Fx77XbHBFcolop5LYcY7mM.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212132923/https://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywood/amul-smears-butter-on-vegan-joaquin-phoenix-s-face-in-ad-celebrating-oscar-win-gets-slammed-by-peta/story-Fx77XbHBFcolop5LYcY7mM.html |archive-date=12 February 2020 |access-date=3 May 2021 |website=[[Hindustan Times]] |publisher=Indo Asian News Service |language=en}}</ref> Since Phoenix is a vegan, Amul faced criticism from vegans in India and PETA for the poor knowledge of his vegan activism and life.
In July 2024, Amul featured [[Maya Neelakantan]], a ten-year-old guitar prodigy who auditioned for [[America's Got Talent season 19|''America's Got Talent'' season 19]] in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baruah |first=Akashdeep |date=2024-07-08 |title=Amul pays tribute to 'Rock Goddess' Maya Neelakantan - CNBC TV18 |url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/entertainment/amul-tribute-rock-goddess-maya-neelakantan-americas-got-talent-papa-roach-last-resort-19439882.htm |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=CNBCTV18 |language=en}}</ref>
==In popular culture==
The White Revolution inspired filmmaker [[Shyam Benegal]] to base his 1976 film ''[[Manthan]]'' on it. The film was financed by over five lakh (half a million) rural farmers in Gujarat, who contributed ₹2 each to its budget. Upon its release, these farmers went in truckloads to watch 'their' film, making it a commercial success.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-08-08 |title=Phalke award for Benegal |url=http://www.ndtvmovies.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20070021927 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719065444/http://www.ndtvmovies.com/movie_Story.aspx?id=ENTEN20070021927&keyword=&subcatg= |archive-date=2011-07-19 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=[[NDTV]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Manas: Culture, Indian Cinema- Shyam Benegal |url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Cinema/Benegal.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805163057/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Cinema/Benegal.html |archive-date=2012-08-05 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=www.sscnet.ucla.edu}}</ref> ''Manthan'' won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi]] during the [[24th National Film Awards]] in 1977.
== See also ==
* [[Aavin]]
* [[Anikspray]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Amul}}
* {{Official}}
[[Category:Cooperatives in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Companies based in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Ice cream brands]]
[[Category:Economy of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Dairy products companies of India]]
[[Category:Indian brands]]
[[Category:Indian companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Dairy cooperatives in India]]
[[Category:Brand name dairy products]]
[[Category:Dairy farming in India]]
[[Category:Agricultural cooperatives in India]]
[[Category:Asian chocolate bars]]