Thippeswamy Papareddy: Driving Quality Culture In The Food Industry
Thippeswamy Papareddy
Quality Head
Thippeswamy Papareddy is a life science postgraduate and currently working with GCL as the Head of Quality. He has worked with companies like PepsiCo, Cargill, Hershey India, DIAGEO India, Synthite Industries, and AVT McCormick Ingredients at various higher level positions in the Quality and Food Safety Department. With his profound knowledge and hard work, he has brought various laurels to the company.
Thippeswamy Papareddy engages in an exclusive interaction with the CEOInsights Magazine.
How would you define Ghodawat Consumer as an organization and its current position in the market?
GCL is the FMCG arm of Sanjay Ghodawat Group which is known for its constant product innovation, customer centricity, afford ability, and quality consumer products under the leadership of Shrenik Ghodawat Managing Director. Since its inception in 2013, GCL’s one point focus has been to create a unique brand identity for itself. GCL started its journey by manufacturing edible oils and now its product portfolio includes Snacks, Beverages, Staples, and Home/Personal care categories. The company predominantly focuses on product innovation to ensure it delivers great value to its customers at an affordable price.
Tell us about your flagship offe
rings and what are value additions customers can expect from your products.
GCL’s brand “STAR” has now become a house hold name in Maharashtra and Karnataka. GCL has created a distinct identity and has set a benchmark of excellence in products and services with the trust of millions of consumers. GCL aims for consumers to switch from loose and unbranded products to standardized and packed products, manufactured with international bench marking. Currently, the research and development centre is working on several innovations such as green packaging material, Biodegradable paper sachet, and healthy food products.
Adding to the above, GCL is committed to driving ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). We understand that the company’s operations influence the community and the environment and that we have a responsibility to ensure that this impact is favourable.
What are the latest technology tools you use in your organization to ensure the quality of consumable products?
We at Ghodawat adopted the concept of Quality by design, where quality is caused, not controlled. All our manufacturing process has high standard equipment which has inbuilt controls, ensuring the variation in output quality is under control and all our manufacturing facilities are FSSC and BRC certified which ensures all our systems and controls are in place.
We are also in the process of drawing a roadmap for Manufacturing Journey to Excellence, where we will be working on key Pillars of TPM, and the Quality Maintenance Pillar is one of them.
What are some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from them?
In my 26 years of experience, I have encountered multiple challenges in the way of accomplishing Quality and Food Safety across multiple organizations. However, it is more Industry specific and the complexity of the process and product. Using
GCL’s brand “STAR” has now become a house hold name in Maharashtra and Karnataka. GCL has created a distinct identity and has set a benchmark of excellence in products and services with the trust of millions of consumers. GCL aims for consumers to switch from loose and unbranded products to standardized and packed products, manufactured with international bench marking. Currently, the research and development centre is working on several innovations such as green packaging material, Biodegradable paper sachet, and healthy food products.
Overcome daily challenges and stay hungry for accomplishments
Adding to the above, GCL is committed to driving ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). We understand that the company’s operations influence the community and the environment and that we have a responsibility to ensure that this impact is favourable.
What are the latest technology tools you use in your organization to ensure the quality of consumable products?
We at Ghodawat adopted the concept of Quality by design, where quality is caused, not controlled. All our manufacturing process has high standard equipment which has inbuilt controls, ensuring the variation in output quality is under control and all our manufacturing facilities are FSSC and BRC certified which ensures all our systems and controls are in place.
We are also in the process of drawing a roadmap for Manufacturing Journey to Excellence, where we will be working on key Pillars of TPM, and the Quality Maintenance Pillar is one of them.
What are some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from them?
In my 26 years of experience, I have encountered multiple challenges in the way of accomplishing Quality and Food Safety across multiple organizations. However, it is more Industry specific and the complexity of the process and product. Using
the right tools in deriving the root causes and implementation of preventive actions and making it a part of continual improvement helps us to overcome such challenges.
Broadly, the biggest challenge for every quality professional across Food and Beverage industry is to drive the Quality Culture. Culture is made, learned, or shared by the members of an organization, including values, beliefs, and behaviours. It helps in getting the answer to questions like how an organization responds to quality internally and externally.
Making people from following quality to living quality at each stage and keeping the momentum alive is always challenging and remains a challenge. As all of us know, Quality is a topdown driven process and we as leaders should make our efforts constantly around the clock to drive the same. This will help us deliver the best Quality and Prevention of the risks and enhance the value addition.
When building the Quality Culture, the key driving factors are Employee engagement, Communication Training, Rewards and Recognition, and very vital is Leadership demonstration (WALK the TALK).
What are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
Post Covid-19, there is a change happening in consumer and market behaviour in view of consuming Food and beverages. The consumer is becoming more selective and looking for health conscious products Plant based foods, clean labels and a shift from loose to packaged can be seen across industries.
We have a greater opportunity in every area to cater to the market with regular and innovative products to meet consumer needs. We are striving towards the same and our vision is that a consumer should be using one GCL product in his/her daily routine.
Thippeswamy Papareddy, Head of Quality, Ghodawat Consumer
Thippeswamy Papareddy has over 26 years of professional experience in the Food Processing, FMCG and AgriExport industries with proven abilities in Quality assurance, Food Safety, Regulatory & compliance, and Agri backward integration for sustain ability. Currently, he is working at Ghodawat Consumer as the Head of Quality.
Broadly, the biggest challenge for every quality professional across Food and Beverage industry is to drive the Quality Culture. Culture is made, learned, or shared by the members of an organization, including values, beliefs, and behaviours. It helps in getting the answer to questions like how an organization responds to quality internally and externally.
Making people from following quality to living quality at each stage and keeping the momentum alive is always challenging and remains a challenge. As all of us know, Quality is a topdown driven process and we as leaders should make our efforts constantly around the clock to drive the same. This will help us deliver the best Quality and Prevention of the risks and enhance the value addition.
When building the Quality Culture, the key driving factors are Employee engagement, Communication Training, Rewards and Recognition, and very vital is Leadership demonstration (WALK the TALK).
What are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
Post Covid-19, there is a change happening in consumer and market behaviour in view of consuming Food and beverages. The consumer is becoming more selective and looking for health conscious products Plant based foods, clean labels and a shift from loose to packaged can be seen across industries.
We have a greater opportunity in every area to cater to the market with regular and innovative products to meet consumer needs. We are striving towards the same and our vision is that a consumer should be using one GCL product in his/her daily routine.
Thippeswamy Papareddy, Head of Quality, Ghodawat Consumer
Thippeswamy Papareddy has over 26 years of professional experience in the Food Processing, FMCG and AgriExport industries with proven abilities in Quality assurance, Food Safety, Regulatory & compliance, and Agri backward integration for sustain ability. Currently, he is working at Ghodawat Consumer as the Head of Quality.