The Solae Company in India
In January 2006 Dupont's subsidiary, The Solae Company, partnered with Cornell University to implement the BoP Protocol in India. Solae's initiative was launched in two locations: the Hyderabad slum cluster of Rasul Pura and in Parvathagiri Mandal, a rural village county approximately 3 hours outside of Hyderabad.
The seven-person Solae team began by conducting homestays in each area and participating in a range of work-related activities, including harvesting rice, operating a village pay-phone, and manning a small kiosk selling "cool drinks" in the 115 degree heat. In both project sites, following dozens of small-group meetings and community mapping exercises, the Solae team found committed partners in a group of women, some of whom were members of local self-help groups.
The final business concepts co-developed in both locations address the issue of malnutrition and food security through the sale of fresh, prepared foods using locally-sourced ingredients and a cooking "outreach team" skilled in culinary arts and nutrition. Following extensive action learning and testing, an initial business prototype was put into action at the end of 2007.
Today, two full-time Solae employees are based in each site and work closely with 20+ women team members from each community to evolve and expand the business prototypes.
Contact Us
Erik Simanis
Co-Director
BoP Protocol Project
ens25@cornell.edu
Duncan Duke
Co-Director
BoP Protocol Project
dod3@cornell.edu