The brand story of Amul begins with the founding of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd. (KDCMPUL) in 1946 in the town of Anand in the state of Gujarat, India.
The co-operative was founded by a visionary leader, Tribhuvandas Patel, who was determined to empower the milk producers and improve their livelihoods. He worked closely with a young social entrepreneur, Verghese Kurien, who had just returned from studying dairy technology in the United States.
Together, Patel and Kurien started the “Amul” brand in 1955 with the aim of marketing milk and milk products directly to consumers. The brand was named after the Sanskrit word “Amoolya,” which means precious.
The first product launched under the Amul brand was milk powder, followed by butter and ghee. The products were an instant hit with consumers due to their high quality and affordable pricing.
To promote the brand, Amul launched a highly successful advertising campaign that featured a cartoon character called “Amul girl,” who was a young, chubby-cheeked girl dressed in a polka-dotted dress and a bow. The ads were witty, humorous, and topical, and the Amul girl became an iconic symbol of the brand
Amul continued to expand its product range over the years, introducing a wide range of dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, milk drinks, and more. The brand’s success inspired other co-operatives in India to adopt similar models, and today, the country has one of the largest co-operative networks in the world.
Amul is well-known in India and exports products to over 60 countries, making it a household name worldwide. The brand’s success is a testament to the power of co-operatives and the value of empowering small-scale producers
