Mumbai’s Koli women are rewriting the seafood business one WhatsApp order at a time
In a report prepared by Joeanna Rebello Fernandes from Times of IndiaThe transformation of Daryavardi Producer Company Limited (DPCL), Mumbai’s first fish farmer producer organization, shows how the traditional Koli trade has been transformed into a formal business model run entirely by women.
The strongest point in the story is that the Koli women not only start a company, but also attempt something much bigger: corporatize a community trade that has historically operated informally, while preserving cultural identity and collective ownership.
Founded in April 2023, DPCL is a community-owned seafood company run by Koli women from Mumbai’s fishing villages.
According to the report prepared by TOIThe company currently has over 1,000 shareholders and operates through a network of self-help groups involved in purchasing, fish processing, masala making and ready-to-eat seafood.
From fish stalls to official affairs
At a recent workshop held at the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), women, many of whom were attending such training for the first time, learned how modern packaging can directly impact shelf life, pricing and consumer confidence.
“We were not aware that packaging affected shelf life; we always sold fish in polythene bags,” said Pratibha Patil, manager, Juhu Koliwada. TOI. “We have now learned that leak-proof and attractive packaging is not only more hygienic, but can also help us sell more.” The company’s goals extend far beyond packaging. DPCL has implemented centralized logistics, digital ordering systems, branding strategies, retail distribution operations and product diversification: including seafood snacks such as masalas, pickles, rotis and fish chaklis.
“We decided to follow the Amul model of bringing Koli women together to collectively produce and market fish and fish-based products,” said founder Ujjwala Patil. TOI report. “What Amul did for the White Revolution, DPCL will do for the Blue Economy.”
The company started with an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with contributions from ten women executives who invested Rs 10,000 each. CEO Lalit Jadhav, who was brought in for his experience in finance and self-help group management, said the company later grew with shareholder participation from fish vendors in the city.
Today, orders come in via WhatsApp and Google Forms and products are delivered to Mumbai and Pune through online platforms. While some women earn daily wages by working in production units, others continue independent sales but buy fish from DPCL’s wholesale desk at competitive prices.
Branding the parcel identity
ToI stated that the company generated revenue of Rs 20 lakh in the last quarter of 2026 alone.
DPCL has also entered Mumbai’s growing experiential food economy. Women now run Koli-themed food stalls at seafood plazas, festivals and special events, while exploring cloud kitchens and export opportunities.
Brand consultancy Seagull Advertising helps create a consumer-facing identity that builds on the Koli heritage. “This was a participatory and consultative process, with women weighing in on every decision,” said Seagull founder Sameer Desai.
But for many shareholders, the project means more than business expansion. It is also about restoring social status in a city where the original fishing community felt increasingly economically and culturally excluded.
“There was a time when Koli women had great dominance in the city; no one bothered with us,” Archana Koli, a shareholder from Worli, told ToI. “Now people will respect our name again.”
(With input from ToI’s Joeanna Rebello Fernandes)
