Kolse Natural Sweetener Industries

Out here in Kasbe Digraj, you’ll find Kolse Natural Sweetener Industries. We’re located in Dr. S K Nagar, in the Baganvat area, which is part of Tal-Miraj in the Sangli district. It’s a bit of a drive to get out here, but it’s where we do all our work. We deal with sweeteners, so there’s usually a sweet smell in the air around the place. It’s mostly outdoor work or in large sheds. The ground is often a bit muddy if it’s rained lately. We don't have any big corporate offices. Our office is just a small room with a fan and a couple of wooden chairs. Most of the people working here are from the nearby villages. We follow the seasons more than the clock. When the crop is ready, we work long hours until everything is processed. It’s hard work, and you end up quite sticky by the end of the shift. We don't use a lot of fancy words to describe what we do. We just take what comes from the land and turn it into something useful. Sometimes the machinery breaks down and we have to fix it ourselves with whatever tools we have handy. That’s just how it is in Sangli. Kolse Natural Sweetener Industries is a local operation, and we like it that way. It’s honest work and it keeps us connected to the ground. We just focus on the day’s task until the sun goes down.