Oftentimes, venerable organizations are characterized by their humble beginnings. As testament to this, we invite you to partake of a story with empathy and integrity at its core.
The story dates back 90 plus years, to a time when India was slowly starting to fall in line with a world that had turned its attention to industrialization.
In the sleepy village of Yemmiganur, in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district lived a family of five brothers with empathy in their hearts and integrity in their souls. How it blossomed over the next few decades is essentially the story of the birth and development of the MGB Group that today stands tall with a combined turnover of Rs.650 crores and interests in diverse fields ranging from automobile dealerships, to real estate, and retail.
With their archetypal principles of empathy and integrity, the five brothers set about transforming the once sleepy village of Yemmiganur into a model-town, enhancing the lives of its inhabitants through a flurry of cooperatives and manufacturing activities. Without exception, the Group’s primary intent has always been to uplift the quality of life of the society in which they exist—aptly exemplifying the Group’s understanding of the real requirements of a society.
Back then, Yemmiganur was largely a community of weavers who excelled in their craft. Unfortunately, though their superior weaving skills did not guarantee them immunity from the ups and downs of life. There came a time when they inevitably had to come face to face with the harsh reality of a downturn. Although unfortunate, the moment acted as the trigger for the family of the five Machani brothers to sow the first seeds of the yet-to-be-born MGB Group. That was nearly ninety years ago…
The five Machani brothers were indeed a shining example of what a close knit family should be. This was notably evident from the way they conducted their business, with the eldest brother Machani Gangappa leading his four younger brothers— Machani Lakshmanna, Machani Pakeerappa, Machani Somappa and Machani Ramanna. Clearly assigned roles and responsibilities helped the brothers grow the family business—while Machani Gangappa, the first brother provided the overall guidance, the second brother, Machani Lakshmanna, was in charge of family affairs. The third brother, Machani Pakeerappa, was in charge of the family’s finances and managed its groundnut oil mill (as well.) The two youngest brothers— Machani Somappa and Machani Ramanna—were encouraged to pursue their education with an eye on the family business’s future growth. Thus the growth engine of the Machani family and their various businesses moved ahead in full steam, establishing strong principles and values founded on integrity in which there was zero room for compromise.
Weaving the culture of “People First”. Specifically, the event that brought to the fore the family’s inborn quality of leadership and empathy was the closing down of relief centers of the famine afflicted weavers of Yemmiganur. By then, Machani Somappa, the fourth brother, had become an active member of the family’s business’s and it was his foresight that led him to marshal the collective strength of the village’s human capital to reverse the adverse effects of the closure of the relief centers. This early initiative was responsible in weaving the culture of “People First” into the family’s business ethics that has endured to this day.
As early as 1938, the weavers of Yemmiganur got their first cooperative society—the Yemmiganur Weavers Cooperative Society (YWCS). By providing regular work to its member weavers at fair wages, the society started to attract other weavers of Yemmiganur and neighboring villages and soon grew to be the largest primary weavers’ cooperative society in the country. One of the major benefits of the society’s success was that it catapulted Machani Somappa to the very top of the weaver fraternity. In 1957, Machani Somappa became the president of the All India Handloom Fabrics Marketing Co-op Society, an all-India entity whose chain of showrooms is the quintessential “Handloom House.” He served as the society’s president for five consecutive terms.
Success breeds success, and the commendable performance of the YWCS led to the formation of several more cooperative societies:
The Yemmiganur Co-op Stores Ltd (established in 1942)
The Yemmiganur Co-op Town Bank Ltd (established in 1946)
The Yemmiganur Co-op Milk Supply Society Ltd (established in 1952)
The Yemmiganur Co-op House Building Society Ltd (established in 1955)
The Yemmiganur Leather Workers’ Co-op Cottage Industry Society Ltd (established in 1959)
The Yemmiganur Co-op Marketing Society Ltd (established in 1968)
The MGB Group lauds itself on the fact that when MGB Real Estate opened its doors for business, it was steeped in the guiding principles its founding fathers had inculcated in its succeeding generations— Empathy and Integrity. In an abiding concern for the welfare of fellow human beings, the company continues to keep its people first culture at the core of its operations. This unique approach in a progressively materialistic world has led it to cater to a large family of satisfied customers since 2002. As of 2020, 70 projects covering a total area of 900+ acres, comprising 10000+ plots have been developed, spread across Tirupati, Nellore, Vijayawada, Chittoor, Kurnool, Yemmiganur, Adoni, Visakhapatnam and Bangalore. Furthermore, it has developed residential and commercial properties in excess of one million sq. ft.
Steered by the family’s second and third generations, the Group continues to flourish by upholding the defining principles and values of the close-knit family that it has acquired from its founding fathers.