History

In the 1940s the late Shri. Thayyil Abraham Varghese started a small umbrella manufacturing unit in Alappuzha. His work flourished and was ultimately formed into St. George Umbrella Mart in 1954, earning him the name Kuda Vavachan. He was soon joined by his son, the late Shri T.V. Scaria with whom the business made a name for itself across India becoming a national brand. Shri T.V. Scaria is widely known as St. George Baby for his contributions to the umbrella industry.

This legacy continued when T.V. Scaria’s eldest son, Davis Thayyil joined the business and spearheaded another wave of expansion. He had a vision of relentlessly improving his umbrellas with distinct features which ultimately led him to create Popy Umbrellas. With over 80 years’ worth of innovation and quality management systems behind him, Davis led the brand from one of national repute to one of global recognition.

Today the legacy is secured for another generation with the joining of Davis’ eldest son, Kevin Thayyil who is commonly referred to as Vavachan, the 4th generation in this unique tradition. All of this was possible due to the devoted and committed staff force whose average service is measured in decades not years; some having started work with Thayyil Abraham Varghese and retiring after having worked with his great grandson, Kevin Thayyil.

Shri T.V. Scaria (St. George Baby) was and is widely regarded across the Umbrella Industry for implementing stringent quality standards. He was enlisted in the Quality Control Committee of ISI in 1979 and would go on to be the committee chairman in 1986. He won numerous awards for his role in uplifting the umbrella industry and for taking the business to new heights. ‘Udyog Ratan’ Award 1998 from Institute of Economic Studies, Business Man of Kerala Award 1998 by Business Deepika, Rajiv Gandhi Quality Award, Akshaya Award and AKCC Centenary Award are some of the more noteworthy among them.

Popy Umbrella was focused on bringing umbrellas into the 21st century and from its inception has grown year over year in terms of both sales and recognition. Popy Umbrella has made outstanding contributions to the development of small-scale industries in India, for which the brand received the IMM awards consecutively in the years 1992, 1993 and 1998. It won the Bharathiya Udyoga Jyothi award in 1992. Popy was also the first umbrella manufacturer in the world to achieve the ISO-9001 certification.

Today, Popy has over 7700 authorized dealerships serving over 12,000 retail outlets across India and abroad, making it the largest selling branded umbrella manufacturer in India. In a statistical survey conducted by the Dhanam Magazine, Popy was shown to be the 2nd most popular brand among the most popular 20 brands in Kerala.

Popy Umbrellas are made in modern, automated and computerized factories. Each year, Popy releases a new type of umbrella that is the culmination of years of parallel research and design efforts. Popy has dedicated suppliers that make umbrella parts for it from across the globe. Popy owns and operates factories in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In addition, it runs a factory in Falna, Rajasthan in collaboration with FU-TAI Umbrella Works – Taiwan, another world leader in umbrella manufacturing.

Popy enforces a strict MRP system in which umbrella prices are fixed on the 1st day of each year. Hence Popy Umbrellas are available at the same price from all authorized agencies.

We would like to thank all our dealers who have contributed to the growth of Popy Umbrella and have put their trust in us. We would also like to thank the millions of customers who have experienced the excellence and value of our products and continue to support us wholeheartedly.

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