2 days ago
Pinto's Wine Land to become history soon
Hubballi: Pinto's Wine Land, a liquor outlet over 125 years old, is set to shut down by the end of this month as the family running in it was upset with rise in alcohol-related incidents.
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The family is moving to manufacturing Kokum juice, in a bid to promote a healthy drink.
The Pinto family, who migrated from Goa, established this shop mainly to cater to the needs of British Railway officers and others. Due to their establishment, the nearby circle was fondly called Pintos, serving as a gateway for people coming from Gadag Road. It became a landmark with Pinto Road as well. Its reputation was sustained with original liquor when second-quality liquor from Kamaripet dominated the Hubballi market.
Five generations of the family engaged in the business.
Mohan Pinto, the current owner of the outlet, told TOI that after 2-3 years of discussion, the decision is being implemented now. "Though we adopted honesty and ethics in this business, alcohol is negative on a larger scale. We felt bad when youngsters came to buy liquor. Recent incidents like the Pune hit-and-run case disturbed us a lot. We also observed misbehaviour by some customers with our lady staff," he said.
Lona Mohan Pinto, a psychologist, said she worked in a de-addiction centre in Bengaluru before marrying Mohan. "Everyone joked that we could run contrasting businesses of a wine shop and a de-addiction centre together. However, my mother-in-law Julia often made Kokum juice at home, and we had the habit of distributing it to all our friends and customers at no cost, sensitising them about health benefits of Kokum juice.
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As it became popular, our well-wishers suggested not to distribute it for free but collecting a nominal charge. Later, we researched it and purchased machinery six years ago," she said.
Neetu (name changed) said she was one of the few female customers of the shop. "We bought without any fear as lady staff were appointed at this shop. It was secure enough. Now we are worried about where we should buy liquor for our family members," she said.
The Pinto family was closely associated with the Mysuru royal family, as a son-in-law of Isabella Albuquerque (great grand mother of Mohan Pinto) was an assistant to the Mysuru queen. A Bluthner, a European model piano gifted by the Mysuru family, is still with the Pinto family. During her visit to Hubballi, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Pinto's home. Though it's a Christian family, it has been generous enough to choose names like Mohan, Arjun, and Aditya for children.
