All products are tried and tested at home first, says Sreenath Vishnu of Brahmins Foods

Success Quotient is a weekly feature that appears every Friday on Firstpost, which looks at the pains and joys en route to success for a head honcho - whether a CEO, MD or an entrepreneur. The column looks at the ideas that helped launch a company, its highs and lows. Brahmins is a popular brand name in the spice powder industry in South India. After 23 failed attempts at various business ventures ranging from selling coconut oil and footwear to even a stint as a tour operator, the tenacious 32 year-old V Vishnu Namboodri hit the high note with sambhar powder. He reasoned that the success was due to his Brahmin roots, for the community is well-known for its expertise in vegetarian cuisine in Kerala. Namboodri capitalized on it and named his new venture in the curry powder business Brahmins Foods India Pvt Ltd. Sreenath Vishnu, Namboodri’s 33 year-old son and Executive Director in the firm, traces important landmarks in the company’s 27 year-old spice trail to Firstpost. Excerpts from the interview: From humble beginnings to a leading brand in the South today, please take us through the company**’**s journey. [caption id=“attachment_2392698” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sreenath Vishnu (left), ED, and V Vishnu Namboodiri, Founder and CEO, Brahmins Foods[/caption] My father started the firm after trying to set up different ventures and failing in every single one of them. His eventual success in the curry powder business was due to his passion for cooking and his understanding that only quality spices could lend that distinct flavour to Indian cuisine. When he began Brahmins in 1987, spices were pounded at our family-owned flour mill. Father would then cycle around with the curry powders to various stores to sell them. The business was started with a capital of Rs 800. Later he took a bank loan of Rs 30,000 under the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana and set up the firm. What were the products that were sold initially? We began with sale of curry powders. We branched out after my father, with his entrepreneurial streak, quietly bottled and sold some home-made pickles my mother had made for the family! It was a hit, and that led to us starting a pickles division. Today we have over 100 food products including spices, condiments, breakfast cereals, whole-grain flours, pickles, and specialty foods like bhajji mix, banana fry mix and desserts, among others. What are your fastest moving products? Sambhar masala and puttu powder (steam cake). The former because of our unique combination of quality spices and the right mix which lends itself to a delicious flavour and taste. Most people think that puttu is from Kerala, but it is actually a pan-Asian food. There are many variants of puttu in the local cuisine of Vietnam, Malaysia and Far Eastern countries. For instance, the Filipino Puto Bumbong is a lot like Kerala puttu. Only theirs is purple in colour! When did you join the business? I formally joined the firm right after I finished my MBA in 2006. At that time, we had labour union issues at our sole manufacturing unit in Thodupuzha, Kerala. So we started manufacturing from other places too, which helped us increase our production capacity. Currently, we have three production units - one in Andhra Pradesh and two in Kerala, besides a centralized packing facility in Kerala. We have a combined capacity to process 11,000 tonnes of packaged food annually. How is it working with a boss who is also your father? I have never felt a generation gap between my father and me. His business acumen and experience is invaluable as he is ready to evaluate and fine tune ideas that my team and I come up with. The family – my mother, sister and now my wife - has always been involved in the business. All products we make are tried and tested at home first. If it tastes good, then we go into production. What is the size of the branded condiments market? How much is your share? The size of the branded condiments market in India is estimated at approximately Rs 6,500 crore. Of this, the size of the market in Kerala is about Rs 700 crore. Brahmins Foods occupies a share of 14 percent in the vegetarian curry powder segment, and in the other food products category we are in, our share is about 12 percent in Kerala. We have a presence in more than 25,000 retail outlets in Kerala, supply to modern retail chains like Reliance Retail, ABRL, Lulu etc. and also to a five star hotel. We are not into retail yet. However, we have a factory outlet in Kerala. We also export to the Middle East, America, Europe and Australia. What are the prevalent trends in the sector? Working women are our core consumer group. With not much time to spend in the kitchen, most households prefer to go for ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food concepts. We cater to their interest by introducing a new product every month. What will it be next month? Oh, I can’t reveal that. It’s a surprise! What was the turnover last fiscal? How much are you expecting it to be in 2016? Last year, our turnover was Rs 46.6 crores. We expect it to go up by 15 percent next year. Your brand name is casteist. I agree it indicates a caste. We belong to the Brahmin community. But that’s not the reason we have it as our brand name. It is to emphasise the vegetarian aspect of our products. How do you unwind from work? I love to interact with the youth and often give motivational speeches. And I look forward to spending time with the family each day. And talk business? Well, since everyone is involved in it, all our talks are centred on business!