It has not been easy for entrepreneurs to flourish in the militancy scarred valley of Kashmir. But some like Muhammad Amin shine out as ‘spicy’ exceptions, feels Haroon Reshi…
It was the year 1972. The Indo-Pak war had just ended and a separate Bangladesh had been carved out of East Pakistan. Armed militancy had still to raise its ugly head and calm serenity waxed eloquent in the Valley. It was in these peaceful times that engineering graduate Muhammad Amin started a spice grinding unit in Anatnag, with an initial investment of just Rs.5,000. That was 37 long years ago. Today, the Rs.1 billion Kanwal Foods & Spices Pvt. Ltd. has an iron grip over the valley, cornering almost 75% market share (self-proclaimed) in spice consumption within the State, with its range of basic and blended spices, instant mixes, ready-to-cook foods and traditional Kashmiri recipe mixes, pickles and jams.
But having an entrepreneurial vision was not a bed of roses for Amin. In the late 80s and 90s, when militancy was at its peak in the valley, looming threats of life and consistent shutdowns and curfews forced scores of entrepreneurs to stash away their ambitions in the cold storage. But not Muhammad Amin. The ordeals only served to add ‘tang’ to his resolve and subsequently to the resolve of his son Farooq, who joined ranks with his father after completing his business management from London. “Militancy disrupted everything,” Farooq Amin, legal heir and the Director of the company told 4Ps B&M. “It was difficult for a common man to live his life, leave alone the question of running a full scale industrial unit. It seemed that the entire industrial fraternity of Kashmir was going down. Many units were declared sick. We found ourselves on the edge. But we did not lose heart. We started surveys and found that despite militancy, every household needed spices everyday. The demand was unaffected and so we stood our ground. When it became impossible for us to function at full capacity in Kashmir, we expanded our production capabilities into Delhi and flew down our manufactured products in J&K and used every effort to push the goods into the market,” he reminisces.
Persistence pays. Soon, Kanwal Spices’ market share increased to the point that it became the largest food processing brand in the state, collecting every possible national and international level accreditation along the way viz. ISO standards, HACCAP and Agmark. “We have always met with some stiff competition from the brands that are sold nationwide, like MDH, BMC, et al, which have been around for quite a long time now. Though I must press the point that in terms of quality we are way ahead of them as the raw materials we use are of the best grade available,” boasts Farooq. Not resting on past laurels, the group expanded its product offerings to include a bottled water brand in its fledging kitty. Named Treish (Kashmiri word meaning Drinking Water) the company has already set up a state-of-the-art packaged drinking water processing and packaging plant for the same. It took five Years of R&D before the project kicked off, besides numerous visits to global markets in search of technology and know-how. Incidentally, before Treish the mineral water segment in the state was largely deemed as a “big flop” as most businessmen, who had tried their hands at this industry, had failed to make a dent in the market. Kanwal Spices took the challenge head on and created a brand that made the MNCs in the segment sit up and take note. Incidentally, Treish is BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certified and its quality and composition are almost at par with globally prestigious brands like Evian.
Both Farooq and his father are now quite upbeat about the potential that their brands have for both, expansion within India and internationally, especially with a brand tagline that read: ‘Adding Kashmiri Flavour to Global Cuisine’. Farooq feels that thanks to the huge brand knowledge about Kashmir ensures that any and every product line of the group has the potential to sell like hot cakes. “Imagine Kashmiri Deghi Mirch. It is sold all over India under various brands and has huge takers even though the chili does not really come from Kashmir. We have a line of products which is competitive in terms of quality, purity, aroma, packaging and we manufacture almost every spice that is used in India, be it Biryani Masala, Korma Masala or even the traditional Garam Masala and Meat Masala,” he says, adding that the group is already firming up its plan to go the whole hog with a national distribution and marketing roll out.
In fact, slowly but surely Kanwal Spices is already becoming visible in many major cities of India. They are already supplying their spices to some cities in north India and are in the process of tying up with major players in the retail market, including Reliance Fresh, Subhiksha, Vishal Mega Mart, and More. With already functional manufacturing units in Delhi and Bangalore, the group feels that they already have the competitive edge for a pan India presence. Markets like Lucknow, with a perceived penchant for mughlai cuisine, are becoming primary targets. Adds Farooq, “One thing that drives home the fact for us that we have a great potential for the Indian market is the immense response that we have got from different sections of the Indian consumer while participating in various trade shows, food fairs & expos that are held every year. People who buy our spices during such events love our products and for them we sometimes supply small quantities of our products to the farthest parts of India.”
Much more is cooking at the company headquarters in Anantnag. “We are currently doing research and development (R&D) for the manufacture of organic fruit juices, fruit jellies and bread and bakery. The manufacturing of these products will be carried out in line with the latest European technology and machinery. We are hopeful that within the current year we would be able to establish these industries in Kashmir and would be effectuating sales by the next fiscal,” says Farooq. Further, the group is also expanding into the manufacture of bread, bakery and confectionery and another manufacturing unit is being built in Srinagar to cater to this excess capacity.
For a generation of Kashmiri’s, the success of Kanwal Foods & Spices could well serve as a role model to emulate and encourage young entrepreneurs. Here’re Farooq Amin’s parting words to them, “I have witnessed a strange phenomenon creeping into the mind of the youngsters of Kashmir - they want to grow rich overnight. I would urge them to stop fantasising and realise that while staying on the ground they can build up and reach for the skies. Easy money is for easy goers and it never sees the light of the actual day. Let us toil together and work towards a future that is as bright as the sun.”
Haroon Reshi
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM Related Links
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
It was the year 1972. The Indo-Pak war had just ended and a separate Bangladesh had been carved out of East Pakistan. Armed militancy had still to raise its ugly head and calm serenity waxed eloquent in the Valley. It was in these peaceful times that engineering graduate Muhammad Amin started a spice grinding unit in Anatnag, with an initial investment of just Rs.5,000. That was 37 long years ago. Today, the Rs.1 billion Kanwal Foods & Spices Pvt. Ltd. has an iron grip over the valley, cornering almost 75% market share (self-proclaimed) in spice consumption within the State, with its range of basic and blended spices, instant mixes, ready-to-cook foods and traditional Kashmiri recipe mixes, pickles and jams.
But having an entrepreneurial vision was not a bed of roses for Amin. In the late 80s and 90s, when militancy was at its peak in the valley, looming threats of life and consistent shutdowns and curfews forced scores of entrepreneurs to stash away their ambitions in the cold storage. But not Muhammad Amin. The ordeals only served to add ‘tang’ to his resolve and subsequently to the resolve of his son Farooq, who joined ranks with his father after completing his business management from London. “Militancy disrupted everything,” Farooq Amin, legal heir and the Director of the company told 4Ps B&M. “It was difficult for a common man to live his life, leave alone the question of running a full scale industrial unit. It seemed that the entire industrial fraternity of Kashmir was going down. Many units were declared sick. We found ourselves on the edge. But we did not lose heart. We started surveys and found that despite militancy, every household needed spices everyday. The demand was unaffected and so we stood our ground. When it became impossible for us to function at full capacity in Kashmir, we expanded our production capabilities into Delhi and flew down our manufactured products in J&K and used every effort to push the goods into the market,” he reminisces.
Persistence pays. Soon, Kanwal Spices’ market share increased to the point that it became the largest food processing brand in the state, collecting every possible national and international level accreditation along the way viz. ISO standards, HACCAP and Agmark. “We have always met with some stiff competition from the brands that are sold nationwide, like MDH, BMC, et al, which have been around for quite a long time now. Though I must press the point that in terms of quality we are way ahead of them as the raw materials we use are of the best grade available,” boasts Farooq. Not resting on past laurels, the group expanded its product offerings to include a bottled water brand in its fledging kitty. Named Treish (Kashmiri word meaning Drinking Water) the company has already set up a state-of-the-art packaged drinking water processing and packaging plant for the same. It took five Years of R&D before the project kicked off, besides numerous visits to global markets in search of technology and know-how. Incidentally, before Treish the mineral water segment in the state was largely deemed as a “big flop” as most businessmen, who had tried their hands at this industry, had failed to make a dent in the market. Kanwal Spices took the challenge head on and created a brand that made the MNCs in the segment sit up and take note. Incidentally, Treish is BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certified and its quality and composition are almost at par with globally prestigious brands like Evian.
Both Farooq and his father are now quite upbeat about the potential that their brands have for both, expansion within India and internationally, especially with a brand tagline that read: ‘Adding Kashmiri Flavour to Global Cuisine’. Farooq feels that thanks to the huge brand knowledge about Kashmir ensures that any and every product line of the group has the potential to sell like hot cakes. “Imagine Kashmiri Deghi Mirch. It is sold all over India under various brands and has huge takers even though the chili does not really come from Kashmir. We have a line of products which is competitive in terms of quality, purity, aroma, packaging and we manufacture almost every spice that is used in India, be it Biryani Masala, Korma Masala or even the traditional Garam Masala and Meat Masala,” he says, adding that the group is already firming up its plan to go the whole hog with a national distribution and marketing roll out.
In fact, slowly but surely Kanwal Spices is already becoming visible in many major cities of India. They are already supplying their spices to some cities in north India and are in the process of tying up with major players in the retail market, including Reliance Fresh, Subhiksha, Vishal Mega Mart, and More. With already functional manufacturing units in Delhi and Bangalore, the group feels that they already have the competitive edge for a pan India presence. Markets like Lucknow, with a perceived penchant for mughlai cuisine, are becoming primary targets. Adds Farooq, “One thing that drives home the fact for us that we have a great potential for the Indian market is the immense response that we have got from different sections of the Indian consumer while participating in various trade shows, food fairs & expos that are held every year. People who buy our spices during such events love our products and for them we sometimes supply small quantities of our products to the farthest parts of India.”
Much more is cooking at the company headquarters in Anantnag. “We are currently doing research and development (R&D) for the manufacture of organic fruit juices, fruit jellies and bread and bakery. The manufacturing of these products will be carried out in line with the latest European technology and machinery. We are hopeful that within the current year we would be able to establish these industries in Kashmir and would be effectuating sales by the next fiscal,” says Farooq. Further, the group is also expanding into the manufacture of bread, bakery and confectionery and another manufacturing unit is being built in Srinagar to cater to this excess capacity.
For a generation of Kashmiri’s, the success of Kanwal Foods & Spices could well serve as a role model to emulate and encourage young entrepreneurs. Here’re Farooq Amin’s parting words to them, “I have witnessed a strange phenomenon creeping into the mind of the youngsters of Kashmir - they want to grow rich overnight. I would urge them to stop fantasising and realise that while staying on the ground they can build up and reach for the skies. Easy money is for easy goers and it never sees the light of the actual day. Let us toil together and work towards a future that is as bright as the sun.”
Haroon Reshi
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM Related Links
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
