Section 36
P C Musthafa
iD Fresh Food · Chennalode, Wayanad, Kerala
- ₹25,000
- His own savings put into the business · 2005
- About ₹680 crore
- Revenue · FY2025
The story
P C Musthafa grew up in Chennalode, a village near Kalpetta in Wayanad, Kerala, with no proper roads or electricity. His father, Ahmed, had studied till Class 4 and worked as a labourer on coffee plantations. His mother never went to school. The family lived on very little.
He failed Class 6, left school and worked in the fields with his father. A teacher saw him there, persuaded his parents to send him back, and paid for his books. He went on to study at NIT Calicut and later at IIM Bangalore, and worked for companies including Motorola and Citibank, in India and abroad.
In 2005 a cousin noticed that the idli and dosa batter sold in local shops was packed without care for hygiene. Musthafa put in ₹25,000 of his savings and started iD Fresh Food with his cousins, with about ₹50,000 in all, two grinders, a mixer and a sealing machine. It took nine months to sell 100 packets a day. Business Today, citing Moneycontrol, reported revenue of about ₹680 crore in FY25.
Timeline
- 2005Starts iD Fresh Food with cousins and about ₹50,000.
- 2008Moves into a proper factory.
- 2025Revenue of about ₹680 crore (FY25, as reported).
- 2026Business Today, citing Moneycontrol, puts the company's value at about ₹4,450 crore.