Eastern Eye (UK)

ASIAN PIONEER: FOOD INDUSTRY MOURNS PATHAK

- By SARWAR ALAM

RICH tributes have been paid to businessma­n Kirit Pathak, the former head of the renowned Patak’s food brand, who died last Saturday (23).

The 68-year-old was involved in a car crash in Dubai on January 17. He succumbed to his injuries in hospital where he was treated after the accident.

Kirit and his wife Meena moved to the Gulf city state following the sale of their business more than a decade ago and split their time living in the UAE, India and the UK.

A pioneer of Asian food in the UK, Kirit helped the business grow from a shop in London into a global brand. It had a turnover of £66 million in 2007, when the family sold the company for a reported £200m to Associated British Foods (ABF), the owners of Primark.

Kirit retained the rights to the Patak’s brand in India. He became chairman of ABF’s combined world foods group, which included Patak’s, while Meena became a director.

ABF said it was “deeply saddened” by the news of his death. “Our deepest sympathies go out to Kirit’s wife, Meena, and all his family and friends at this very sad time,” said George Weston, chief executive of ABF.

“Kirit was a great man who was blessed with entreprene­urial flair, astute business acumen and a passion for authentic Indian cuisine.

“From humble beginnings he and Meena created an incredible business that introduced a fantastic genre of cooking into millions of homes, transformi­ng it into a homedining staple. Kirit and his family revolution­ised the way we eat at home. He leaves behind a legacy that not only employs hundreds of people but is enjoyed by millions of homes worldwide every day.”

ABF managing director, Andy Mayhew, described Kirit as a “visionary leader”.

He added: “Kirit has been a friend and mentor to me for over 13 years and I shall miss enormously both his good company and wise counsel. I know the shock of his loss will be keenly felt across AB World Foods and we extend our thoughts and prayers to his family at this difficult time.”

Patak’s now supplies a range of curry pastes, chutneys, pickles, poppadums, readymade meals and other food products to more than 10,000 Indian restaurant­s, as well as around 90 per cent of Britain’s supermarke­ts and local grocery stores.

The Leigh-based business also exports curries, sauces, pickles and breads to more than 90 countries, including India.

Kirit and Meena were awarded OBEs in 1997 and 2002, respective­ly, for their services to the food industry.

Kirit’s parents Laxmishank­er and Shanta Gauri Pathak came to Britain in 1956 with only £5 in their pockets. Poverty had forced the family to leave their village in Gujarat, India, in the 1940s and live in Kenya before arriving in the UK.

In London, the only work Laxmishank­er could find was sweeping the streets, but with his wife, they started making and selling Indian food to support their family of eight.

The couple ran a food business from the kitchen of their Kentish Town flat, working for 18 hours a day making samosas and Indian sweets to serve mainly south Asian customers. The children also helped make the food after school.

Kirit was involved from the start, working as an errand boy from the age of six. Because of his lack of English, he would carry two notes, one showing the address he was delivering food to, the other showing his home address. “We showed the bus driver the note in our left pocket to go and the note in our right to come back,” he said when talking about the early days of the business.

As customer demand grew, the family were able to open a small shop next to Euston Station in the late 1950s, which was followed by another store in Bayswater in 1961.

In 1962, the business relocated to a converted mill in Northampto­nshire.

Three years later, when a factory manager hugely over-ordered vegetables, rather than letting the produce go to waste, the Pathaks used them to make pickles and chutneys which proved to be so popular that they joined the product range.

Laxmishank­er came up with the first generic curry paste around the same time, followed by more paste recipes which became a core part of the brand’s product range.

A few years later, they began supplying readymade sauces and chutneys to the UK’s growing number of Asian restaurant­s, which were predominan­tly staffed by recent immigrants with limited cooking skills. The family also dropped the ‘h’ from their brand name, believing Patak’s was easier to say, write and remember for the British public.

In 1970, Kirit was three weeks into studying for a degree in business and administra­tion, with the goal of using his skills in the family business. But he was unable to complete his degree as his father needed his help.

“My father was virtually bankrupt,” Kirit said. “We had three shops and a small factory, employing around 10 people, but my father had entered into a deal that had brought us to the brink of closure.

“He asked me what I was studying, how long the course was and why I was doing it. I told him that I was studying because I hoped to come into the business and help him.

“He told me the business was in such a state that it wouldn’t exist at the end of my four-year course, but added that he didn’t want to interrupt my studies and that the decision was mine. But I think most people respect me for what I did.”

Kirit said he quickly realised that if the business was going to survive, it would need to sell its products to a much wider audience than its three retail outlets could reach.

“So I started knocking on doors, and then I began to travel, and realised I could be selling our products all over the world,” said Kirit.

He assumed responsibi­lity for the business in 1970 at the age of 18. Six years later he married Meena and together they built Patak’s into one of Britain’s most loved food brands.

In a 2001 interview, Kirit said it was his goal “to be on every plate in the world”

His vision came to fruition as Patak’s recipes, many of which were created by Kirit and Meena, are now enjoyed by people around the world.

Kirit is survived by his two sons Neeraj, 43, and 41-year-old Nayan; and his daughter Anjali, 39, who continues the family’s associatio­n with the company as a brand ambassador and consultant.

As well as the global legacy that was created with the Patak’s brand, Kirit, among his many other endeavours, set up a charitable foundation with the purpose of giving back to the community.

Eastern Eye’s publishers, the Asian Media Group (AMG), also paid tribute to the businessma­n.

AMG managing editor, Kalpesh Solanki, and executive editor, Shailesh Solanki, said: “On behalf of the Solanki family and AMG, we send sincere condolence­s to Meenaben and their family on Kiritbhai’s tragic passing. Kirit Pathak was a

true visionary who brought Indian food into millions of British homes. He was a trailblaze­r and pioneer of the grocery industry who made an immense contributi­on to the Asian food, restaurant and retail sector.

“Kiritbhai and Meenaben were close family friends going back to very foundation of both Patak’s and Garavi Gujarat. Kiritbhai’s father, Lakhubhai Pathak and our father Ramniklal Solanki, were close friends and contempora­ries who were much admired and respected pioneers of our community.

“The first issue of Garavi Gujarat, published on April 1, 1968, carried a Patak’s advert and it was an associatio­n that we cherished and greatly valued. Kiritbhai’s passing is a huge loss for the Asian community and the grocery industry.”

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 ??  ?? PARTNERSHI­P SUCCESS: Kirit and Meena Pathak; and (below right) the couple outside their Wigan facility
PARTNERSHI­P SUCCESS: Kirit and Meena Pathak; and (below right) the couple outside their Wigan facility
 ??  ?? LEADERSHIP SKILLS: Kirit Pathak; with some of Patak’s products (above
right); and (above left) his daughter Anjali Pathak
LEADERSHIP SKILLS: Kirit Pathak; with some of Patak’s products (above right); and (above left) his daughter Anjali Pathak

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