As a school kid, A. Padmasingh Isaac would never ‘waste’ his summer holidays like the other boys in his hometown of Nazareth in Thoothukudi district. He would instead set up a small shop selling trinkets and candy in his neighbourhood. This was his first ‘business venture’. If not anything, it taught him the basis of buying and selling a product. During his college days, he would mix phenyl and sell it to hospitals. It was this habit of his that went on to help him build a masala empire. Seated in his office in Anna Nagar, the 61-year-old tells us the story of Aachi Masala.
Aachi Masala is a big part of life in rural Tamil Nadu. Their masala packets, priced as low as Rs. 2, can be seen strung in front of petti kadais in every dusty village. It’s ideal for people who earn a daily wage — he/she would buy a packet for a meal. In the cities too, the masala packets can be seen rubbing shoulders with other brands.
Padmasingh has worked hard to build his brand. “You know what’s the best way to find out if our products are doing well in an area?” he asks. “You look into the dustbins,” he laughs. The man is serious and admits to having done this on his routine walks. “If Aachi Masala packets are in there, well and good. Otherwise, our agents are sent there to get to work right away.”
Padmasingh has that mad glint in his eye that is often seen in many obsessive businessmen. But his vision is well-balanced with support from his wife, Thelma. It’s her masala recipes that are the backbone of Aachi.
Much before Aachi was born, Padmasingh spent 10 years working with Godrej. It was his first job after he came to Chennai once he graduated from college. “Those 10 years taught me a lot,” he says. “I learned about sales, distribution and how to build a brand.” He also got to experiment with his wacky sales ideas. Godrej had just launched their powder hair dye and he was marketing it. “I was at a village bull fair for Kangeyam bulls and was trying to convince people there to try out the dye.” An idea occurred to him — he applied the dye on a bull’s tail. “The animal looked attractive and was sold instantly.” Padmasingh’s idea worked. “I sold several boxes of dye that day,” he says.
Soon, Padmasingh decided that it was time to do something on his own. With experience in the FMCG sector, he founded Aachi Group in 1995. Their first product — kuzhambu milagai thool (curry masala powder) — was received very well. “It was Thelma’s recipe. We wanted to bring back the traditional kuzhambus our ancestors would make, while also making cooking a less tedious task,” he says. Around the time, masala powders were largely unbranded commodities, and Aachi was among the names that changed the trend.
Aachi then branched out into chicken and mutton masalas — today, the company has 240 products and is constantly introducing new varieties. Their latest is the kesari mix. Padmasingh says that Aachi has a national presence. “We’re also exporting to 26 countries.” So who is Aachi? No one in particular. “In my hometown, aachi denotes a respectable woman. It also rhymes with ‘aatchi’ meaning ‘to rule’. The name has caught on,” he smiles.
Padmasingh feels that a lot of people don’t have the time to grind an elaborate masala these days. “Most of us want to fix a quick meal and this is where we step in,” he says. “Despite the variety of cuisines available in our cities these days, nothing is as satisfying as a plate of rice and rasam.”
