The River Noyyal civilization was full of pastoral people. Farming and cattle rearing went hand in hand for the region was known to fall under the rain shadow category. No wonder, the deity on the banks of Noyyal was known as Lord Patteeswarar, the form of God Shiva associated with cattle. The huge availability of cows, bulls, goats and buffaloes impelled many to market milk, curd, butter and ghee. Elders will hopefully remember the door to door vendors who sold butter and ghee. The market had its own share of ghee stores. Coimbatore was a popular ghee centre.
Our region has traditionally been a mixed farming economy with agriculture and livestock playing complementary roles. Especially people who lived along the banks of River Noyyal were predominantly holding large number of livestocks - cows, bulls, goats and buffaloes, thus milk and curd flow was unbridled.
We can still remember our elders recalling how freshly churned butter and ghee were sold door to door by vendors. As time went, small ghee stores popped up in the city and among them was 'Sri Ayyappa Ghee Store' whose aromatic ghee and butter are part of every household even today.
The story of 'Sri Ayyappa Ghee Store'
N.Karunakaran ( 1924 - 2013 ) Founder of 'Sri Ayyappa Ghee Store' was born to Narayana Pillai and Madhavi Kutty of Karuvatta village, Alleppey Kerala. Though he did not have any formal education, he was a literate. He knew Tamil, Malayalam and a smattering of English. His wife Vijayamma had done her tenth standard. During his early days, Karunakaran wanted to stay with his uncle in Singapore but his father Narayana Pillai sent a telegram asking Karunakaran's uncle to not entertain this idea.
A dejected Karunakaran began to retrace his journey to his village via Coimbatore. He decided to stay back in the textile city in order to seek a career. Subsequently, he joined Mangalam Ghee Store. He worked hard and led a live of thrift. As he worked there, he also set up a grocery shop and also a cycle shop in Oppanakkara street. He put his brothers in charge of the shop and used to check the accounts after his working hours. Soon, his boss came to know about the shops and told him to choose between his job or business. Karunakaran quit his job instantly. By then, he had saved money by eating little. The young man used to just have a fruit per day in order to save money.
The beginning
"My father wanted me to take care of the shops that were founded by him but by then his brothers had taken over. As they did not want me to continue with them, he returned to our village. Coimbatore beckoned him once again. It was then owner of Girinath Agencies helped him to start afresh once again. He advised my father to do what he knew already. That's how my father came into ghee business. Shortly, before starting his venture, he paid a visit to Lord Ayyappa temple in his village and that's why he named his startup as 'Sri Ayyappa Ghee' store which he started in Poo Market area in Coimbatore", recalled Gereesan aka as Murali, while talking about his father.
He also added that at the beginning, the shop had only one employee. And, registered the trade mark in the year 1965 under the advice of L.R.Swamy of Chennai.
Soon, his business picked up and Karunakaran ventured into R.S.Puram by purchasing a property in East Periyaswamy road. The new premises became his office cum factory. He sold ghee by weight - 15 kg tins, 5 kg tins, 2kg and 1 kg in containers and the smallest was 200 grams. Importantly, Ghee was sold in ' loose ' too.
Subsequently, he founded a restaurant on Mettupalayam road near Central Theatre. 'Hotel Sri Ayyappa' came up in 1989 on NSR Road in Sai Baba Colony (now it is All Seasons Restaurant). In the year 1997, he started a new factory premises in Kaundampalayam on Mettupalayam road. The factory had 4 employees and the store had 3 under its rolls. Around this time, his son Murali joined the business and it all started blooming.
From Ghee to Sweet Shop
"My father used to supply ghee for all occasions. In the year, 1973 he supplied 10 tins of ghee for a wedding function at the residence of industrialist G. Krishnan. Shockingly, the wedding contractor refused to accept the product. Thereafter, my father was forced to remove the labels and supply ghee. He would waver the bill, if customers complained of quality issues. After the wedding, he got an opportunity to meet G. Krishnan to get his bill settled. It was then, G. Krishnan enquired as to why his ghee was rejected. My father told that because he did not pay a commission to the contractor, his order was rejected. Hearing that, G.Krishnan suggested my father to prepare pure ghee sweets with 'Sri Ayyappa Ghee'. G Krishnan asked Karunakaran to let people who bought his Sweets know that it was made of Sri Ayyappa Ghee. His idea encouraged my father to set up sweet stores. Thereafter, my father stayed in touch with G.Krishnan", recalled his son.
"Well, his close friends were A.Rangaswamy Chettiar, Lakshmi Grinders Krishnamurthy, Alagiriswamy, Palaniswamy Chettiar, Gopal Chettiar, SKP and a few others. He was a yoga practitioner all his life. He used to wake up by 5 AM and begin his work by 7 AM. He worked until 11 PM for he had to look into his daily collections. He went to Sabarimala until the age of 73 and he was a follower of Vedadri Maharishi. In spite of his old age and ailments, he continued visiting office", added Murali while showing around the factory.
He added that "A lot of innovation had been possible because of trial and error. The inputs of the employees had also played a role".
"If you cannot do business ethically, you have to quit" - Karunakaran, Founder of Sri Ayyappa' Ghee Store
While recalling the words and principles of his father, Murali said "My father used to say that if you cannot do business ethically, you have to quit. He never liked to compromise on the quality of sales and purchase. He used to state that, if one did not stand for something, he will fall for everything. He would fulfill his commitment, even if he lost money in the bargain. He strictly believed that you should offer God, the items that could be consumed by the offerer and nothing else. 'Rat race' was abhorred by him. My father reitrated that customers will stick to your brand if you ensure quality. His golden words also included the phrase - 'Concentrate on your work and if you concentrate on the work of others, you will lose your identity'.
"He believed firmly that each one was running in their pace and one had to understand that and run in his own pace,", Murali added.
Vijayamma, wife of Karunakaran was also active in business from the year 1973. Even today, she continues to visit the store and she personally verifies all accounts, till date.
The Grainy 'Ayyappa' Ghee
Contrary to the smooth greasy texture of ghee sold in the market, the grainy texture of Sri Ayyappa' ghee, which is an indicator that the ghee has been perfectly prepared, is truly an accomplishment. The perfect butter gives the perfect ghee. The traditional methods followed in preparation and uncompromising quality has been the reason behind providing consistent quality grainy ghee. The grainy texture of the ghee not only gives an aromatic flavour but enhances the taste to a whole new level.
Many households here are addicted to Ayyappa' Ghee for it's freshness, consistency and the perfect grainy texture. Today, 'Ayyappa' ghee is a premier boutique ghee brand and not just a store anymore.
Undoubtedly, today Sri Ayyappa Ghee is a leading ghee brand in Coimbatore. And, the business ethics practiced by the Founder and his unwavering promise towards quality has certainly made the brand stand apart.