Ghee is a true Indian product and has been used as part of celebrations from time immemorial.
Ghee is a true Indian product and has been used as part of celebrations from time immemorial.
The people of Kongunad were known for cattle breeding for a long time. The cattle grazers used to move from one place to the other along with their livestock and the routes taken by them eventually became the trade routes of the region.
Availability of cattle brought in a lot of milk and milk related products for the local populace. Ghee has been known for a long shelf life and therefore it became an important product of trade. A number of dairy farmers worked towards processing milk products and added to their profits. The mercantile community of the region were very much involved with the dairy farmers at all times.
A.Malaiyappa Chettiar of Ottaparai near Chennimalai was one such merchant, who used to purchase butter from dairy farmers and market it in Coimbatore in the first quarter of the nineteenth century.
He used to transport butter in tins on an animal drawn cart to the nearest bus stand and transport the same by bus to Coimbatore. The goods were transported by another animal drawn cart to the market and he used to sell the butter for cash in the market.
He found the scope for business to be higher at Coimbatore and therefore he shifted to the textile city along with his family. He set up shop at Raja Street by hiring space from one C.V.Venkataramana Iyer in the year 1935.
A.Malaiyappa Chettiar began prospering in Coimbatore due his innovative techniques. He used to place imported milk processing equipment with key dairy farmers in the nearby villages. The key dairy farmers used to process the milk from the local dairy farmers and take the cream from the milk. The money for the cream thus extracted was settled immediately
A deposit or advance was given to every dairy farmer, who made over his milk. The key dairy farmer who acted on behalf of A.Malaiyappa Chettiar used to come to Coimbatore and deliver the cream at his yard behind the shop. The ghee merchant used to process the cream in order to extract butter. A.Malaiyappa Chettiar used to convert a part of the butter into ghee and subsequently sell both butter and ghee in his shop cum residence. He used to visit shandies and purchase butter directly from the local women who used to extract butter from the curds available at the villages. This “Satti Vennai " purchased from the village ayaas was also part of his stock.
“The shop used to have a traditional weighing scale, vessels and ladles those days. The goods were packed in plantain leaves and given to the customers. Originally our ghee was known as ' Sunflower ' ghee and then we started calling it by the name of my grandfather A.Malaiyappa Chettiar. Those days the only other brand was ' Rose Brand ' and it was the first to be established in the year 1920.
There was ' Cow & Calf ' brand too but the owner concentrated on out of town sales only. We sold ' cow ghee ' only and also sold buffalo butter at a premium. Buffalo butter was a favorite of the community of priests and the jewelers as well. Money was collected in Rupees, Annas and Paise. The ‘Ottakasu ' was also used as legal tender for many years.
My grandfather had established a branch in Chennai but he gave it up later. A.Malaiyappa Chettiar Ghee was also exported to other countries. We had a number of mill owner clients and we used to supply ghee for the Vasavi Kannikaparameswari Temple Navarathri festival year on year. Parry and Nutrine were our clients for decades. Tirupati Venkatachalapathy is known as Malaiyappaswamy and it is the temple which perhaps uses the largest quantity of ghee in the world today, “shared D.Sekaran who happens to be the grandson of Malaiyappa Chettiar.
The sons of A.Malaiyappa Chettiar shared some facets about the life and times of their father. “Father was an important clansman in the Tamil speaking Ayira Vysya Chettiar community. We wear the sacred thread and are vegetarians. Our Kula Deivam ' Adaikalam Katha Amman ' is located in Valaieduppu village at Musiri taluk near Trichy. All our community people visiting the Government Hospital or other family work used to stay in our house and enjoy the hospitality offered by our mother Meenakshi Ammal.
It was possible because our parents were open-minded and magnanimous. Once a person wanted to give money in return for hospitality and mother got upset. She simply never entertained such a response all her life. Father was the most important person in our community in Coimbatore. We are lucky to be his children, “stated M.Natarajan.
M.Duraiswamy recalls some incidents with nostalgia, “The landlord C.R.Venkataramana Iyer wanted to sell the property to us in the year 1955 and a price of Rs.20000 was fixed. Father paid an advance of Rs.12000 and the balance was paid a little later. However, the landlord demanded an interest of 70 paise per month and it was settled at 50 paise finally. Since Iyer was unwell, the Registrar came to his house in order to get the property registered in our favour. Father was hard working, magnanimous and very helpful to one and all. He used to follow all the customs. We wear the sacred thread or poonul every day and we begin by wearing one strand during bachelorhood, two strands after marriage and three strands after begetting a child. The 100-year-old Ayyar & Co was our valued customer for years. Those were the times when the day began by 8.30 AM and just went on. Father was in his sixties when he passed away in the year 1959 and all of us looked after the business thereafter. We continued to supply both ghee and butter to all the leading hotels in Coimbatore. Most of the grocers in this region were our customers. Business was based on word of mouth and trust, then. "
The family of A.Malaiyappa Chettiar runs a couple of ghee outlets in Coimbatore and one of his great-grandsons is known as Malaiyappan. The pioneering merchant had carried on with the business of ghee and butter at a time when they were premium commodities.