How Suhana Masale Rose From a Debt-Ridden Couple's Kitchen to India's Rs 900 Crore Spice Empire Through Three Generations

In the 1960s, in Pune, Maharashtra, Shri Hukmichand Chordia stood at rock bottom. At age 13, he had been forced to leave school and support his seven younger siblings after his father could no longer provide for the family. His early business ventures had failed spectacularly. By the time he married Kamalbai, he was debt-ridden with no clear path forward.

When bad fortune hits hard, one usually looks toward one's strongest skill. For Kamalbai, that skill was cooking—specifically, her extraordinary mastery of grinding and blending spices using recipes passed down through generations.

Every morning, she would grind small batches of fresh masalas using raw materials Hukmichand purchased from the local market. He would then sell these homemade spices door-to-door and at small shops around Pune. The quality was exceptional—customers could taste the difference between Kamalbai's fresh, expertly blended masalas and the stale, adulterated spices sold elsewhere.

Word spread. Orders increased. What began as a survival mechanism became a thriving business.

In 1962, the couple formalized their venture as Pravin Masalewale—named after their son. That single masala product sold from a home-based setup would grow into Suhana Masale, a brand generating Rs 900 crore revenue, reaching nine Indian states and 25 international markets, employing over 1,000 people, and serving through 463 distributors and 100,000 retailers.

This is the story of how a 13-year-old school dropout and his wife turned kitchen masalas into a three-generation spice empire—and how a third-generation MBA-holder rescued the business from obscurity by rebranding it completely.

1960s: The Kitchen Origins

Hukmichand Chordia never attended high school. At 13, supporting seven younger siblings became his responsibility—a burden that left no room for education. His early business attempts failed, leaving him in debt.

But when he married Kamalbai, her culinary expertise provided an unexpected lifeline. In the 1960s, she began making small quantities of masalas daily—grinding, blending, and packaging them herself. Hukmichand sold them, using only fresh raw materials from the market.

Customers loved the recipes and quality. The couple's commitment to freshness and authenticity differentiated them in a market flooded with adulterated, poor-quality spices.

By 1962, the business was formalized as Pravin Masalewale. The name honored their son Pravin, embedding family identity into the brand from inception.

The couple revolutionized spice manufacturing in Western India. What started as survival became a mission: providing families with pure, high-quality masalas at fair prices.

1970s: The Second Generation Takes Over

In the 1970s, Hukmichand's sons and nephews—the second generation—took over operations. They expanded manufacturing capacity, introduced pickles and other mixes, and grew the business steadily.

In 1978, Shri Rajkumar Chordia—Hukmichand's son—became Chairman of Pravin Masalewale. He held a B.Com degree from Pune University and an MBA from Indian Council Management Institute, Pune.

Under Rajkumar's leadership, the company expanded its product line, built manufacturing facilities, and developed export markets. The business grew from rural Maharashtra into Gujarat and other regions.

However, the second generation focused primarily on processing and engineering—the operational side of manufacturing. Marketing, branding, and strategic expansion remained secondary concerns.

The business model was traditional: produce quality products, sell through local distributors, rely on word-of-mouth reputation. This approach worked in the pre-liberalization era when competition was limited and customers prioritized quality over branding.

1991: Liberalization Changes Everything

India's economic liberalization in 1991 transformed the business landscape. Foreign money flowed in. International brands entered. Consumer expectations evolved. Sales, marketing, and branding emerged as critical growth drivers.

Pravin Masalewale, still operating traditionally, faced new challenges. Modern consumers wanted packaged, branded products with consistent quality and national availability. The common brand name for masalas and pickles—a strategy that worked for decades—was now alienating customers who wanted specialized brands for different categories.

The second generation, focused on manufacturing excellence, struggled to adapt to this new reality.

1990s: The Third Generation's Dilemma

Vishal Rajkumar Chordia—Rajkumar's son—graduated with an MBA from the prestigious Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune. He was a state tennis champion with entrepreneurial ambitions and modern business perspectives.

When Vishal joined the family business in the late 1990s, he immediately recognized fundamental problems: outdated branding, limited product innovation, no systematic marketing, and management by his father and two uncles that didn't align with his vision for growth.

Vishal didn't want to be the "fourth dimension" in a traditionally-run operation. The business model that worked for his grandfather and father wouldn't scale in liberalized India.

So he made a bold decision: branch out.

1999: The Rs 15 Crore Buyout

In 1999, Vishal bought the masala business from his uncles while they retained fruit processing and pickle manufacturing units of Pravin Masalewale.

The price: Rs 15 crore.

It was a near-entrepreneurial journey—buying a family business unit and transforming it independently.

At the time, the masala business generated Rs 18 crore annually. It operated from three manufacturing units. Distribution was limited to rural Maharashtra.

The day after Vishal took over, disaster struck: all department heads—trusted aides of his uncles—resigned. Fifteen resignations in one day.

"But I started afresh," Vishal recalls. "The cost heads went out and it was a blessing in disguise."

2000-2001: The Ground-Up Rebuild

Vishal spent the next 7-8 months touring every district of Maharashtra, interacting with sellers and distributors, understanding "real market issues."

He discovered critical problems: the common brand name for masalas and pickles confused customers. Retailers didn't understand the positioning. The traditional approach was failing.

"We had to change the brand name and that was a struggle," Vishal explained. "Mid-2000s, we started working on it and it turned out to be a logistics nightmare. We took a year to finish the rebranding."

In 2001, the company relaunched under a new name: Suhana.

The name evoked pleasure, beauty, and delight—perfect for a product meant to enhance culinary experiences. It was simple, memorable, and distinctly positioned away from traditional masala brands.

2001-2002: The Tulsibaug Strategy

Despite rebranding, many sellers refused to stock Suhana. Pune shops that sold Ambari masalas (the traditional Pravin Masalewale line) weren't keen on the new Suhana-branded spices.

Vishal needed an unconventional breakthrough. He identified Tulsibaug—an area in central Pune known for large flea bazaars where buyers and sellers from across the city assembled.

"We knew that if we could make a dent there, we could reach anywhere," Vishal said.

The strategy worked. Tulsibaug's diverse, price-conscious customer base validated Suhana's quality-value proposition. Success there led to broader retail acceptance.

2001-2018: The Transformation

Over the next 17 years, Vishal systematically transformed Suhana:

Product Portfolio: Expanded from one masala to 150+ products—ready-to-cook mixes, instant eats in 'cuppas', snack items, seasonal products

Sub-brands: Created Ambari (traditional masalas from Pravin Masalewale) and Sarvam (value-for-money masalas) to serve different customer segments

Manufacturing: Grew from three to nine manufacturing facilities

Distribution: Expanded from rural Maharashtra to nine Indian states and 25 international markets

International Recognition: Won multiple Superior Taste Awards from International Taste Institute for products like Cuppa Poha, Cuppa Dal Khichadi, Chicken Tikka Masala Mix, Butter Chicken Mix, and Pravin Sweet Mango Chutney

Quality Certifications: Achieved ISO 9001 international accreditation

Retail Presence: Opened exclusive Suhana outlets in Delhi's Khari Baoli (Asia's largest spice market) and Akkalkot, Maharashtra

By 2018, the Rs 18 crore business Vishal bought in 1999 had grown to Rs 600 crore—a 33x increase in 19 years.

The Current Scale

As of 2025, Suhana Masale (Pravin Masalewale):

• Revenue: Rs 900 crore

• Employees: 1,000+

• Distributors: 463

• Retail Outlets: 100,000

• Products: 150+ across multiple categories

• Markets: Nine Indian states, 25+ international markets

• Manufacturing: Nine facilities

• Heritage: 60+ years (founded 1962)

• Tagline: "Tastemakers of India Since 1962"

The Product Range

Suhana offers:

• Ready-to-eat meals

• Ready-to-cook spice mixes

• Blended spices

• Instant mixes

• Cuppa instant meals

• Seasonal products

• Snacks

Sub-brands serve different markets:

• Suhana: Premium, innovative products

• Ambari: Traditional masalas honoring Pravin Masalewale heritage

• Sarvam: Value-for-money masalas

The Leadership

The business is run by three Chordia generations:

First Generation (Founders):

• Late Shri Hukmichand Chordia

• Late Smt. Kamalbai Chordia

Second Generation:

• Shri Rajkumar Chordia (Chairman since 1978; B.Com Pune University, MBA Indian Council Management Institute Pune)

Third Generation:

• Vishal Rajkumar Chordia (Director – Strategy & Marketing; MBA Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune; former state tennis champion)

The Legacy

From Kamalbai grinding masalas in her kitchen to Rs 900 crore revenue—from a debt-ridden couple's survival mechanism to 100,000 retail outlets—Suhana Masale's 63-year journey teaches timeless truths.

First, skills become businesses when necessity demands. Kamalbai's cooking expertise remained dormant until debt forced innovation.

Second, quality compounds trust over generations. The commitment to fresh, authentic masalas that Kamalbai and Hukmichand established in the 1960s remains Suhana's foundation today.

Third, each generation must adapt or perish. Hukmichand's survival approach worked for the 1960s. Rajkumar's manufacturing focus worked for the 1970s-1990s. Vishal's branding and marketing transformation was essential for post-liberalization India.

Fourth, family business transitions require courage. Vishal buying out uncles for Rs 15 crore and facing mass resignations the next day could have destroyed everything. Instead, it liberated the business to transform.

Finally, rebranding isn't betrayal—it's evolution. Creating "Suhana" while honoring "Pravin Masalewale" through the Ambari sub-brand respected heritage while enabling growth.

When Indian families reach for Suhana masalas today—whether making Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken, Dal Khichadi, or Poha—they're using recipes and quality standards established by a couple who ground spices by hand because they had no other choice.

That couple never imagined their kitchen masalas would reach 25 countries, win international taste awards, or generate Rs 900 crore revenue.

They just knew how to make exceptional spices. And sometimes, that's enough—if three generations stay committed to quality, adapt to changing markets, and remember that every great business begins with one person solving one problem exceptionally well.

In Suhana's case, that problem was: How do you feed your family when you're debt-ridden with no education and seven siblings to support?

The answer: One fresh, perfectly blended masala at a time.