Rakesh Masala: From Two Products in 1975 to an 80-Product Kitchen Brand With Hrithik Roshan as Its Face

Most spice brands start with, well, spices. Rakesh Masala didn't. Its first two products were a herbal mixture and a box of ritual essentials, and only later did the company become a name in Indian kitchens.

A Herbal Mixture and a Puja Kit

Rakesh Masala traces its origins to 1975, when S.P. Chaudhary, whose full name is Suresh Prasad Chaudhary, founded Rakesh Group. By the company's own account, it began with just two products: Rakesh Achwani Batisa, a mixture of 32 herbs also known as batisa, and Pujan Samagri, a complete kit of the ingredients needed for religious rituals. The company is registered in Patna, Bihar, and operates from Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Neither product was a conventional spice. One was a herbal preparation and the other a set of ritual essentials, a very different starting point from the spice brand the company would later become.

The Turn Toward Spices

The company's move into spices came in 1996, when Rakesh Masala Private Limited was formed. According to the firm's own description, it was created on the foresight of its Managing Director, Mr. S.P. Chaudhary, who anticipated demand for high-quality spices, and who set out to provide them on a value-for-money principle. The new company began marketing spices under the brand "Rakesh," from everyday turmeric powder to garam masala.

In 2008, a second company, Rakesh Eatables & General Products Private Limited, was created to extend the offering beyond spices. It started with products such as desi ghee, honey, mauli, the red sacred thread used for religious purposes, and hing, or asafoetida, with plans to follow with staples such as atta, maida, and suji.

An 80-Product Portfolio

Today, the group describes itself as having grown from two products to more than 80, across spices, oils, flours, snacks, and puja essentials. Its product mix includes spices, food colours, roasted gram, besan, sattu, pickles, asafoetida, traditional papad, and snack pellets in different shapes and sizes. It has also launched a premium range of subcontinental spices under a separate brand, La-Indians.

On the manufacturing side, the company says it operates ten advanced manufacturing units with a combined daily output of 125 metric tonnes. It also says it was among the first companies in North India to adopt cryogenic technology for grinding spices, a process it says preserves the aroma, colour, and essential oils of the spices.

Fifty Years, and a Film Star

In November 2025, Rakesh Masala marked its 50th anniversary by announcing actor Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador. The partnership launched with a new television commercial and a multi-channel campaign across television, digital platforms, and retail. Hrithik Roshan described spices as the soul of Indian cooking and said he was proud to represent a brand that celebrates culinary heritage.

The company's leaders framed the move in terms of warmth and trust. CEO Vivek Pathak called it a milestone and said the company wanted to carry its legacy forward and reach more homes across the country. Director Ajhay Kumar said Roshan embodies a rare blend of warmth and credibility that reflects the brand's journey, tying the campaign to the line "Swad jo reh jaye yaad," roughly "a flavour that stays in memory." Director Manjjay Chaudhary said the team added humour to the scripts to show the lighter side of food. The campaign was reported as aiming to strengthen the brand's connection with younger consumers.

The Marketing Strategy: Let Process and Heritage Speak

Rakesh Masala's marketing combines three ideas.

Turn the process into the promise. The company's most distinctive product claim isn't a flavour, it's a method. By highlighting cryogenic grinding, it gives customers a specific reason to believe its spices are pure and fresh, and it links that claim to the properties people care about in a spice: aroma, colour, and oils.

Use the anniversary as a marketing event. Fifty years in business became more than a milestone. The company used it as the reason to appoint a national ambassador, release a new film, and run a multi-channel campaign. It's a way of converting longevity into a story that new audiences can understand.

Pair nostalgia with everyday humour. The campaign blends nostalgia with relatable, everyday storytelling, using humour to bring warmth to what is, for most households, a routine act: cooking. The choice of a mass-appeal actor, combined with the brand's decades-long presence, is meant to connect heritage with a younger audience.

The company has also built range through separate entities and sub-brands, including a sister company for everyday foods and a premium spice range, so that each could speak to a different need without diluting the core Rakesh Masala name.

From a Herbal Mixture to a Household Name

Rakesh Masala's story is that of a brand that didn't start where it is now. It began with a herbal mixture and a ritual kit in 1975, entered spices in 1996, widened into everyday foods in 2008, and reached its 50th year with a celebrity ambassador and a modern manufacturing claim. For students of marketing, it's a useful reminder that a brand's first product isn't always the one that defines it, and that a long history can be a story worth retelling.