Vishal S S (cbedit@imaws.org)
Ernakulam-based Mezhukkattil Mills has received India’s first BIS certification in the cooking oil segment for its coconut oil as per the Indian Standard Number 542:2018. IS 542: 2018 identifies the level of purity of coconut oil with specifications for critical chemical requirements and provides strict measures to prevent adulteration and pesticide residues in the oil. In a recent interview with Chef Bharath, Mezhukkattil Mills Directors Mr. Ubais Ali and Mr. Al-Zamil M.K shared about the brand’s life journey and their recent BIS certification for the brand.
Mezhukkattil Mills is a name long associated with premium-grade coconut commodities. With a 45 year-long legacy in leading the coconut extraction industry, the company has an impressive corporate client list and several premium brands. The brand has expanded tremendously as a brand since our establishment. Mezhukkattil Mills is the proud supplier of these vital ingredients to various multinational brands. To keep pace with the ever-growing demand, Mezhukkattil Mills adapts to state-of-art technology that enhances productivity, packaging, and filling capabilities. They aim to enhance the growth competing only with the mother tree.
Mezhukkattil Mills’ brand philosophy of sensitivity for the environment and commitment towards healthcare stays intact. The company has avant-garde infrastructural facilities to cater to the growing demand for coconut products. Mezhukkattil Mills was founded on a desire for delicious cuisine and a vision of inventing food basics to make cooking simple and fun for everyone. They make certain that our complete product line is all-natural, free of additives and preservatives. The team is technically sound with deep knowledge in coconut processing and is ethically correct, believing in transparency and fairness ubiquitous in all our interactions.
BIS Certification
Getting onboard into the BIS segment for the brand was not a very huge challenge as they kept a number of criteria for the test. Around ten to twenty samples of the products from the market and firm were collected by the authorized people for the test. All the ten sample products were tested and got clearance without any objection. “When it comes to the market there is scarcity for getting edible oil. A lot of inquiries were received from other states and globally after receiving the BIS tag for our brand”. Said Mr. Ubais Ali, Director, Mezhukkattil Mills, Kochi
Demand
The main sales for MM(Mezhukkattil Mills) were on the ‘Copra’ sales initially, the brand was selling bulk quantities for TATA oil mills, Ashwini, and Wipro. The sales were more on the HoReCa segments locally which were mainly on B2B. The Production capacity for the HoReCa segment was massive and it was around 30 tonnes per day. The utilization was only 60 percent but the capacity was considered to be very high.
“According to the market analysis in Kerala, consumers always welcome oil content products. Usually, a family uses 2 Ltr of oil in a month, based on this calculation a state like Kerala needs around 20 Thousand tonnes of oil per month. People have started evaluating the quality of the products in the market. The brand ensured that they develop their facility by getting the FSSC 22000 certification”. added Mr. Ubais Ali
Technical Adaptation
The brand when initially started was using the ‘Chakkil Aattiya Velichenna’. ‘Expeller machine’ during the olden time was not technically proven or adaptable. MM started experimenting on these areas by adopting those techniques for taking the brand to the next level without ever compromising on its quality. Although some drawbacks were coming up because of this adaptation. But the team was able to overcome these drawbacks by changing and modifying certain existing machinery internally. That is how the brand is entering the market more widely. Around 64 percent of the oil was able to extract from good copra mechanically. Mezhukkattil Mills always stands unique from other brands because of the trust factor that the consumers have kept in them.
USP
Although the brand has different categories of products and oils, trust is the main USP that the brand believes in their growth. It is not about the product or the brand that is available cheap in the market. Customers are buying the product not because they are economical, it is because they trust the brand and its ethical process of making. That is the reason why the brand is surviving in the market for the past 45 years. The brand is selling the products to Rajasthan and is available locally and everywhere. “It is always the same product that we are selling everywhere without any changes in any of the parameters and we always build social responsibility because of trust which is being followed from the beginning”. Said Mr. Al-Zamil M.K, Director, Mezhukkattil Mills, Kochi.
Market
Mezhukkattil Mills exports their products with around 80 percent internationally. These exports are mainly done to almost all the GCC(Gulf Cooperation Council) countries like Europe, Australia, Ireland, China (super coconut oil). The latest patented product from MM is coconut paste which can be directly added to any dish if required. The marketing for this particular product is mainly focused presently by the team.
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