Patak's Story

Patak’s Story The Patak's business has grown from modest beginnings into one of Britain's most successful authentic brands - a household name, used by professional chefs and home cooks across the world. The brand is distributed in over 40 countries and has established itself as brand leader in many markets overseas. Patak's was founded by the father of the current Chairman and Chief Executive, Kirit Pathak, in the late 1950s. L.G. Pathak arrived in the UK from Kenya with his wife and 6 children, with only £5 and a life insurance policy in his pocket. He experienced great difficulty in finding a job and believed there was an opportunity in selling authentic Indian food to Indians in the UK. So, as a source of income he started to make and sell samosas in his tiny 5ft x 6ft kitchen and eventually raised sufficient money to buy his first shop, No. 134 Drummond Street, London.

LG Pathak decided to extend the range that he and his wife manufactured to include other authentic products, including pickles and chutneys. The quality of the products spread by word of mouth and orders from shops, housewives and students flooded in. L.G. Pathak also started catering for functions at the Indian High Commission.

Following a disastrous distribution arrangement, Kirit Pathak was forced to leave his studies at the age of 17 to help his father as the business had taken a turn for the worse. Since that day he has spearheaded the company's rise to one of the leading authentic brands in the UK Indian food sector. Kirit saw the potential in the Indian food market and had a vision that still holds true today - to manufacture and sell quality authentic Indian food worldwide.

On a buying trip to India in 1976 he met his wife to be, Meena, and 3 months later they were married. Unbeknown to Kirit at the time, Meena had completed a degree in Food Technology and Hotel Management. Only when she first visited the family's factory did Kirit realise his wife's talent and enthusiasm for food and offered her a job. Meena started to experiment with Tandooris and Tikkas, the authentic popular Indian flavours, and in 3 months created a Tandoori paste, which could be manufactured in a jar.

Meena, as Director of Product Development, is the creative force behind the Patak's brand and to this day approves every single Patak's recipe; on average she helps develop and approves over 20 new recipes a year. Each recipe has its own secret spice mix formulation, where these secret formulations are kept a very closely guarded secret and are known only to the Pathak family.

The Patak's success story has been further strengthened by award-winning achievements. Kirit Pathak received an OBE in 1997 and Meena received the same accolade in 2002.

Within a Year Patak’s will manufacture:

• 30 million jars of sauce
• 5 million cans
• 10 million pappadums
• 2 million catering jars
• 20 million jars of pastes and pickles