Kerala has always been known as the God’s own city. While the state has been famous for its scenic beauty and cultural heritage, there are many popular brands that have emerged from the place.
Today we bring you 5 such brands that have made a huge name and have their roots deep in the state.
Kalyan Jewellers
Kalyan Jewellers was founded by T. S. Kalyanaraman in 1993 with its first jewelry showroom opened in Thrissur, Kerala, India. The showroom was set up with an initial capital of ₹7.5 crores. Kalyan Jewellers is one of the largest jewelry manufacturers and distributors in India.
The brand was established in South India but in 2012, they expanded to other regions by opening a showroom in Ahmedabad. For which the brand even signed up Amitabh Bachchan as their first National Brand Ambassador.
What started a small shop in south India, Kalyan Jewellers has expanded across all major cities in the country and also has a presence in West Asia with over 8000 employees worldwide.
Malayala Manorama
Malayala Manorama Company was founded by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai in Kottayam in south-west Kerala on 14 March 1888.
The first issue was published on 22 March 1890 from M.D Seminary, Kottayam which was a four-page weekly newspaper and was published on Saturdays. The weekly newspaper became a bi-weekly in 1901, a tri-weekly on 2 July 1918 and a daily on 2 July 1928. After Varghese Mappillai’s death in 1904, his nephew K. C. Mammen Mappillai took over as editor.
On Mammen Mappillai’s death, his eldest son K. M. Cheriyan took over as the Editor-in-Chief in 1954. By the late 1950s, Manorama steadily surpassed Mathrubhumi (a dominant Malayalam daily at the time) in terms of circulation.
Today the company is headed by Mammen Mathew and currently has a readership of over 20 million with a circulation base of over 2.4 million copies.
Popy and John’s Umbrella
In 1954, Thayyil Abraham Varghese founded the St George Umbrella Martin Alappuzha. When Abrahan Varghese passed away in 1968 and his sons split up. In 1995, two decades later, his grandsons founded Popy and John’s. Davis Thayyil founded Popy Umbrella Mart.
The following year, both the brands advertised their umbrellas with catchy jingles ads that marked the success of the brands. They soon became a common purchase and item to be found in every household.
Milma
Milma or KCMMF (Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation) was established in April 1980. With its Head Quarters at Thiruvananthapuram, KCMMF successfully implements the Operation Flood. It channelizes marketable surplus milk from rural areas to urban deficit areas.
Keeping pace with the development of milk procurement and sale, Milma has concentrated on infrastructural development with financial assistance from the National Dairy Development Board, Swiss Development Cooperation, and other agencies. As on date, there are 13 milk processing plants with a combined processing capacity of 12.50 lakh liters per day with further expansion envisaged and 8 Milk Chilling Plants scattered across the State.
Milma has been termed as one of the most successfully run cooperatives in Kerala state.
Scoobee Day
During the early 2000s, Anna-Kitex group launched the brand Scoobee Day in the school bag segment. Scoobee Day quickly became popular amongst the kids as the brand resembled to the popular comic character Scooby-Doo.
