Prashant, Nishant, and Vivek are the three sons of Mahaveer Jain, the founder of Apex Flour Mills on Mettupalayam road in Coimbatore who are all that passionate about what they do best-flour milling.
Coimbatore, January 5
Prashant, Nishant, and Vivek are the three sons of Mahaveer Jain, the founder of Apex Flour Mills on Mettupalayam road in Coimbatore who are all that passionate about what they do best-flour milling.
Prashant shared his business wisdom of doing business with a help of core management team consisting of both family members supplemented by hardcore professionals in a chat with SimpliCity.
Prashant came across as a dedicated businessman when he discussed his priorities and about his trade practices " Our business, was founded by our father and Chairman Mahaveer Jain, and we are trying to focus on both quality as we believe that it is the bedrock of any business enterprise” said Prashant, whose family members have business enterprises such as Nandi and Viveka at Mysore and Bengaluru.
“Basically we make Atta which is used to make roti and Maida which are widely used in the bakery segment. Another product is Sooji ( Rava), which happens to be the ingredient used for making Rava idli, Rava dosa and bran which is used as cattle feed.
“The Atta is used for making tandoori roti, fried poori, and other eatables. The whole wheat that we use has to be good, and we use a fine blend in order to get the best product out on the market. All our products are supposed to give the best results and we do a careful analysis before we source or use the raw materials.” Prashant said with purpose and pride
“The attention given in a family- run flour mill is different. We give our best and it helps in the whole process. First of all, we use all our products at home and also get a feedback from our near and dear ones before introducing it to the market “said Prashant about his business ethics.
The Apex group of companies are better known for their “Chavee”, a popular brand of flour at Coimbatore and it’s quite popular with all the commercial establishments in this region. Double Nandi, Orange, and Ice are also their bulk products.
“However the recent introduction called “Vivatta " is more premium in terms of quality according to the family.” We use the best of the best, Sharbati wheat which grows in some parts of Madhya Pradesh in our production lines and therefore the quality is quite good. Basically, we saw an opportunity in the premium space and thus was born” Vivatta “which comes in smaller packs.” Said Prashant about the new product.
"My father and our Chairman always believed in quality without compromise and perfection before profit. He is the person who continues to guide us. The commitment espoused by him continues to inspire us. While profits are important, so is charity", added an ebullient Prashant.
“All our mills have quality check mechanisms and only if the trial blend is acceptable do we roll out the product for the market. We give the flour that should give the best quality end product and are ready to sacrifice or reduce our margins in order to ensure the same. Brand equity has to be nurtured and maintained at any cost” he said.
“Ash content, gluten, and moisture are monitored all the time for we have labs in all the three units. In fact, Viveka has two labs and the city center lab does the research & development for the entire group. We cross check regularly by comparing and monitoring the quality from all the mills” beamed Prashant who has served as the President of the Karnataka Flour Mill Association.
While Prashant takes care of production, Nishant takes care of quality and the youngest Vivek works along with his older brothers. Nishant travels often to do a crop study along with his executives. Vivek does a lot to promote the new baby “Vivatta".
The family senior and father Mahaveer Jain had motivated Prashant to undergo flour mill related education at the CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) at Mysore and a short-term course at the Swiss Milling School. Mahaveer Jain himself had been the President of the Tamilnadu Flour Mill Association.
Each of units has a General Manager who is senior most in terms of knowledge had been in the Gulf for some time. The group uses machinery made by Buhler of Switzerland.
A number of items made out of the products made with “Chavee “were being checked out at the time of the interview.
“We make a number of food items both at the factory and home in order to ensure that all is well. Every day we eat the parathas and bread made in our labs and this helps us to maintain both quality and consistency. Back home, Sunita makes a lot of stuff that’s really interesting”.
“In fact, we make videos of the cooking process and the fluffiness of some items or other visible traits which are required for the best is compared again and again with the help of the same. I am of the opinion that be it professionally managed or family run it is the attention and care that gives the results in any business enterprise” Prashant said.
“A family is definitely capable of providing the best attention to its business for it puts in all its resources, time and concern for the business. This one endearing trait helps the business to succeed. Several successful companies, products, brands, and services were created and made successful by the" family" from time immemorial” Prashant added.
“Is not the model family a dream at all times? Dreams succeed thanks to persistence backed by tangible goal setting. We have to update ourselves continuously while giving space for ideas and innovation at all times” opined a positive and professionally- driven Prashant.
The Apex family has been part of the world of commerce at Coimbatore for quite sometime and the founder Mahaveer Jain and his three sons continue to play an active role in a number of social service organisations and believe that not a day should pass without sharing their well being with the ones in need. Here is a family which believes in all the three types of responsibilities - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Family Social Responsibility (FSR) and Individual Social Responsibility (ISR).