Some success stories begin with big dreams. PC Musthafa’s began with a school dropout, a poor family, and a child who had to work to help his father earn money. Growing up in Chennalode near Kalpetta in Kerala’s Wayanad district, Musthafa came from a family that struggled to make ends meet. His father worked as a labourer on a coffee plantation and had studied only until Class 4. His mother had never attended school. With the family surviving on very little, Musthafa left school after failing Class 6 and started working alongside his father. At that point, education seemed like something his family simply could not afford. But then, one teacher decided that his story should not end there.
The teacher who changed everything
The teacher was searching for children who had dropped out of school when he found Musthafa working. After learning that financial problems, rather than a lack of interest, had forced him to leave school, the teacher spoke to his parents. He convinced them to send Musthafa back to school and even paid for his books. That second chance changed the direction of his life. Musthafa returned to the classroom and began performing well. The child who had once struggled in Class 6 eventually went on to study engineering at NIT Calicut and later completed an MBA from IIM Bangalore. From earning around Rs 10 a day to studying at some of India’s leading institutions, his journey was already remarkable. But his biggest chapter was still ahead.
From a corporate career to a small Bengaluru kitchen
After completing his education, Musthafa worked as a software engineer and took up jobs abroad. A comfortable career could have been the natural next step. Instead, he decided to return to India in 2005. Along with his four cousins Abdul Nazer, Shamsudeen TK, Jafar TK, and Noushad TA, he started a small food business in Bengaluru. The company, iD Fresh Food, began from a tiny 50 sq ft kitchen. Their first product was something simple and familiar: fresh idli and dosa batter. The idea was based on an everyday problem. Many urban families wanted traditional food but did not always have the time to prepare batter from scratch. Musthafa and his cousins believed they could make fresh batter conveniently available.
How Rs 10 became part of a Rs 681 crore journey
The small kitchen gradually grew into a much larger ready-to-cook food company. Today, iD Fresh sells products such as idli-dosa batter, parotas, paneer, curd, chutneys, sambar, ready mixes, and filter coffee. Its products are available across India and in international markets, including the UAE, UK, US, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Ireland, and Singapore. The numbers show how far the business has come. In FY25, iD Fresh Food’s revenue from operations rose 22 per cent to Rs 681.38 crore, compared with Rs 557.85 crore in the previous year. The company reported a net profit of Rs 50.75 crore, including a one-time deferred tax credit of Rs 24.89 crore. Without that credit, the underlying profit was around Rs 26 crore.
The real success behind the numbers
Musthafa’s journey is easy to describe as a story of going from Rs 10 a day to a Rs 681 crore business. But the numbers are only one part of it. The bigger story is about opportunity. A child who was forced to leave school received a second chance because one teacher chose to look beyond his circumstances. Years later, that child used his education, returned home, and built a business with his cousins. What started with a few people and a small kitchen eventually became a major fresh-food brand, while also creating jobs and opportunities for many others. Sometimes, a life-changing journey does not begin with money or privilege. Sometimes, it begins with someone simply saying, “Go back to school. You still have a chance.”
