The 24th Maharaja of Mysore, the legendary Nalwadi (or the 4th) Krishnaraja Wadiyar (1884-1940) compared to Ashoka, considered to be the father of modern Mysore, a philosopher king, who brought about enormous changes in education, governance, healthcare, infrastructure was also the patron of the famed and legendary Mysore Pak.
He instructed his royal chef Kakasura Madappa to make a new sweet and the chef obliged, albeit assisted by serendipity. So impressed by the sweet, made from gram flour, ghee and sugar, that the Maharaja named it Mysore Pak and asked that it be sold to the public. This was in 1935. Mysore Pak is of course now ubiquitous across stores. And was in a safe warm happy unchanging place in the world of sweets from India.
Enter entrepreneurs. Sushma V Prasad, Soumya Pavan, and Shruthi Pavan along with their respective husbands Nikhil Mannar, Pavan Bargi, and Pavan Shroff. tInspired by the Maharaja’s desire that the sweet be made available to the public, they want to reimagine the sweet and make it available in new formats, new recipes and formulations, branding, social media and online channels, using a live kitchen, providing kitchen tours and transparency, fresh ingredients, sampling counters, packaging, heaters to retain the warmth of the sweet and so on. Thus World of Mysore Pak was born on 15th December 2024.
Sushma, Soumya and Shruthi, coming from family business backgrounds ranging from plywood manufacturing to food to poultry, met at a Round Table India event in Mysore, hit it off and considered multiple possibilities for starting out as entrepreneurs. From baking to boutiques. The Mannars – Nikhil and Sushma – were already running Pataka, a chain of chaat and sweet shops in Mysore. One day Nikhil produced a Mysore Pak based on his recipe that met with more than approval from friends and family. They knew they were on to something.
Starting out, the goal was to have a few outlets and perhaps even a mobile stand. The idea of a big flagship store wasn’t in the plan! After brainstorming and researching for over a year, including trying to find the right location, they finally got the venue they wanted and opened their 8000 sft flagship store on the well trafficked Chamundi Betta (Hill) road. In addition, realising the importance of the brand in a market that was undifferentiated, they focused on creating unique products – multiple flavours including millet, jaggery, figs, mango, carrot, focusing on the branding and marketing – from the logo to the green white and gold colours to the box designed as a collectible – to position the product as a premium, high quality, “royal” experience. The response to their launch of World of Mysore Pak has been far more than they anticipated and they have just launched the first franchise store. Well before their first anniversary, they are facing the “good problems” of growth, namely ramping up of kitchen operations, staff and training and putting systems in place: a testament to how well the brand and product have appealed to customers!
With all 6 lending their shoulders to the wheel from food and operations, marketing and finances, expansion and systems, they are well on their way to taking Mysore Pak to the World.
Their advice to others: spend time understanding the market and customers.
If Ooty is known for chocolates and Chikmagaluru for coffee, shouldn’t the world know about Mysore Pak?
