Industry Food, Spices Revenue ₹924 crore (2016) Founder Mahashay Chuni Lal Headquarters New Delhi | Key people Mahashay Dharam Pal Net income ₹213 crore (2016) Founded 1919, Sialkot, Pakistan | |
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Type Deemed Public Limited Company Products Chana Masala, Kitchen King, Chunky Chaat Masala, Meat Masala | ||
Vyakti Vishesh: From a tangawala to billionaire: MDH man Mahashay Dharam Pal
Mahashian Di Hatti, better known as MDH is a global spice producer and seller based in India. It is the second largest leader in Indian market with 12% market share.
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History
The company was founded in 1919 by Mahashay Chuni Lal as a small shop in Sialkot. It has since grown in size and has become one of the leading spice suppliers in India. It is associated with Mahashay Chuni Lal Charitable Trust.
Mahashay Chuni Lal started a spice shop in Bazar Pansarian, Sialkot (now in Pakistan) on March 8, 1919. In a few years, the spices became very famous and they came to be known as "Deggi Mirch Wale" (the Pot Chilli People, Deggi Mirch is bright red chillies which are medium hot), after the name of one of their famous spice mixtures.
In his youth Mahashay Dharam Pal Gulati, the son of the founder, was unsuccessful in every thing he did, fifth grade of school, carpenter, soap making etc. After the partition of India, he moved to Delhi with Rs. 1500 . When he arrived in Delhi, he initially supported himself by running a Tanga (carriage) from Connaught Place to Karol Bagh. Since he was not doing well with the tanga, he later opended a shop in a shack and started selling spices like his father. He later opened up his shop at Ajmal Khan Road, Karol Bagh and expanded from there. In 1959 he bought a plot in Kirti Nagar to set up his own spice factory.
The fifth grade dropout 94 year old Dharam Pal was the highest paid FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) CEO in India in 2017.
Current status
MDH sell more than 60 products into more than 100 countries across the world. The top 3 products are Deggi Mirch, Chaat Masala, and Chana Masala. It sources its spices Kerala, Karnataka, and other parts of India, and also from other countries like Iran and Afghanistan.
Charity work
MDH under the leadership of Mahashay Dharmpal has developed more than 20 schools including MDH International School, Mahashay Chunnilal Saraswati Shishu Mandir (named after his father), Mata Leela Wati Kanya Vidhayala (named after his late wife), and Mahashay Dharmpal Vidhya Mandir etc.
He started a small 10 beds eye hospital at Arya Samaj, Subhash Nagar, in November 1975. Later in January 1984, a 20 beds hospital was established in JanakPuri, New Delhi to commemorate his mother Mata Chanan Devi. Now it has 300 beds in about 5 acres land, the hospital is equipped with MRI, CT Scan, Heart Wing, Neuro Sciences, IVF etc.