‘My father earned 10 rupees a day,’ recalls CEO behind Rs 2,000 crore Bengaluru-headquartered empire

Musthafa PC is the founder and CEO of iD Fresh Food (Image credit: The Neon Show/YouTube)

As founder and CEO of iD Fresh Food, Musthafa PC today sits at the head of a Rs 2,000 crore empire. His rags to riches journey stands as inspiration to millions – for Musthafa’s family was one of the poorest in their remote Kerala village. In a recent episode of The Neon Show podcast, the entrepreneur opened up about his tough childhood and how he started working at a young age to support his father.

Musthafa PC told show host Siddhartha that his father was a daily wage earner who worked at a ginger farm to support his family. His income was small and irregular – “my father earned 10 rupees a day,” the CEO of iD Fresh Food recalled.

Even as young kids, Musthafa and his siblings did odd jobs to support their father and supplement the meagre family income. The Kerala native would collect firewood to sell in the village, and, at the age of 10, started helping his father as a farm hand.

The Bengaluru-based CEO of iD told the podcast host that he saved religiously saved the money he earned working at the ginger farm with his father. When he had enough, he bought a goat. “I think it was some 150 rupees or so,” he remembered. “With that money I saved, I bought a goat. And that was the first asset in the family.”

Not content with just one goat, Musthafa displayed remarkable brilliance at an early age and multiplied the asset into three-four goats. He then sold the goats and bought a cow – which improved their lives significantly.

With a cow, the family was assured of a regular income for the first time. “We were able to eat three meals a day,” he explained. “Because the milk from the cow was regulating for the family.”