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About us

Kohinoor Foods Ltd. embarked upon its journey in 1989. Since then it has been treating every milestone achieved as a stepping stone to go past another one. Today, in India and in over 60 countries, consumer's lives have been touched by not only some of the finest basmati rice brands, but also a wide assortment of food products that includes Basmati Rice, Ready to Eat products, Cook-in Sauces and Cooking Pastes to Spices, Seasonings and Frozen Food. It’s a feat that Kohinoor Foods Ltd. pulled off by spreading the authentic India flavour abroad. Thereby becoming a well-known food giant with one of the most powerful brand in its stable - Kohinoor.

At present, the company’s offerings are preferred by connoisseurs across the globe - from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK to the Middle East and South East Asian countries. And they adorn the shelves of reputed retail chains like Metro Cash n Carry, Walmart, Reliance, Big Bazaar, Spencer's, Vishal, Shubhiksha, Hypercity, More, Nilgiris in India, TESCO, Somerfield and ASDA in the UK, Costco in Canada, Hankyu, Daimaru & Takashimaya in Japan, Coles & Woolworths in Australia, Krogers, BJs and Whole Foods in the US and Seven Eleven and Mustafa in Singapore.

To be a globally competitive organisation, Kohinoor Foods Ltd. has strategic bases in the US, the UK and the Middle East. The company has two 100% fully owned subsidiaries – SOL Inc., operating from New Jersey, USA that looks after the North American and Canadian markets, and Indo European Food Limited, in the UK with headquarters in London, that looks after the European markets. The joint-venture company Rich Rice Raisers Factory LLC operating from Dubai, UAE takes care of the markets in the Middle East.

Even in India, Kohinoor Foods Ltd. has a wide-spread presence that boasts of an extensive and unmatched distribution network with more than 200 thousand retail outlets, 100 super distributors and 600 stockists.

And all that is supported by a strong Quality Control culture with dedicated and fully equipped QC centres and micro-biological labs, manufacturing and processing facilities that are HACCP and ISO 9001:2000 certified, US-FDA & FSA compliant as well as Kosher certified.

Kohinoor Foods Ltd. has emerged as an enterprise with very strong and dynamic fundamentals. And there’s only one way things are looking – UP!

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visionWe are proud to source our specialties from the acclaimed geographical areas of India, where the best crops are grown. These harvests are exquisitely processed and prepared to bring out the matchless authentic taste, aroma as well as flavour. Then the offerings are packaged in such a way that the rich and authentic Indian flavor stays intact for consumers to relish, across the globe.

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Leadership

Kohinoor Foods, today, is a force to be reckoned with not only in India, but also in over 60 countries across the globe. And that’s been made possible by the sheer determination and resolve of three brothers Jugal Kishore Arora, Satnam Arora and Gurnam Arora. Together, the three of them made the company scale new heights. With their understanding of the market and a deep insight into the consumers’ minds, they left no stone unturned to guarantee success for the company. Under their able guidance and motivation, people behind day-to-day activities, both in India and abroad, got encouraged and formed an indomitable team to make Kohinoor a household name. Their common values, professionalism and concerted efforts propelled Kohinoor Foods to become all that it is today – a modern, global food company

Mr. Jugal Kishore Arora

Chairman, Kohinoor Foods Limited

Mr. Satnam Arora

Jt. Managing Director, Kohinoor Foods Limited

Mr. Gurnam Arora

Jt. Managing Director, Kohinoor Foods Limited

 

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Our peopleIt is said that a company is as good as the people who work for it. Today, if Kohinoor Foods Ltd. is known in India and in over 60 countries as an Indian food giant, a lot of it has to do with the indomitable Kohinoor Team. With its unwavering dedication and resolve, with pride, this team has ensured success for the company at every step of way. The common values, professionalism and concerted efforts of the team members have propelled Kohinoor to greater achievements and newer heights.

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The landmarks of kohinoor

It is a story that has been told and retold many a time. It is a link to the past and a bridge to the future. Through its long journey, Kohinoor Foods Ltd. has gone past numerous milestones becoming a global food giant. And it looks forward with hope and glory to scale greater heights and continue touching the world with that special authentic taste of India.

1976-1978

It all started as a small rice trading business. Three Amritsar based brothers, Mr Jugal Kishore Arora, Mr. Satnam Arora & Mr. Gurnam Arora joined hands to bring the best variety of rice, the Basmati Rice, to the people of India. And to differentiate their basmati rice from other variety of rice available in the market, they gave a name to it – Kohinoor, the name that meant the best, which depicted the best variety of rice available to people.

1981

It was all outsourced until a point when they realized the importance of maintaining consistency in the high quality basmati rice they wanted to bring the people. This was the time when their small rice trading business took a big step and they set up their own rice plant in Amritsar, India. This big step gave them a strong foothold in the industry and gradually people among trade and also the ones who used to consume it, started forming high opinions about Kohinoor Basmati Rice. Gradually the brand started becoming a premium brand of basmati rice available to people in the market.

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1985-1986

Around this time, with the wave of liberalisation, came opportunities of interaction with overseas clientele. As the business grew bigger this small rice trading business started becoming a part of the mainstream of Rice Exports from India.

1989

By around this time, this small rice trading business grew even bigger and it was no more a small business. This was the time when this business got converted into a big enterprise. More people joined hands with the Arora brothers and around the same time this enterprise got its first name - “Satnam Overseas Limited” (As the company grew, this enterprise was later renamed as “Kohinoor Foods Limited”).

In the same year, the company established its second and India’s largest rice processing plant at Murthal, a place at the outskirts of Delhi, India. This gave the company and its product an even better foothold, not only in the Indian market, but also in international market.

1990-1991

As the company grew bigger, the disadvantages of operating in an unorganized industry started cropping up. To protect itself from such environments, the company started firming its back-end.

First among all was resetting the entire distribution network. For the first time in the history of rice industry, the company introduced a concept of “exclusive distribution”. Under this program, all the distributors committed their network solely to the company and promised not to sell any other products available in the market. This move strengthened the company’s distribution network and the company and its product ‘Kohinoor’ started standing even stronger in the market

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Second was to import state of the art plant and machineries. Through revamping the machineries, the company started maintaining a bench mark of quality at the plant level and ultimately at the industry level as well.

The third drastic step the company took was in 1991 when for the first time it introduced Packaged Basmati Rice of 1kg & 5kg to make it possible for consumers to buy the Kohinoor products directly from shops. It happened for the first time in the history of a commodity product in India that a sealed and packaged pack of basmati rice was also available to consumers. Before this, rice was sold only loose in the market, by the kilo, in brown gunny or paper bags. This changed the way consumers used to buy rice in India.

Around the same time the company also started organizing “Awareness, Training & Development” programs for everybody who was associated with the company in a direct or an indirect way. This was another move that changed the way things used to happen in the industry at that time.

1992-1995

Around this time, the company took another drastic step. For the first time in the rice industry, a commodity was not just looked at as a ‘commodity’, but as a ‘brand’. This was the time when the company started advertising its product – Kohinoor. For the first time, a commodity product started communicating with its end consumers directly.

By around the mid of this period, the brand & the enterprise organized itself to a great extent – things were looking better and even though the company was operating in an unorganized industry, it was operating in a very professional way.

1997

This was the time when the brand started looking beyond just one product in its portfolio. The brand realized that consumers had different taste and different likings of basmati rice. Depending on their lifestyle they lived and budget they had in hand, the brand came out with its first

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extension – Kohinoor’s Trophy Gold Basmati Rice. Post this extension, the brand was further extended itself into different kinds of Basmati Rice priced at different levels.

2000

Until this point the company was managing its operation through its base in India, but soon it realized the importance of setting up its bases at different locations on the world map. Today the brand’s position is quite strong in the international markets – all because of its strategic bases at places like USA, UK & Dubai.

2003-2006

As the company grew, its brand ‘Kohinoor’ gained a strong position in the minds of its consumers. By around this time the brand had become a big & trusted household name, not only in India, but also in the International markets.

This was the time when Kohinoor diversified into branded packaged convenience foods and took authentic Indian flavour abroad with Ready-to–Eat Indian curries and authentic Indian Ready-Meal preparations. To achieve this height, the company also established a very modern and sophisticated food processing plant at Bahalgarh, in the outskirts of Delhi, India. Soon it started entering the International markets and renowned International retail chains with its thriving Packaged Convenience Indian Food portfolio.

Around the same period, Kohinoor set the first ever overseas basmati rice processing unit at Felixtowe, UK, which helped in strengthening Kohinoor’s stand in the UK market.

The company also got into Frozen Foods during the same period. It established a state-of-the-art frozen foods facility at Bahalgarh, in the outskirts of Delhi, India and started supplying a range of its Frozen products in the International market.

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2008

This year the brand created a Guinness Record by making “World’s Largest Biryani” in Delhi. It also launched its range of Spices in the Indian market.

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Achievements- Awards and RecognitionKohinoor Foods Ltd. is no stranger to awards and recognition. And with its huge list of accomplishments, it’s really no surprise. Incredible as it may sound - 868,500 finest basmati grains flow out every second from Kohinoor factories. If on one hand, Kohinoor Basmati Rice is the first branded food from India to be served on board Malaysian Airlines, than on the other hand, Kohinoor has an elite list of customers that includes the Royal Palaces of Brunei, Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. That’s not all, Kohinoor Foods Ltd. can be credited with a lot of firsts in the category-

First to introduce one & five kg packs in the rice category – changing the way India buys rice

First to start building brand in a traditionally commoditised market First to advertise rice in the Indian market First to bring automated packaging machines and color Z series Sortex machines to the

country

What’s more, the company has also received many prestigious and coveted awards - the APEDA award for fourteen consecutive years, Certificate from Guinness Book of World Records for making World's Largest Biryani, The National Award for Export Excellence, the Brand Equity award and a host of others. But the recognition that’s closest to the company is the one awarded by millions of satisfied customers across the globe who vouch for the authentic Indian taste it offers.

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Infrastructure

The Basmati Rice Facility The Food Facility

The Basmati Rice Facility

What does it take to produce the most sought-after, world-class basmati rice? The answer is simple – world-class rice processing plants. And that’s something Kohinoor Foods Ltd. knows all about, perhaps better than most. Its rice factory at Murthal, Haryana is one of the largest in the country with an unbelievable milling capacity – 50 metric tonnes per hour. Not only that, the plant is ISO 9001:2000, HACCP and BRC certified along with being EUFSA and USFDA compliant. Fully automated through the entire chain of processing and final packaging, the factory uses the world’s best technologies and equipment for churning out rice grains that can only be described as impeccable.

Also, the manufacturing facility has a strong scientific procurement system. The company has contract farming to ensure consistency of agri produce and control on the entire value chain of basmati. In addition to that, an able, technical team of procurement personnel takes care of what is sourced for produce. The entire chain is documented to the minutest detail ensuring 100% traceability as per international norms. 

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Facts about the Rice Factory: 1. Area of about 36 acres 2. One of the largest storage capacities – 20,000 metric ton of rice; 50,000 metric

ton of paddy 3. Production capacity – 1000 metric ton per day 4. 5 milling lines with milling capacity of 6 metric ton per hour 5. 14 color sorter machines (9 of Buhler’s & 5 of Satake’s) 6. State of art ‘Z’ series sorting machines of Buhler’s 7. Mechanical Dryers with paddy drying capacity of 1000 metric ton per day 8. Silos attached with dryers for safe storage of paddy (8 silos with 300 metric ton

capacity and 3 silos with 500 metric ton capacity) 9. Parboiling capacity of 500 metric ton per day 10. First rice unit to get ISO 9002 11. First rice unit to get approved under “In Process Quality Control System” of EIC

Govt. of India 12. First rice unit to get BRC Food Certification in India 13. First rice unit to introduce Flexible Packaging for rice in India 14. FFS (Form Fill Seal) machines for packing pouches and jars from Tetra pack

Nichrome 15. Nitrogen flushing in packs by in house commissioned N2gas plant 16. Semi-automated packing plant with imported metal detectors and check weigher

systems 17. Most versatile packaging offered, ranging from Jute & Cotton Bags to Laminate

Pouches, Pet Jars, Paper & Tyvek Bags to Non-Woven Fabric Bags

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The Specialized Paddy Procurement Procedure

Kohinoor Foods Limited does the procurement of paddy in a very scientific way, with a lot of research work behind it. The company gives the farmers all the help they need in bringing up their crop with good vigor and health. R&D teams regularly visit the farms and advise the farmers with the status of their crop and remedies of diseases, if any. This is done right from sowing to transplanting and harvesting of the crop.Before the harvesting happens, Kohinoor Foods Limited draws samples from different zones and tests them in the laboratory. They are tested under various parameters of the company. The zones that conform to the quality standard norms of the company are selected for the procurement of the paddy. The paddy is received and stored in controlled atmosphere with tight pest control measures. What’s more, Kohinoor Foods Limited maintains full traceability of the basmati rice packed under Kohinoor’s name. It keeps all the records of paddy received and processed by giving them a special identification code.

The Specialized Facility for Organic Produce

Looking at the stressful life and heightened awareness of health among the consumers, Kohinoor Foods Limited conducts contract farming for growing Organic Basmati Rice. This is done in Dehradun, India – one of the places where Basmati Rice originated. The company procures Organic Basmati Rice by coming in direct contact with the farmers, helping them in production and by using the required technology. The company’s ‘Organic Basmati Program’ is in collaboration with Uttarrakhand Government of India under their ‘Organic Basmati Export Program’. Kohinoor Foods Limited has contracts with 8 big groups of farmers comprising a total of 1128 farmers. What started with a small area of about 110 hectare in 2005 is today extended to around 750 hectare. The total area of farming Organic Basmati Rice is intended to cross a target of 1200 hectares soon.

The Initiative for Fair-Trade

With poor farmers in mind, Kohinoor Foods Limited is soon planning to initiate an endeavour that ensures fair farming practice in the rice market. With the objective of uplifting the social and economic status of the poor farmers in India, this ‘Fair-Trade’ would involve contract farming with the farmers wherein the produce of those farmers would be procured at a very good price.

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The Food facility

To make certain that the authentic Indian taste is savoured by millions worldwide, Kohinoor Foods Ltd. conforms to the highest standards of quality and food safety. Just the reason why its food plant is ISO 9001:2000, HACCP BRC and GMO certified for its adherence to prescribed quality norms. In addition, the factory is also equipped with Kosher and Halal certification.

Along with that comes a world-class infrastructure backed by the best possible technology in thermal processing and freezing. Kohinoor Foods’ technology partners include world leaders like FMC Technologies – US, Toyo Jidoki – Japan, G. Mondini – Italy and Romer – Germany, to name a few.  

Also worthy of a mention here is Kohinoor Foods’ human resource talent. With a relentless pursuit to excel, the culinary chefs, R&D and new product development experts have created a host of innovative products. The company’s range of microwaveable ready meals – Rice & Curry is a case in point. Rice & Curry comes in a double compartment tray with offerings of rice and curry together in a microwaveable format. Not to forget the range of cook-in-sauces - 100% natural Indian curry sauce, that

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another example of endless innovation at Kohinoor Foods Ltd.

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Quality Commitment

Commitment to quality is the essence at Kohinoor Foods Ltd. And this is the reason why the company has access to the world’s most discerning customers. More habit than just procedures, the stringent quality specifications set by the company is what makes it stand apart. No wonder Kohinoor Foods has all the necessary certifications both in basmati rice and foods manufacturing

ISO 9001:2000 Certification HACCP Certification BRC Certification Kosher Certification Halal Certification USFDA Compliant EUFSA Compliant

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Our OfficesThe Indian operationsA wide-spread presence with an extensive distribution network - over 200 thousand retail outlets, 100 super distributors and 600 stockists.

The US Operations S.O.L Inc, the company's fully owned subsidiary based in New Jersey overlooks the needs of the US and Canadian markets.

The UK OperationsIndo European Foods Limited, the company's fully owned subsidiary headquartered in London looks after the European market.

The Middle East OperationsAnother joint venture company, Rich Rice Raisers Factory LLC operates from Dubai and caters to the needs of the markets in the Middle East.