The story of Dr Viju Jacob , the man who anchored the extraordinary growth of Synthite Industries Limited
In conversation with Dr Viju Jacob, what always shines through is his faith and humility. The Deputy Managing Director of Synthite Industries Limited, world’s largest producer of value added
spices, Viju attributes his phenomenal success to a perfect mixture of divine grace, his dad’s mentoring and the excellent support of his peers. However, that should not stop one from recognizing the magnitude of what the man has been able to achieve. Hear it from him as he relives the success story with us.
Can you tell us a bit about your formative years?
Most of my schooling was at St. Joseph’s and Rajagiri Schools in Ernakulam. After schooling, I moved to Trivandrum to study Pre- Degree at Mar Evanios College and then moved to Sacred Hearts for Graduation.
As a student, I was more interested in sports, especially basketball, Cricket and Shuttle Badminton, than academics. I think, it was my interest in sports that nurtured the competitive spirit in me.
When did your stint with Synthite Industries start?
From my school days, I used to spend time in the company’s shop floor. After I moved to college, my father wanted me to spend holidays and vacations working in various departments of the company. This helped me to have an overall understanding about Synthite’s activities.
When did you formally join Synthite and what was your first assignment?
I formally joined Synthite in 1983- 84. I was in charge of International Marketing in APAC region.
What role did your father play in your entrepreneurial journey?
My father played a pivotal role in my career. In fact, most of my achievements have come as the result of the way he molded me. In my earlier days, I was oblivious to his plans. But today when I look back, I can see that he couldn’t have made a better choice for me.
I would also like to mention here about my peers without whom Synthite could not have achieved what it has today. The current Managing Director, Mr George Paul, Directors Mr Aju Jacob, Mr Mani Varghese and Mr Ninan Philip, all of them have equally contributed to the success of Synthite. My father has been a guiding force for all of us.
Can you tell us about your contribution into the fragrance division?
I was in charge of the flower extraction unit in Coimbatore from its inception. It was a period of struggle initially. Sourcing flowers in bulk was a huge task. We spent a lot of time to interact with farmers imparting awareness in them about the possibilities of floral farming in a systematic way. Today we are selling floral extracts to almost all perfumery giants.
What was it like working with Synthite Industries in the 80s?
When I joined, Synthite was not as established an enterprise as it is today. We had to put in a lot of hardwork, day and night. We were fortunate enough to chalk out a roadmap for the company’s
future expansion plan after which we moved in a systematic way. Looking back, I see that the roadmap has worked well for us and the company’s turnover started growing steadily.
What made you diversify into real estate?
With the expertise of my brotherin- law Mr George Mathai who is an architect, we decided to introduce the novel concept of luxury flats and service apartments in Kerala. We were the first to offer service apartments in Cochin.
Can you tell us about Synthite’s inception and its current portfolio?
Synthite was founded by my father in 1972. He got the idea of spice extraction from an exhibition that he visited in Japan. The first product of Synthite was Pepper Oleoresin. Since inception, more and more products have been rolling out of Synthite. Today we have a bouquet of product categories like Spice Oils and Oleoresins, Herb Extracts, Floral Extracts, Natural Colours, Natural Anti-oxidants, Ground Spices etc.
Over a period of time, we have established and nurtured our sister concerns like Herbal Isolates, Symega Flavours and Symega Savoury. They are also doing well year on year. Other than the food ingredients segment, we are also into the areas of hospitality, realty and wind energy. Our Farmtech division ensures availability of the IPM raw materials for our needs.
Even though ours is a 43 years old company, in Kerala, people started getting familiar with our name after the launch of Kitchen Treasures, our consumer brand. Our luxury brand Sprig is also doing well in the Indian retail market.
Almost five years back, I took charge of the business of hospitality and today we have Ramada Resorts and Riviera Suites which are running successfully.
Tell us something about your Marigold extraction plant?
Concept of marigold extraction was pioneered in India by Synthite. We started marigold extraction in our Coimbatore factory. Today this business offers indirect employment to over 14000 farmers and 250000 workers.
How important is the role of ‘good timing’ in your business?
The one aspect which has indeed played an overwhelmingly important role in our business is the right timing. It takes a good deal of analysis to be at the right place at the right time. There is a
With a PhD in Business Management from Colombo University, Dr Viju’s international experiences have helped him to be a contributor to the country’s economic growth in advisory roles through organizations like CII, Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industries, European Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Spices Board of India. Viju is also the Executive Director of Karunya University, Coimbatore and the Secretary of the St Peter’s College, Kolenchery.
Viju is an admired philanthropist. His social commitments including the work at CVJ foundation, Light & Life, Care & Share etc, have earned him accolades and appreciations from various quarters. He is indeed a visionary with traditional values accompanied with a modern outlook. Under his leadership, Synthite Industries heralds a modern spice route, and brings Kerala to the limelight of Global Spice Ingredients Market.
Synthite is today the largest supplier of Spices Ingredients around the globe.
high risk in the sector that we are in since it involves natural products. Heavy rains or lack of rains could result in shortage of raw materials. So, in-house calculations play an important role
in running this business successfully. It is almost impossible to time the purchases to perfection even with all the calculations and back-end integration. This is where I consider myself and my team to be blessed as we have been able to manage our timings well enough to record ample product development and good business volume year on year.
What keeps your team at Synthite so motivated?
Compassion towards employees shown by top management has always been part of Synthite ethos. Inside or outside Synthite, all our employees are respected for whatever work they do. Anyone
working in the company can approach the Directors. We motivate our workforce to do well in career and instill in them the desire of intrinsic growth.
What makes Synthite focus so much on social aspects? Is it just a CSR measure or something beyond?
Having grown up in a village environment, I believe the concept of inclusive growth. Even before the government introduced the concept of CSR, Synthite has been proactive in the area with its various social upliftment schemes. My father has a vision that all employees working with Synthite should live in their own house and their children should get good education. The women of
our family take an active role in the activities of our CSR Wing, the CVJ Foundation.
Working in Kerala, have trade unions affected your business in any way?
Synthite employees do not have any trade union as such. We see Synthite as a united family of about 2500 employees and the management. As I said earlier, the management is transparent and easily approachable. This channel of open communication has helped us to build human relationship that goes far beyond the impact of any trade union. We have a multi-cultural workforce. We
understand that our employees are our backbone and they play a major role in the growth of the Company. That is the core philosophy which I too abide by.
Who all have been your role models?
My father is my role model. There is definitely no one else that I looked up to. With time, our relation became friendlier.
What is your mantra for handling big projects with ease?
The very essence of handling any project is to always go in for the minutest of its details. If you are only looking at a project superficially from the surface, you may not succeed. I study in depth of any project that comes on my way and evaluate it from different angles. I also find time to know the opinion of my team before we start anything new. This helps me to take the right decision on any project be it big or small.
Do you agree that Synthite has overinvested in capacities?
Not at all. In fact, without such infrastructural investment, you cannot expand business. We are a manufacturing company and these are investments for our future. Currently Synthite has manufacturing plants in Kolenchery, Coimbatore, Ongole, Harihar, Telgi and Xinjiang (China) and our own offices in Chicago, Colombo, and Sao Paolo.
What is the story behind great packaging ideas for Synthite products?
Synthite stands for quality over everything else. If not for quality, we would not have been in this business for 43 years. As an avid traveler, I have been fortunate enough to come across multiple packaging ideas which we have used for our products. As a futurist company, we have always adopted new systems and designs for packaging to ensure we stay ahead in the game. Good packaging will not only help the product to stay in market for long, it also depends on the product quality and innovation. Synthite has always been the pioneer in innovating and introducing new concepts,
technologies and ideas in our range of business.
Give us a brief about your family.
I am blessed to have a supportive family. My wife Mini has been very understanding and supportive. At times when I have had to travel and stay away, she took care of our children and extended
I am blessed to have a supportive family. My wife Mini has been very understanding
and supportive. At times when I have had to travel and stay away, she took care of our children and extended family. Without her support, I would not have reached where I
am today. God has blessed us with two wonderful daughters who have been my pillar of support.
family. Without her support, I would not have reached where I am today. God has blessed us with two wonderful daughters who have been my pillar of support. My elder daughter Neelam is involved in Synthite and leads its Indian business operations. Neelam is married to Lazar Dominic who is a Chartered Accountant and runs his own accountancy firm. My younger daughter Neethi is a fashion designer and she is soon going to launch her signature collections in the brand name of Ezva. The new-comer in our family, my granddaughter Tasha spreads fresh wave of energy at home.
What do you do in your free time?
I like swimming & reading, and enjoy connecting with people. Other than that when I get free time which comes rarely, I like to go for long drives. I have passion for cars, gadgets and watches. I lead a simple life and prefer to have Kerala food.
What is your vision for Synthite for next five years?
By God’s grace, Synthite has grown to this level. When I take charge as the Managing Director by the year end, my first priority will be to strengthen relationships with all employees and make sure everyone contributes positively in their own way. I do not believe that designations will bring business. It is the hardwork and dedication of the team that can yield results. I want to build a core team that will work towards realizing our vision for 2020. T here is a lot to do to achieve our vision.
During our 2-hour interview shoot, we not once felt that we were seated inside a glass building in the sizzling heat of May, thanks to The Green Corporate building of Synthite which has bagged IGBC’s LEED India NC Gold rating. During the conversation, Viju told us how travel experiences, both his and his peers’, have helped lend an international touch and a unique character to all their properties. be it the Corporate Building, the Ramada Resorts or the Synthite Taste Park.
Today Synthite is a company with Rs 1500 crores plus in annual turnover and looks well on track to achieve its target of doubling the turnover by 2020.
Interview: Mathew Antony Text: FWD Media
Photos: Jinson Abraham
Makeup & Styling : Blessy Mary Chacko
Assistant Photographers: Arun Menon & Aghil Menon
Location: Corporate Office- Synthite Industries Limited