Musthafa P C: The founder of iD Fresh Food has a rags-to-riches story

At the age of 10, he would set up makeshift shops and sell sweets on weekends and during summer holidays to assist his family

A few years ago, Bengaluru-based Musthafa P C received what could have been the gateway for a substantial payday. A reputed five-star hotel chain had approached him to supply them with thousands of packets of “diamond cuts”, a snack almost as popular in Indian homes as the ubiquitous samosa.

This was around the time that iD Fresh Food, Musthafa’s enterprise, had just started selling fresh, ready-to-use idli and dosa batter in Bengaluru. Musthafa, now 45, had recently quit his job with FICO, a data analytics enterprise, and was struggling to make ends meet.

Musthafa then approached the hotel’s chef to