Daijiworld Media Network -Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, June 13: Well-known bakery for every household, Cochin Bakery observed its 20th anniversary here at Father Muller Convention Hall on Wednesday, June 8.
Speaking on the occasion, renowned comic star Aravind Bolar lauded the taste of products prepared in the Cochin Bakery and said that he was a regular customer of Cochin Bakery.
Mayor Premanand Shetty also commended the products of the bakery.
M P Ramesh, managing director of Cochin Bakery and Lavina Ramesh presided over the programme.
T K Rajan, president, Kerala Samajam, Mangaluru, Vijayakumar C, President Karnataka Nair Service Society, Mangaluru, Anil Kumar Damodaran, president, Sree Narayana Samskarika Vedi and other dignitaries were present.
Shabari Ganiga did a painting on the occasion.
20 fulfilling years of CeeBees
Nothing brings more happiness to people than good food. Cakes, pastries, desserts and bakery items are the most loved of all food products. Since 1939 one brand has established itself as the maker of the best bakery products in South India – Cochin Bakery. A name synonymous with the ultimate in taste, quality and variety! With a network of thirteen branches—five in Calicut, five in Mangalore, two in Ernakulum and one in Kasaragod—Cochin Bakery serves thousands of customers everyday.
Also known as ‘CeeBees’, Cochin Bakery today offers an innumerable variety of products to customers and its signature items like the Ghee Cake, Nankhatai or Snow Balls, Bachelors Buttons and Masala Biscuits are some of its all-time favorite
products.
Having won numerous awards and broken several world records as well as national records, Cochin Bakery enjoys an impeccable reputation for high class expertise and mastery in the baking industry.
A reputation that has been inherited from generation to generation for over one hundred and forty years, the legend began in the year 1880, when a young entrepreneur called Mambally Bapu started his own bakery at Thalassery in Kerala.
Called ‘Mamballys Royal Biscuit Factory’, it was probably the first bakery in south India. He was earlier engaged in shipping milk, tea and bread to British troops in Egypt. Then, in 1883, a few days before Christmas, Murdoch Brown, a British planter and one of Mambally Bapu’s special customers, walked into the bakery with a rich plum cake that he had brought from England.
He told Bapu to taste the cake and asked him if he could bake a cake that was just as good as the one he had brought from England.
Mambally Bapu took up the challenge, and after procuring the best ingredients, finally created the perfect Christmas cake for Brown!
The Englishman was highly impressed and, in his own words, certified it as an "excellent cake." Thus, the Christmas cakes quickly became a favourite with the locals, and Bapu’s
business flourished.
In the years that followed, his descendants went on to establish successful bakery chains in different parts of the state.
One such bakery chain is the Cochin Bakery, which began its own journey in the year 1939, when four brothers, namely, M P Karunakaran, M P Achuthan, M P Kumaran and M P Balakrishnan left their hometown of Thalassery in search of opportunities in the field of baking.
Under Mambally Gopalan's patronage, the four sons of his sister-in-law established their own bakery on Kochi's Cannon Shed Road – and the Cochin Bakery was born!
The Jews, as well as the other foreigners of Cochin, liked the name, as it was easy for them to pronounce.
The aroma of cakes and sweets from Cochin Bakery won the hearts of the young and old alike.
Achuthan was a disciplinarian who adhered to quality, hygienic norms and punctuality in delivering the goods.
His magic hands played a sterling role in moulding the business.
The business grew in leaps and bounds.
The common man as well as the members of the royal family of Cochin and dignitaries of Indian and foreign origin became the loyal clients of Cochin Bakery -Lord Wavell and Lord Mountbatten being some of them.
Thus, a legend came into being.
Achuthan excelled in founding many cakes.
The ‘CeeBees’ special Japanese cake, Butter Beans and Tea Rusks are some of the baker’s products which were later imbibed by other bakeries.
Cochin Bakery began a new innings when M P Ramesh, son of Achuthan, started his first showroom at CSI Building in Calicut in 1986 with the strong support of his friend Madhu.
This new venture marked the 75th birthday of Achuthan.
From then on, there was no looking back for Ramesh, who, with his hard work and dedication and a team of loyal workers, went on to reach greater heights.
In 2006, Cochin Bakery started its showroom in Kochi, its hometown. Cochin Bakery now has a well equipped factory and two outlets in Kochi. With his never ending quest for experiment and innovation in the baking field, Ramesh has invented many new products.
The Ghee Cake, which was founded in 1992, is the most important of them all—the first in the whole of India and probably the world. Mr. Ramesh went on to open four more showrooms in Calicut: one on the Link Road near the Railway Station – Cochin Bake House, one in Vandipetta, Nadakkavu, one in Chevayur, and one in Puthiyara.
Cochin Bakery expanded its reach into the neighbouring state of Karnataka, with the first location in Mangalore at Paradigm Plaza – A B Shetty Circle in 2002.
The second outlet at Kankanady is housed in its own building, CeeBees Tower, which has a mechanised factory and a coffee shop on the first floor.
A third outlet was started at Vijayashree Arcade near Padavu School in Nanthoor. The fourth outlet was opened at Padil, followed by the fifth one at Padavinangady. Cochin Bakery, Mangalore, supplies its products to some of the famous institutions in and around Mangalore—such as the Nitte institutions in Karkala, the K S Hegde institutions, A B Shetty institutions, and the KMC hostels.
Bowing to the constant requests from customers, Cochin Bakery has also started a showroom in Kasargod town. Ramesh is a master at making long cakes, which have been growing longer over the years—all for a noble cause.
He has set several records for crafting the longest cakes.
1. A 25-foot cake with the theme “Peace on Earth” was made at Mananchira
Calicut for the YMCA and the Rotary Club of Calicut.
2. A 104-foot cake at Calicut Indoor Stadium to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Cochin Bakery.
3. A 75-foot cake was created at Mangalore Town Hall for the Pain and Palliative Care Centre of Omega Hospital, Mangalore.
4. A 216-foot cake was made at the Ernakulum Durbar Hall Grounds to commemorate the return of Cochin Bakery to its hometown. This extraordinary feat was recognised as the most intricately decorated cake in the prestigious Limca Book of Records for the first time.
5. A 90-foot cake was made at Mahe to celebrate the 280th anniversary of Mahe Judiciary.
6. A 35-foot cake was designed at Infosys-Mysore.
7. A 52-foot cake was made to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of LIC Calicut.
8. A 101-foot eggless cake was made at Sree Kandeswara Temple for its centennial celebration.
9. A 353.5-foot cake was made at Thalassery for The Bakery Association of Kerala to commemorate the 129 th anniversary of the ‘Excellent Cake’ made by Mampally Bappu. The extraordinary effort secured the second Limca award for the longest eggless cake with the highest number of pictures.
10. A 600-foot cake was made at the Lulu Convention Center, Trissur for the Bakery Association, where Mr. Ramesh broke his own record and secured his third Limca Book Record.
Born on the June 5, 1951, Ramesh is the youngest son of M P Achuthan and his wife, Bharathi Achuthan.
He is married to Lavina, Besides being an outstanding entrepreneur. Ramesh also holds high positions in various prestigious organizations.
He is a Rotarian, a privileged member of Sree Narayana Education Society, a Director in Sree Kandeshwara Temple, a Life Member of the YMCA, and Member of the Indian Red Cross Society, Trustee of the prestigious Deshaboshini Library, Treasurer of All Kerala Bake Association, and the President of Calicut Bake Association.
He was awarded the Gandhi Peace Foundation Award 2017-18 and the Nehru Award 2017-18 for his excellence in baking and food processing.
On 26 November, 2019, Ramesh was conferred with the Star of Asia Award by the Open International University, Sri Lanka for his contribution to the bakery industry in making the Ghee Cake in 1992 for the first time in the world.
All of Cochin Bakery’s products are made from special recipes, which are trade secrets inherited from the ancestors. They are made from the finest quality ingredients.
Among the exclusive attractions are Fig & Honey Cake, Coffee Walnut Cake, Nutty Bonanza, Golden Cake, Butter Icing Cakes with a variety of flavours and much more.
Over the years, Cochin Bakery has pampered the palates of elite customers, including the evergreen stars and actresses of the Malayalam film industry. Today, more than 140 years after Bapu made India’s first Christmas cake, Cochin
Bakery continues the tradition of making great bakery products that are a delight to customers.
With his own in-depth knowledge of the bakery industry and the support of his loyal team of staff members, Ramesh plans to expand the reach of Cochin Bakery to new horizons and foreign lands.
And thereby create his own legacy which is worthy of the memory of the founders. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cochin Bakery in Mangaluru, we thank all our valuable customers, business associates, and our entire team of loyal and dedicated workers, who have supported us in our journey of success.