With just 11 employees, Noon won an order from Unilever's Birds Eye and was on his way. Despite setbacks that included a fruitless four years in New York trying to sell chilled and frozen Indian food, a devastating factory fire, and a disappointing foray into restaurants, Noon says that over the past decade his sales have doubled every two years.
He enjoys the trappings that come with running an empire. He was a recent president of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the first nonwhite holder of the post in its 152-year history. And in 2002, the Queen made him a knight. Noon appears to be a benign emperor--he has given $6 million to medical research and educational projects through the Noon Foundation. He is also a trustee of the Maimonides Foundation, an organization that promotes Jewish-Muslim cooperation.
Shrabani Basu, author of Curry: The Story of the Nation's Favorite Dish (Sutton Publishing, 2003), says Noon's critics fret that his success is now hurting those 8,000 Indian restaurants. For his part, Noon shrugs off the concerns. "The restaurants were the pioneers, creating a taste for India. But I have broadened the base," he declares. "Now every Englishman wants to eat curry." Like all emperors, he can afford to be gracious in victory. nFC
1. Keep it real. Noon won't use additives, colorings, or flavorings in his food. A team travels frequently to India to source quality spices, and he has established a company in India to buy, hand-clean, and grind spices.
2. Talent matters. Noon has attracted some of the world's top Indian chefs. In his development kitchen, six such chefs are charged with ensuring the quality and authenticity of dishes, as well as with developing new products.
3. Stay close. Noon's workers regularly play cricket with suppliers and travel with customers. Two years ago, Noon and supermarket chain Sainsbury's sent a joint team to India to taste local foods. Result: a more exotic line of regional dishes.
4. Cater to precise tastes. Thorough research means Noon knows that the average Sainsbury's customer likes cardamom seeds ground finely, but the Waitrose customer doesn't. Noon makes made-to-measure dishes for the masses.
5. Keep it clean. Noon's decontamination processes put hospitals to shame. His is the only factory in the world covered in Microban--an antibacterial coating. And the factory air is scrubbed of smells before it's sent back onto the streets.
Ian Wylie (london@fastcompany.com) writes for Fast Company from London.
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Recent Comments | 1 Total
October 5, 2009 at 2:35am by Keith Russel
This man has done a lot to make the Indian curry an international flavor but again it takes an Indian to leave his native country and create a large business outside his own country. Apart from Curry the other super Indian food export to the world is chicken the way its prepared in India its not something you'll find it anywhere else in the world. If you love Indian food then do try it at your nearest Indian restaurant.
Keith,
Indian Delivery