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The entrepreneur behind one of Britain’s best-known Indian food brands died after a car crash in the UAE.
Kirit Pathak, the former head of Patak’s, whose range of Indian curry sauces are popular among British shoppers, died on January 23 after a car crash in Dubai, Associated British Foods said.
Pathak - who split his time between the UK, the UAE and India - is remembered as a pioneer of home-style Indian cooking. Patak’s mushroomed from its humble origins in 1957 as a husband-and-wife-run business to become a market leader.
ABF, which acquired the company for a reported £200 million ($273 million) in 2007, paid tribute to Pathak’s passion for business and Indian cuisine.
Later, under the control of Kirit and wife Meena, the family firm dropped the h in their name and grew to supply 90 per cent of Britain s 7,500 Indian restaurants. Their cooking sauces, pastes, chutneys and pickles became a hit in over 40 countries.
The booming brand, worth £200million, was eventually moved to Leigh, Greater Manchester, before it was sold to Associated British Foods (ABF) 14 years ago.
George Weston, chief executive of ABF, said: Kirit was blessed with entrepreneurial flair, astute business acumen and a passion for authentic Indian cuisine. From humble beginnings he and Meena created an incredible business - all built on the concept of making Indian-style meals easy and accessible for time-poor people.
UK tycoon Kirit Pathak dies after crash Reports said he was injured in a collision on January 17 and passed away last Saturday, January 23
Kirit Pathak, whose family firm sold the ubiquitous Patak’s Mango Pickle which made bland English food edible for Indians, has died, aged 68, following a car crash in Dubai.
Reports said the tycoon was injured in a collision on January 17 and passed away last Saturday, January 23.
He is survived by his wife, Meena, with whom he built a flourishing food empire in the UK, and their children, Neeraj, Nayan, and Anjali.
The firm was founded by his parents, Lakshmishankar and Shantagaury Pathak in 1957, starting with a small shop near Euston railway station in London. The firm was called Patak’s, with the “h” dropped.
Tributes as former Patak s boss Kirit Pathak killed in Dubai car crash manchestereveningnews.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from manchestereveningnews.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE former Bolton boss of the Pathak food empire has died at the 68. Kirit Pathak died on Saturday after reports he had been involved in a car crash nearly a week before in Dubai, where he had emigrated to with his wife Meena. The father-of-three was a well-known Bolton businessman taking over the global brand founded by his parents, the late Laximishanker and Shanta Gaury Pathak, who helped make Indian cuisine one of the nation s popular dishes. Mr Pathak lived on Victoria Road, Heaton, where he raised his children, Neeraj, Anjali and Nayan. With his wife Meena and daughter Anjali continued to run the Leigh-based business.