He failed Class 6, dropped out of school and worked on his father’s farm, today heading a food manufacturing company said to be worth over 4,000 crore.
A failed test often feels like the end of the road. Many students begin to believe that one report describes their entire life. But the journey of entrepreneur PC Musthafa tells a very different story—one where failure was the starting point and not the finish line.Born in a remote village in Kerala’s Wayanad district, Musthafa failed class 6 and dropped out of school to work alongside his father, a daily wage laborer who earns enough to feed the family. Today, he is the CEO of iD Fresh Food, a company said to be worth more than Rs 4,000 crore, whose products reach many households in India and several international markets every day.
The teacher who refused to let the failure of Class 6 go away
Musthafa’s childhood was marked by poverty. His family lived in a small house in the village of Chennalode, where even two meals a day were not guaranteed. His father earned Rs 10 a day working on a ginger farm, and young Musthafa often took him to the fields instead of thinking about school.After failing Class 6, he stopped attending classes altogether.One day, his math teacher saw an empty bench in the classroom and decided to find him. He walked to the farm where Musthafa worked and asked a question that would change his life forever.“Do you want to spend your life working hard like your father, or do you want education to change your future?”The conversation remained with him.Musthafa returned to school with renewed enthusiasm. A boy who failed one year passed Class 7, excelled in class 10, got a free seat and free food in college, got Rank 63 in Kerala engineering entrance exam, completed Computer Science Engineering from NIT Calicut and later studied management at IIM Bangalore.
From paying six people to delivering idli batter on a scooter
After graduating, Musthafa worked with multinational companies in the Middle East and the United States, earning a salary his family had never imagined.However, he wanted to build something.In 2005, he returned to Bengaluru and, along with his cousins, invested their money to start a small food business from a small 50-square-foot kitchen.The idea was surprisingly simple.Musthafa realized that the idli and dosa batter available in the market often contained preservatives and was not always prepared hygienically. He decided to make a new batter without adding chemicals or preservatives and sell it in simple plastic packages.In the early days, there were no delivery vans or high-end chains. Musthafa himself carries packets of fresh batter on his scooter every morning and delivers them to local shops before sunrise.
From a small kitchen to a Rs 4,000-crore food brand
The small kitchen has grown into one of India’s leading fresh food companies.Today, iD Fresh Food claims to produce more than 50,000 kilograms of fresh batter every day. Its products, from idli and dosa batter to parotas and chutneys, are sold in major Indian cities and international markets including the UAE, the US and Oman.The company, which started with a handful of employees, now serves thousands of people and is said to be worth over Rs 4,000 crore.Musthafa’s journey has also been amazing. From growing up in a small, privileged village, he now lives in Bengaluru and often talks about how education has changed not only his career but also his family’s future.
Why students should remember the story of PC Musthafa
There is a tendency to believe that success is only for those who go to school. PC Musthafa’s life defies that view.He failed Class 6. He dropped out. He fought the English. He came from a family that could not afford daily food.None of these obstacles prevented him from studying at NIT Calicut and IIM Bangalore, landing a high-paying corporate job, or building one of India’s most successful food chains.For students frustrated by test results, his story offers a simple but powerful lesson: one failed test can change your mind, but it doesn’t have to decide your future. Sometimes, all it takes is one teacher who believes in you—and the courage to start over.
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