Perera & Sons’ journey – A batch of bread that has 110 years of followers
Preparing cakes
When taking the road into the Perera & Sons (P&S) factory at Madinnagoda, Rajagiriya on a warm Tuesday morning, it is more than convincing that “All sorrows are less with bread”, something that Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish author has said years ago. The fresh aroma of bread can be felt from more than half a mile. Since it’s said that of all the senses smell has the greatest impact on human emotions this scent tempts you no end.
A batch of bread
How can one batch of bread beget millions of followers over a period of more than 110 years? The story begins back in the early last century when K.A. Charles Perera who hailed from the remote southern village of Kodagoda, baked his first loaf of bread. “He was my great grandfather and after doing some small jobs, ‘landed’ a place at the Grand Oriental Hotel,” recalls Gihan Perera, Managing Director at P&S said, settling down to a long chat with the Business Times. He’s Charles Perera’s great-grandson, which means that P&S has come into its fourth generation.
After his stint at the hotel, Mr Charles Perera in 1902 had started out on his own. “His bakery was at Stuart Place, Colombo 3 and he had a good head bass (a modern day sous chef if you like) called Anthony who was quite good at his job,” the younger Mr Perera said, adding that Mr Charles’ bread business was quite popular amongst the British and he maintained a steady demand especially during high tea. He was selling his products by going from door to door and the quality of his wares soon won him a steady, loyal and ever growing customer base that gave him the confidence and encouragement to set up his own business – a proper bakery. This business, Mr Perera says was sold by Mr Charles to Albert Perera, son.
“Albert Perera was the first to install the first electric oven in Sri Lanka, at his new premises at Hyde Park Corner,” the younger Mr Perera reminisces, adding that this was at the place where the new Arpico hypermarket is at. This came about as grandfather Albert and Mr. Richard Pieris were pals and Mr Perera says that this was how the business was shifted to Hyde Park. “It tells us something about how close they must have been.”
Albert ran the business till 1968. Mr Petera noted that P&S’s trademark blue and gold colours were a concept pioneered by Albert Perera. “He had got it done in London,” he says, adding that the next generation of Rukmini and Sarath Kodagoda, who were his children, went into further expansion of operations by creating a new production facility at Madinnagoda in 1997. The latter generation also started rapidly expanding the number of outlets whilst further diversifying the business into restaurants, with the launch of ‘The Curry Bowl’.
Gihan says that in a bid to celebrate their 110 years of success and goodness; qualities inherent in all its products and services, P&S just opened its 110th outlet in Kalubowila.
Work in progress
Culinary Nirvana
If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second. This must be what crosses anyone’s mind when they step into the P&S factory. To make sure each loaf of bread is consistent from batch to batch, the bakers have employed original baking recipes, Rohan Nakalanda, Senior Manager Production and Maintainance at P&S says, showing the Business Times team around the busy factory. When the bread tastes as good as the aroma wafting around us, its like experiencing a kind of culinary nirvana.
Seeing flour pumped from the outside silo into the mixer, where it’s blended into dough, tossed from one counter onto another, then hand finished and baked into one of so many loaves each day is a treat to watch. At a further end are many stacks of dry goods such as eggs, flour, etc. Mr Nakalada says there are six kitchens and some start their shifts at midnight.
Swiss rolls, fish buns, patties, pastries, gateaus, etc are turned out each day and transported thrice a day to P&S outlets in Colombo and the suburbs. It’s easy to see that the company’s rapid expansion into production plants at Kurunegala, Matara, Dambulla and Kandy in the recent years has much to do with the younger Mr Perera’s international education and exposure into the business.
They also commenced catering operations and automated the production facilities in order to further enhance the company’s product portfolio – catering to the urban, discerning customer by later openings of ‘Cravings’ – for desserts and ‘Bars Café’ – for dining. “Times have changed since over a century ago, and so have people’s tastes, but we have consistently strived to cater to these ever changing tastes of our customers,” says Mr Perera. “My great Grandfather’s own recipes may not have survived intact, but one thing is for sure: he would not have dreamed he was founding a business that now spans five generations – it’s something we can be proud of. I don’t know too many businesses that have been around for 110 years and we hope to be around for quite a bit longer.”
Related Posts:
BreadTalk opens second outletBreadTalk celebrated the opening of its newest outlet at Park Street with a launch ceremony held last week The new boutique ...
Daily breadPaan Pann: “If they can’t have bread, let them have cake!” Marie-Antoinette infamously said and lost her head. Paan Paan’s founder ...
Battle of the DJ’s‘The Battle of the DJs’, a DJ competition organized by the ‘World Music Entertainment’ will come alive at the Lumbini ...
Gardiner Group builds 120-room hotel in KandyThe Gardiner Group, owners of Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) and the Galle Face Group having refurbished most of its hotels ...
Mallawaarachchi the hero for Wattala Lyceum[caption id="attachment_7339" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Rahil Atheeq captain of Lyceum International Wattala receiving the R.I.T. Alles Challenge Trophy from the Director ...