(From left, standing) Rishal Mathew (DGM purchase, Synthite), Jacob Issac (business development manager, Synthite), Ashok Mani (MD & CEO, Intergrow Brands), Paolo George (deputy MD, Symega Food Ingredients), Jacob Ninan (MD, Herbal Isolates), John Joshy (GM, sales and marketing, Synthite), Joseph John (CEO, Synthite Infrastructure). (From left, seated) Varghese Jacob (MD, Synthite) Aju Jacob (Joint MD, Synthite) Image: Arun Chandra Bose for Forbes India
Aju Jacob starts the conversation by giving a simplified lowdown on the flavour of his family business. “If you crush black pepper in your hands, you get an aroma,” explains the chemical engineer who joined Synthite Industries in 1987, a year after graduating. His father, CV Jacob, started Synthite in 1972 by extracting oil and resin from spices such as pepper. The aroma is due to the evaporation of the volatile essential oil, which is derived by crushing pepper. “It’s aromatic and has a slightly musty odour,” says the 57-year-old joint managing director of Synthite Group, who has spent over three-and-a-half decades in the business.
(This story appears in the 12 August, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)