Milk Palace stands tall among dairy giants in Gujarat

Milk Palace: Milk Products manufacturer in Surat, India

In the mammoth dairy industry of Gujarat, standing tall among giants is no cakewalk for local brands. The competition in the sector remains cutthroat all around. But this was no deterrence to Joheb Virani.

Right from the beginning, he was quite clear about his brand positioning in the market where milk cooperatives call the shots.

“I never wanted Milk Palace products to end up among those you find on shelves everywhere. For the same, separate from cooperatives, we have made our own identity,” says Joheb

Today, Milk Palace is synonymous with super quality shrikhand, paneer, curd and lassi in one of Gujarat’s most cosmopolitan cities– Surat. Milk Palace’s journey started with an outlet on Bhatar Road.

In 2007, Joheb hit the expansion mode, and today Milk Palace has spread its wings all over the city with as many as 9 outlets, including 6 franchises and 3 company-owned. The dairy franchise is now all set to serve the taste of Surat to the rest of India.

Joheb is the third generation of the Virani family to drive the Milk Palace’s success story further. Like true leaders, Virani have always turned adversities into opportunities.

An epidemic forced his ancestors to shift the base from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Surat in 1932.

It was here that Milk Palace’s roots were planted much before the Independence and the dairy movement in Gujarat. With 10 buffaloes at his farmhouse, G M Virani, Joheb’s grandfather, began supplying milk cream to faluda-makers. By 1961, they were trading in milk as well.

J G Virani, Joheb’s father, in 1981 opened the first-ever Milk Palace outlet in Katargam area (which later relocated to Bhatar Road). Their milk and related products were an instant hit among residents who migrated from the Saurashtra region.

Further boost came in 1996 when J G Virani set up a chain exclusively for supplying paneer to restaurants and hotels. In the next 10 years, they became the market leader as wholesale suppliers of paneer and cheese.

Joheb, at the young age of 21, had a crystal clear vision about expanding the retail business. He came up with a state-of-the-art air-conditioned dairy outlet in 2007. It soon transformed the shopping experience of customers.

The traditional setup of a dairy store was revamped completely to make it a luxe outlet where customers can enjoy their time testing and buying products.

Dhinal Baxi is a founder of franchise Insider. As a founder, he has served hundreds of clients. His experience from the financial sector has helped them to achieve great success in the franchise world.