Pothan group of companies had a humble beginning in 1932. Mr. Paithal Pothan the founder of the group was a great visionary who laid the strong foundation up on which the present business empire is built up by his successors. The birth and growth of the organization can be traced back to early 1930s when they started handloom industry in Kannur in a traditional way employing men and machinery typical of the times. Later, from domestic market, the company gradually shifted its focus to a more lucrative export market. The hard work and dedication of the team under the stewardship of Mr. Mohanan Pothan, the eldest of the third generation from the family ably assisted by his brothers , enabled them to catapult the company to an envious position. At present Pothan group of companieas is a multi-product group engaged in businesses as diverse as textile manufacturing, coir product manufacturing, timber trade, agro produce exports and a host of other activities.

Currently the group boasts of annual turnover of around 300 crores and has an employee strength close to 1000. The latest in the business series is sea food exports under the entrepreneurial leadership of Mr. Sooraj Pothan of the fourth generation.

Seafood is an important source of proteins, minerals, vitamins and several other rare dietary components. Fishes like tunas, sardines and mackerel are rich sources of a class of fish oil called Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) and they belong to Omega – 3 group. Omega -3 fatty acids play an important role in human body. Regular consumption of fish oil helps in reducing heart attacks by preventing blood clotting in arteries. Hence fish is often described as “heart food”. DHA, another important fatty acid found in fish oils significantly improves brain functioning and memory. So, fish is also described as “brain food”.

Research conducted in India and elsewhere has scientifically proven the beneficial effects of fish oils on human health. Apart from these, the fish is also a unique source of a category of chemical compounds called “nutraceuticals “which includes medicinal compounds like squalene. Due to these beneficial properties of fish, the world over there is an increasing demand for fish and fish products especially in the developing world. The ill effects of red meat such as beef, mutton and poultry has also indirectly contributed to the ever-increasing demand for fish products. As a result, there is considerable demand for Indian seafoods in overseas market like the EU, the US, Japan and other Asian Countries. The ambitious project of Pothan & Company aims to tap these growing demands in overseas markets and to carve a niche market by supplying safe and high-quality sea foods meeting the stringent National and International standards and specifications.

The factory is ideally located at Aroor, in the southernmost state of Kerala, often considered as the citadel of Indian seafood industry. The factory is near Cochin Fisheries Harbor, the major landing center in south India, which ensures year-round supply of high-quality raw materials. Cochin International Container Terminals is only a stone’s throw from the factory thus providing logistics support for shipments of frozen fish which is highly perishable. The factory is in the heart of the Aroor Industrial Estate with uninterrupted power supply, safe potable water and above all a skilled and experienced work force.

The state-of-the-art processing facility of Pothan & Company is in a sprawling 5 Acre plot with road access from three sides and water front on one side. There are 2 tunnel freezers and 2 plate freezers having a combined freezing capacity of 55 tons /day. Other facilities include flake ice, chill room, vacuum packing machine and cold storage of 5000 tons capacity. The plant is EU approved (EU No 759) and BRC certified. It is also equipped with an in-house laboratory approved by Export Inspection Council of India (EIC), the competent authority, which is managed by a qualified and approved Technologist.

The laboratory has the infrastructural facilities to conduct various physical, chemical and micro-biological analysis of Sea foods. Bacteriological analysis like Total Plate Count (TPC), Escherichia coli (E-Coli), Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Listeria and Vibrio cholerae are only few among them. All these complicated tests are conducted by Quality control professionals having educational qualification in relevant fields with approval accorded by Export Inspection Council of India.

The entire operations of the seafood division are meticulously planned and carefully implemented by a technical team headed by the General Manager, Mr. T.N. Venugopalan, a technocrat and an academic having a master’s degree in Industrial Fisheries with vast experience in seafood exports trade spanning over three decades. He is an expert in HACCP based Food Safety Management System (FSMS). The company has close tie up with major importers globally.

The company is focused in two categories of products:

1. High value low volume products such as shrimps, squid and cuttle fish products. 2. High volume, low value products like tuna, mackerel and sardine. A perfect blend of these two types of products will enable the company to grow and flourish in an atmosphere of cut throat competition

The high-quality seafood produced and exported by the company are presented under three brand names viz. POTHAN, POTHAN PREMIUM and POTHAN SELECT.

As far as product quality and safety are concerned, nothing is left to chance. No, doubt, today Pothan & Company is synonymous with TRUST, ETHICS and COMMITMENT. The group has carved out a space for itself in the highly competitive corporate arena.