Red Section Separator

The roots of Sri Ganeshram’s 777 Brand was established in 1933 by two Iyer brothers in Chennai.

Cream Section Separator

R S Narayanasamy Iyer and R S Ganapathy Iyer, both excellent cooks, migrated to the then Madras from Ramanathapuram, a small village in Palakkad, in search of better opportunities.

Red Section Separator

Sri Rama Bhavan came into existence in Thambu Chetty Street in Madras (now Chennai) with just four tables to accommodate 16 people.

Soon enough, their skills and appreciation for the food reached far and began to attract the celebrities of that era to Sri Rama Bhavan.

Red Section Separator

For 21 years, until 1954, the brothers primarily focussed on the restaurant business. But there were always pickles, podi, papadum, and chutney placed at the cash counter for sale.

Srikanth Ramani (44) — director of Sri Ganeshram’s 777 Brand, one of the most famous South Indian traditional food companies today — says, “While in the beginning it was all being done without any brand name or packaging, eventually that changed.”

“As a brand, 777 came into being in 1954 and completely changed the trajectory of everyone’s lives,” he says adding that it all began when a customer suggested that the brothers brand their products.

Red Section Separator

Srikanth says, “At that time the brothers were rather clueless about brand building and getting their licenses in order. But they worked on it and applied for the requisite licenses.”

“The Fruit Product Order (FPO) registration number allotted to the business was 777 and that was how the brand was named,” says Srikanth.

As early as 1958, the brand managed to export its products to the US, UK and even Australia. “The brothers started exploring other avenues too,” he says.

It was in the late ’60s that R S Narayanasamy Iyer’s son, Ramani, took charge of the business and expanded it from a small home-scale venture to a larger operation.

Cream Section Separator

“It was under his leadership that the SGR 777 expanded to an 8,000 sq ft factory with about 40 employees. This helped grow the business and add more products to the line-up,” says Srikanth.

Cream Section Separator

“Ensuring that the taste remains authentic and each batch has the same flavour is the key to the business we are in,” he says.

Cream Section Separator

After 67 years since its launch, the sambar powder is still the signature item on their product list, and others include the idli molagapodi and even the nannari sherbet.