Muthu played a key role in making IDHAYAM brand synonymous to “healthy cooking” in households in India and worldwide.
Muthu was born to V.V.V. Rajendran and Jegathambal on 6 October 1953.
His schooling happened at K.V.S. Higher Secondary School, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, and his PUC was at St. Joseph College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. He graduated as a Bachelor of Commerce from M.M.K. College, Mumbai.
Muthu started his career as an intern, who practiced auditing under Auditor K.V. Ramasamy (Chennai) for 3 years.
In 1978, he entered his family business of manufacturing and marketing gingelly oil. Right from day one, his focus was towards marketing. When he discovered the true scope of business a powerful marketing could bring in, he and his brothers jointly created a new brand of Gingelly Oil, IDHAYAM.
Muthu gained exposure to the advertising knacks of those days.
In a span of six six years (1980 – 1986), the company’s annual turnover increased to Rs 12 crore and now it has jumped many-folds to Rs 900 crore (2022-2023).
IDHAYAM was on the breakfast table of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Russia in 2017.
Muthu was also an independent director at Hatsun Agro Product Ltd. “His sudden and untimely passing away will be an irreparable loss to the company and all the directors and employees of the company convey their deep sympathy, sorrow and condolences to his Family,” Hatsun Agro said in a stock exchange filing.
