Cofresh founder Dineshbhai Patel passes away

Dineshbhai Patel, founder of Indian snacks maker Cofresh, has passed away peacefully at home. He was 81.

One of the pioneers of ethnic foods business in the UK, Dineshbhai launched Cofresh in 1974 from a fish and chips shop in Leicester, and would oversee the astonishing expansion of the company, from being a regional-based supplier of snacks to an international one, exporting Cofresh and the healthier ‘free-from’ bagged snack brand Eat Real to over 60 countries globally.

The Patel family sold the business in 2020 to Vibrant Foods, keeping a minority stake in the private equity-backed ethnic foods platform.

Dineshbhai remained committed to the business and passionately visited the factory every day until very recently, helping on the packing lines till November last year, after which his health began to deteriorate.

He is survived by his wife Savitaben Patel, sons Priyesh and Minesh, daughter-in-laws Divya and Darshana, and four grandchildren.

Tributes pour in

The local community and business colleagues have paid rich tributes to Dineshbhai, shining a light on his entrepreneurial as well as philanthropic spirit.

“I have not met a more humble, generous, and kind-hearted man than Shri Dineshbhai Patel,” commented Kamlesh Purohit, deputy managing editor at BBC Radio Leicester.

“I'm proud that my family was able to share the early part of the Cofresh journey back in the early 1970s and watch how he faced the struggles and challenges of setting up a new business head-on with an unparalleled determination and vision and turning it into a multimillion-pound business. And having adopted my mum as a sister, he was always Dineshmama to us.

“What a fantastic role-model he has been to the British Asian community... and the legacy he has passed on to his amazing sons Priyesh bhai and Minesh. This is a monumental loss for the entire nation.”

Dineshbhai Patel, centre, receiving Asian Business of the Year award at the Asian Business Awards Midlands in 2018.

Uday Dholakia, senior partner at business advisory firm Global Consulting, wrote: “Deeply saddened at the passing of Shri Dinesh Bhai Patel. A thoroughly humble human being, grounded industrialist, a wise consul, a generous and affectionate man.

“A passage in time, full of memories, achievements against odds, humility in abundance and profound vivacity for progress. A loss to me of a great mentor and revered elder statesman.”

Yatin Kotak, director of Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa, which is owned by Dineshbhai, and former chief executive of Bombay Halwa Ltd, said his ‘beloved elder fatherly uncle’ has been an ‘incredible visionary leader who played many roles and impacted many lives.’

“He was a giant in bringing everyone together, never imposing, independent, ensuring always being around to make a difference, in his silent ways, proudly I can say, his love was felt through his actions, reactions and most importantly his presence,” Kotak said.

“He would silently observe what would bring a smile to someone, be it one of his own, or be they just someone to cross his path… and then without any announcements or any expectations of any acknowledgement, he would just act. He was simple, finding contentment in fulfilling other’s needs and wishes, with very little pleasure or comfort from material things.”

Uprooted from Africa

Dineshbhai’s entrepreneurial career began back in 1965 in Nairobi, Kenya where he started Cofresh, a manufacturer of potato crisps and popcorn for local cinemas and shops.

He arrived in the UK following the anti-Asian drive of the early 1970s in east Africa. Dineshbhai and his wife Savitaben invested their life savings in purchasing a disused fish and chips shop in Leicester. Living above the shop, they turned it into a small home-based production facility to start manufacturing savoury Indian snacks.

The couple’s traditional handmade spicy peanuts and green peas – which were cooked in the restored fryers and packed by hand into small pouches – soon found favour with consumers and retailers alike and the business flourished thanks to the couple’s hard work and their ability to meet the growing demand for authentic Indian snacks. These two simple products were the start of the multi-million-pound brand that Cofresh is today.

Over the years, they have introduced innovative and exciting snacks, using only the best ingredients and flavours inspired from India.

Dinesh Patel, with granddaughter Keya, in the precincts of Windsor Castle, attending the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018

Dineshbhai was soon joined by his brothers and in the late 1990s by his sons - and although Dineshbhai had long passed the official age of retirement, he did not show any signs of slowing down! At the age of 70, he climbed Mount Kailash in India to 5800 feet with his wife and later skydived for LOROS Hospice at the age of 73!

Throughout his life, his dedication to the community and numerous charitable causes, LOROS Hospice in particular, never wavered, often making donations or supporting worthwhile causes without any publicity.

Cofresh Snack Foods was the winner of Asian Business of the Year award at the Eastern Eye Asian Business Awards Midlands in 2018. Based in Leicester, the firm operated for over 50 years under family ownership, employing over 250 people in sites across Leicester and Nuneaton.