Cofresh founder Dineshbhai Patel passes away

TRIBUTES have been paid to an Asian entrepreneur whose snack products are enjoyed by millions of consumers.

Dineshbhai Patel, 81, was the founder of Cofresh, whose sweet and savoury ethnic foods are stocked in supermarkets across Britain. He passed away peacefully at home, family sources said.

Dineshbhai launched Cofresh in 1974 from a fish and chips shop in Leicester and grew the business from a regional-based supplier of snacks to an international one, exporting Cofresh and the healthier ‘free-from’ bagged snack brand Eat Real to more than 60 countries. The Patel family sold the business in 2020 to Vibrant Foods, while keeping a minority stake in the private equity-backed ethnic foods platform.

Dineshbhai remained committed to the business and visited the factory every day until 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, daughters-in-law Divya and Darshana, and four grandchildren.

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 make 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 as demand grew for authentic Indian snacks. These two simple products were the start of the multi-million-pound brand that Cofresh is today.

Dineshbhai was soon joined by his brothers and in the late 1990s by his sons and over the years, the business expanded with Cofresh using ingredients and flavours inspired from India.

Based in Leicester, the firm operated for over 50 years under family ownership, employing over 250 people in sites across Leicester and Nuneaton.

Cofresh Snack Foods was the winner of Asian Business of the Year award at Eastern Eye’s Asian Business Awards Midlands in 2018.

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

Yatin Kotak, director of Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa, which is owned by Dineshbhai, and a former chief executive of Bombay Halwa Limited, said his “beloved elder fatherly uncle” was an “incredible visionary leader who played many roles and impacted many lives”.

Kotak said, “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.

“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.”

Uday Dholakia, senior partner at business advisory firm Global Consulting, described Dineshbhai as a “thoroughly humble human being, grounded industrialist, a wise consul, a generous and affectionate man”.

Kamlesh Purohit, deputy managing editor at BBC Radio Leicester, said, “Having adopted my mum as a sister, he was always Dinesh mama to us.

“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.

“What a fantastic role-model he has been to the British Asian community.”

Although Dineshbhai had long passed the official age of retirement, he did not show any signs of slowing down. Aged 70, he climbed Mount Kailash in India to 5,800 feet with his wife and later skydived for LOROS Hospice at the age of 73.

He was also dedicated to charitable efforts and supported LOROS Hospice in particular; he often made donations for worthwhile causes without seeking publicity.