How Cocoguru Adigemane started

Cocoguru Adigemane was founded by Keshava Ram Bonanthaya and Suprabha K. Bonanthaya, a husband-and-wife duo. Below is Keshava Ram’s account of how they entered the restaurant business. My well-wishers often ask how I moved from coconut oil to running a restaurant. They find it unusual for someone like me. Though I built the Cocoguru coconut oil business from scratch, they see it as just an extension of our family’s oil business. Here’s my account of how I started Cocoguru.
I wanted to create a restaurant where people like me would love to eat. Since starting the restaurant, I have always eaten there and never cooked food at home.

Food preference before 25 years of age

In my youth, I cared only about taste, ignoring ingredients and health. I loved North Indian dishes, chats, bakery products, Chinese food, and packaged items—the spicier or sweeter, the better. My mother warned me about the health risks, but like most kids, I was curious about the world’s experiences. My teachers also spoke about the dangers of preservatives and artificial flavors. I used to mock my mother and relatives for carrying home-cooked food while traveling. I would ask, “Why go through so much trouble when fresh food is available in restaurants?”
At Tata Elxsi, I enjoyed delicious subsidized lunches. Yet, I noticed our CEO eating just rice with curd and my manager bringing home-cooked food. It puzzled me—surely they could afford better?

Food choice after 25 years of age

Later, my body stopped tolerating synthetic food ingredients. Just thinking about their after-effects made me uneasy. Researching nutrition wasn’t my passion, but once I started the coconut oil business, I had to study it. That’s when I discovered how food is made tasty artificially and why our bodies resist it. I learned the dangers of refined oils, hydrogenated fats, maida, and sugar. I read books and articles by renowned nutritionists like Rujuta Diwekar and listened to Dr. B. M. Hegde, who promoted traditional oils—coconut in coastal Karnataka, groundnut in the Deccan, and mustard in the north.
While working in Japan, I experienced fresher food that was tasty without much salt or spice. I began enjoying bland food that highlighted the natural flavor of vegetables. Back in India, I looked for restaurants serving simple, homely food. During family gatherings at North Indian restaurants, I would eat at home beforehand so I could avoid soups, gravies, manchurians, juices, or ice creams. I preferred a plain dose or chapati instead.

Cooking Oil

Most restaurants use refined oils like palm olein or sunflower because they are cheap, reusable, and neutral in taste. An exception I found was in Udupi, where coconut oil is still used. Traditionally, coconut oil was the staple here, but now most people use refined oils for cooking, leaving coconut oil only for hair. Consumption has dropped drastically, though COVID-19 brought a slight revival. Personally, I love its taste—it’s the secret ingredient that makes any dish better. At home, I enjoy fried items like poori, podi, and chips in coconut oil, but outside, I avoid fried food altogether. I can’t stand the pungency of refined oils, especially sunflower. As a promoter of a leading coconut oil brand, I want to revive its use in cooking by showcasing how delicious local food can be when prepared with it.

Homely

Restaurants usually serve food that’s commercially viable. We aim to break that trend by offering homely food, even though it’s less profitable and more challenging. Our goal is that customers feel light even after a heavy meal. Today, women are no longer just homemakers—they also work. Cooking and cleaning can be overwhelming, and we want to provide homely meals for families so women can relax.

Hygienic

My mother and relatives often pointed out how unhygienic small restaurants and bakeries were. In bigger restaurants, cleanliness is better, but the food is much more expensive. We want to challenge this perception by serving affordable meals with top-notch hygiene and cleanliness.

Local brand

Through Cocoguru, we built a strong local base for coconut oil. The brand represents high-quality, pure oil that people trust enough to pay a premium for. With the same values—quality, hygiene, purity, ethics, and honesty—we can build a restaurant brand too. We first envisioned Cocoguru as a brand for various coconut products, but now we’re pivoting towards becoming a local food brand.

Traditional foods

Whenever I travel, I visit local tourist spots and try local food. Thanks to sales visits, I often get this opportunity. Sadly, most local restaurants don’t promote traditional food; instead, they push adopted cuisines. In Andhra, Kerala, or Tamil Nadu, you can still enjoy authentic local dishes. Mangaloreans, though successful in the hotel business in cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru, rarely serve Mangalorean food, despite branding themselves with names like “Udupi” or “Mangaluru.” It’s time we celebrate our traditional cuisine—it’s both tasty and healthy.

Direct to consumer

At one point, managing a sales team in the oil mill business became exhausting, so I shifted to B2B. But unlike B2C, where it’s about building a brand, B2B reduces everything to commodity trading. That was a mistake. I realized my strength lies in brand-building, not commodity sales. Selling small consumer packs was tough but rewarding, as Cocoguru gradually evolved from a mass brand to a premium one. Though it meant tackling challenges with shopkeepers and sales teams, I had learned to overcome them. Restaurants, however, are direct-to-consumer (D2C). The product reaches the customer without passing through retailers, which makes it much more aligned with my strengths.

Higher gross margin, value addition

Edible oil is a high-value but low-margin business because value addition is limited. At Cocoguru, we increased margins through packaging, branding, marketing, and distribution. Restaurants, on the other hand, offer even higher margins due to the immense value addition—from raw ingredients to delicious meals, all wrapped in the experience of a brand. This makes it the right direction for me.

Stabilisation of the coconut oil business and looking for the next challenge

We built the coconut oil business from scratch, with no prior experience in running a company. I had to learn everything—accounting, sales, pricing, distribution, purchasing—step by step. It took six years before we started making profits. In the early days, with a 1:1 debt-equity ratio, losses mounted until equity was wiped out and debt became our only funding source. Slowly, we turned profitable and repaid nearly all the debt. Now, our team is steady, processes are set, product quality is consistent, and no major investments are needed in plant or machinery. We’ve built a solid base of local and online clients, and sales are the only area left to grow. Since the team can run without my constant involvement, I am free to take on the next challenge.

Suprabha

Suprabha worked with Cocoguru Coconut Oil until the birth of our first child, Kshipra, in 2017, followed by our second, Kshiteesha, in 2018. Raising them left her with little time or energy to work. Now that the oil business has matured and runs smoothly without her, she has decided to step into this new challenge. Though she feels out of touch with her profession and hesitant to return, she believes she can contribute significantly to the restaurant venture.

Children

Our children are used to receiving a lot of attention from us. I spent my post-work hours teaching them chess, science, nature, and mythological stories. Suprabha dedicated her days to their food, school, drawing, clay modeling, swimming, extra classes, and values. With this new business, they will get less attention for 6 months to a year until things stabilize.

My Parents

Initially, my parents strongly opposed this business idea. But knowing my stubbornness, they eventually stopped objecting and began supporting me. My mother helps with the children. To my daughter Kshipra, Ajji is her favorite person—she lovingly calls her Chaatha or Abbe. My son, Kshiteesha, enjoys gardening with her, happily digging soil and pulling out vegetables.

Suprabha’s Parents

They have supported us through all good and difficult times. They are proud of what we’ve built so far. The fact that they married their daughter to a then-unestablished businessman is proof of their faith. They also help care for our children on weekends.

Coconut oil mill employees

Our employees know their roles well and work independently. They don’t need supervision for routine tasks and happily step in to help with restaurant work when needed. Though costly, having a self-reliant team is a big advantage. It allows me to focus on building something new without affecting the existing business.