Our Story

The story of the baking industry in Kerala started with Mambally Bapu of Tellicherry (Kerala). In the 18th century when the East India Company established their factory & fort in Tellicherry they required a regular supply of bread and biscuits for their army. Hence the arrival of Mambally Bapu a school teacher. Along with his nephews he started Mambally’s Royal Biscuit Factory in Tellicherry in 1880. the business flourished along with Nalumurikada set up by Ponnabath Kannari Kunjikannan.

The first X’Mas Cake was made by Bapu in 1883 under the instruction of Mr. Murdoc Brown of Anjarakandy Estate in spice Vally. The Englishmen (Saip) had brought a sample of the fruit cake from England which he showed to Bapu and asked him to make one like that. After 10 days when Mr. Brown received the cake he exclaimed to Bapu, Excellent Bapu Excellent! It is said that the commercial production of X’Mas cake in India started with that cake. Ponnambath Kanari started a shop in Cochin and asked his relatives the Ponnambath brothers Karunakaran, Kumaran, Achuthan & Balan to start a bakery in Cochin. Hence the establishment of Cochin Bakery in Cannen Shed Road in Ernakulam. Cochin Bakery went on to become one of the best bakeries in Kerala. Kanari also started the Santha Bakery in Trivandrum which was later handed over to Mambally Krishnan assisted by Mambally Annanthan and went on to become the best bakery in South Kerala. Thereafter it has been looked after by (Late) PMK Mohandas, PMK Raghunath and PMK Premnath.

Bapu’s nephew Mambally Gopalan took over mambally’s Bakery Tellicherry and flourished for the next 60 years till 1940 when his sons Mambally Madhavan started Modern Bakery in Calicut, Mambally Raghavan and his brother in law P M Achuthan started the Best Baking Co. in 1944 in Kottayam, Palai, Chenganacherry and Thiruvalla. They also went on to establish a restaurant and bakery in Kottayam named BESTOTEL in 1954. Mambally Narayanan continued helping his father Gopalan with the Tellycherry Bakery. Later Mambally Damodaran, Lakshmanan and Vijayan joined Best Baking Co. in Kottayam.

From 1944 till date (2014) Bestotel and Best Bakers have managed to maintain the quality of their products. Ponnambath Mambally Raghavan’s son APM Gopalakrishnan is now in charge of Best Baker/Bestotel with assistance from his wife Sheela and his sisters Uma, Jayanthi, Susi and Latha and his cousin M K Ravindran, son of Mambally Damodaran. Shri, M P Ramesh son of Ponnambath Achuthan started Cochin Bakery in Kozhikode and has several Branches in Calicut, Kasarkod, Mangalore and Dubai. Mambally Renjith son of Damodaran is successfully running Brownies in Kannur.