The Saga of ABAD

Outdoing the tremors of time :

The history of the Kutchi community in Cochin, which migrated from the Rann
of Kutch in Gujarat, reads like a handbook on beating the odds. The community
has triumphed over many an adversity: its past is peppered with memories of the
ravages wreaked by Nature's fury in its homeland, its exodus seeking a new
beginning, the spirit of entrepreneurship that drives the community to seek out
and build successful business ventures… above all, this community, whose middle
name may as well be spelt as 'hardworking', are united by the ties that bind: the
family bonds are as intensely strong now as they were years ago.

One of the foremost examples of a family that is united by its roots is the Abad
group: family members can trace from memory the clan's history dating back to at
least two centuries. However, the Abad group also stands apart from the rest of
the community in that it has translated the intensity and purity of its family ties
into its business ventures, too. Needless to say, the group's contributions have
played a significant role in the evolution of Cochin as an emerging metro.

Years ago, in the Rann of Kutch, the family lived by horse trading: the main
points of concern of the brothers, Mohammed Kasim Allana and Mohammed
Hashim Allana, were the attractiveness of horses and their intrinsic value.
However, the earthquake of June 1819 changed all that. Along with thousands of
others, the brothers too set sail for foreign shores where they could start all over
again.

Their journey brought them to Mattancherry, then famed for its trade in pepper,
spices and copra. The brothers found that there was a huge opportunity in the
business of exporting dried shrimps. They started out by drying out various types
of shrimps in the sun; once dried, the shrimps were packed into sacks and beaten.
This process helped shell the shrimp: what was left was the golden body and tail
of the shrimp. If the drying was good, these shelled shrimp had a longer shelf life,
too.

Mohammed Kasim Allana found a new market in Burma for these sun-dried
shrimp, already a popular food in Cochin. When the business first took off,
workers had to carry loads of the product on their heads to waiting canoes, which
then took the products to the ship in harbour. The venture that started in 1894
also earned the family the honour of being the city's first seafood exporters. The
business soon expanded to places like Hong Kong and Singapore.
Once Mohammed Kasim Allana's sons Usman Mohammed Hashim
Sait and Ibrahim Mohammed Hashim Sait took over, the business
flourished with the addition of new products. Around this time,
the group discovered a new opportunity when R.Madhavan Nair's
Cochin Company started exporting freeze-dried shrimp. The
ABAD group's flagship company, Abad Fisheries, was set up in
1931. Registered by Usman Mohammed Hashim Sait, the
Usman Mohammed Hashim Sait
company was blessed with all the prosperity synonymous with its
name, ABAD, which in Urdu translates to 'PROSPERITY'. Coincidentally, the name ABAD
was actually the telegraphic code for Ibrahim Mohammed Hashim and Brothers.

In the throes of the Second World War, the going got tough for the
export company which had to deal with unforeseen troubles. One
shipload of produce was bombed at sea; other troubles followed.
However, ABAD Fisheries outlived the problems. The next
generation—Hashim Usman Sait, Ahmed Usman Sait and Zackeria
Hashim Usman Usman Sait—took the company to newer heights with their acquired
business acumen and futuristic vision.

The export of canned seafood began in 1957; this also paved the way
for the entry of major can manufacturers like Metal Box and Poysha
into the city. However, the company had to halt canning because of
high manufacturing costs and export problems; this move also affected
Ahmed Usman the can manufacturers badly. ABAD Fisheries was the first company in
the country to introduce individual quick freezing (IQF) of shrimp.
Joint ventures with foreign companies helped ABAD Fisheries
incorporate improved technologies and also diversify its range of
products. Soon, ABAD became the first seafood exporter to meet the
strict quality certification needs of the European Union.
Zackeria Usman
The fourth generation took over the reins of the business and the group
began to diversify into newer pastures. The first step in this direction was the setting up of
the ABAD Hotel at Chullickal, Cochin, in 1982. That was followed four years later by the
grandiose ABAD Plaza on M G Road; then came ABAD Atrium, ABAD Airport Hotel and
Resorts in places of tourist interest.

ABAD Builders' first project was a six-storied apartment complex with 12 flats built in 15
cents on P T Usha Road,Ernakulam. The flats were then sold for Rs. 600 per square foot !
ABAD Builders, established in 1995, has since completed 17 projects, including the first
mall in the city — Bay Pride Mall. Six projects are under construction now, including
Platinum Heights at the Emirates City in Ajman, UAE. The vibrant leadership of the
group—Anwar Hashim, Riaz Ahmed and Dr Najeeb Zackeria—emphasize that even today,
the group's focus is on quality and trust in all its ventures.