It was renamed MTR in 1960.
The morning view on Lalbagh Road in Bengaluru is quite unique. The clinking of steel glasses, the smell of filter coffee being poured from above, and people sitting with their heads immersed in the newspaper. This same pace goes on every day inside the famous MTR i.e. Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. Without fuss, without haste. Waiters silently pass between the tables carrying hot idlis, vadas and dosas. This morning rhythm has been a part of Bengaluru for almost a hundred years. And this environment later became the foundation of a company on which a Norwegian giant placed a bet of Rs 10,000 crore in the kitchen of India.
How did MTR start?
In 1924, the Maiya Brothers started a small restaurant named Brahmin Coffee Club on Lalbagh Road. Its name was changed to MTR in 1960. Clean food, South Indian breakfast and similar taste, this became its identity. During the Emergency of 1975, when the government reduced the rates of restaurants, MTR suffered huge losses. Then instead of closing down, the members of the founding family chose a new path. He started packing and selling the spices and mixes of his restaurant. This is where packaged mixes like instant Rava Idli and Khara Bath originated. By 2006, MTR had evolved from a restaurant to a food brand. Income of Rs 135 crore, products like spices, pickles, papad, vermicelli and even export to foreign countries had started.
Norway’s Orkla’s entry
Orkla, once a mining company dating back to 1654, entered India in 2007. And he did not buy any big global company, but this Bengaluru-based domestic brand MTR Foods for Rs 353 crore. In the next 18 years, this company has grown to become Orkla India worth Rs 10,000 crore today. Orkla initially panicked and did not hurry to spread across India. He strengthened his hold in South India. The company’s CEO Sanjay Sharma had also said that we do not want to become a small fish in a big lake, but prefer to become a big fish in a small lake. The company was run entirely with an Indian team. The “Kannada identity” of MTR was also not disturbed.
where is mtr today
Now MTR restaurants are not only in South India but also in many cities like Dubai, Singapore, London, America. MTR’s packed products are sold in 32 countries. The company has about 400 products. Orkla later bought Rasoi Magic and then Eastern Condiments for Rs 2,000 crore. Because of Eastern, the company’s business spread to 45 countries. Today Orkla India has 9 factories, 18 contract manufacturing units, more than 800 distributors and a capacity to sell 23 lakh packs every day. The company has tremendous dominance in the spice market in Karnataka and Kerala. Almost 9 out of 10 households use MTR or Eastern products.
IPO story
The company’s income was Rs 2,172 crore in FY23, Rs 2,356 crore in FY24 and Rs 2,445 crore in FY25. Profit was around Rs 256 crore in FY25. Its profit and EBITDA margins are better than Tata Consumer. Orkla India’s IPO of Rs 1,667 crore came in October 2025. The share price was fixed at Rs 695 to Rs 730. The shares opened at a light premium on the listing day. 30 big investors also made anchor investment in the company. The company clearly said that this is not a signal to exit India, but a commitment to stay in the country for a long time. India’s packed food market is growing rapidly. In such a situation, Orkla India is no longer just a foreign company. It has now become an Indian story taking idli, dosa, masala and the aroma of home kitchen to the world.