Foam Mattress Limited is one of the largest mattress companies in Kenya which has production plants in Kisumu and Nairobi. Surendra Patel is the proprietor of this success story. Apart from the company he owns Tuffoam Mall in Kisumu and has plans of constructing a Ksh 1 billion sugar factory in Siaya county.
Here is the story of the tycoon and the businesses he owns as told by WoK.
Foam Mattress Limited
Foam Mattress Limited produces the high quality Tuffoam Mattress brand. The company was founded in 1980 by Surendra Patel and is now in its third generation. The founder’s grandson Jarendra Jitu is the Managing Director. Other markets where you can find Foam Mattress products are in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo. During a past interview with one of the local publications, Jarendra revealed that the company has since expanded to the production of plastics and furniture.
“We run multiple productions including plastic industry products like pipes, domestic furniture, specialized shoes, barbed wire, chain link, steel products and jerry cans, including two-hundred liter ones. Domestic ware has got one of the best demands in the country,” he said.
Tuffoam Mall
Surendra Patel also owns the Tuffoam Mall in Kisumu. The mall hosts Safaricom’s Western Kenya headquarters. The offices serve 10 counties including Bungoma, Busia, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kisii, Migori, Nyamira, Vihiga and parts of Narok county. Other brands available at the mall include a Bata Shop, Victoria Healthcare, Uzamart, Medicross Medical, Goodlife Pharmacy, Bank of India, National Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.
Building a Sugar Factory
In July 2017, Surendra Patel announced plans of building a Ksh 940 million sugar factory in Kanyilaji village, Siaya County. The facility dubbed ‘South Gem Sugar Factory Limited’ was intended to crush 1,000 metric tonnes of cane per day and produce 2.5 metric tonnes of sugar as reported by Business Daily.
“We have purchased some 40 acres of land where we intend to set up the factory. Once we get the prerequisite regulatory approvals, we shall source the equipment from India. We expect that construction of this plant will take about 18 months after groundbreaking. My share of the capital for this investment is coming from my businesses while the other half from my co-investor,” he told Business Daily.
However, four years later, the factory is yet to be operational.
