Whenever I start thinking of people who excel at marketing, Miss Khanai rolls into my mind. So let me tell you about the ‘Miss Khanai’ brand. Miss Khanai is a lady whose family has been making roti in St James, Trinidad, for decades. I now buy from her grand-daughter, before that I bought from her daughter. I was also lucky to buy from Miss Kanhai herself, when she was around.
What’s different?
Miss Kanhai never did Mkt 101 to 601 at Ryerson like me. She didn’t work at Coca Cola or KFC or Heineken or McCann’s like I did. But boy was she a sharper cookie than me. What would lead the Khanai Family to stick with dosti roti? Why no other vegetables but potato. Why only very limited meat options. (Today they are down to mostly chicken only.) Why price higher than the market? Why make the roti, painfully slow, one at a time, in front of customers? Why is the roti so small?
Pick your tribe
Miss Khanai decided early that she didn’t care what the market was doing. She wasn’t interested in the whole market, only those who craved a good dosti. The market moved to dhalpuri and paratha since the 80’s and these are heavy enough to put you to sleep. Miss Khanai’s dosti roti is still small and some people need to have two, to be satisfied.
So if you have an idea and wondering how to develop it, take inspiration from Miss Khanai. She had a vision and she stuck to it. She didn’t follow the market, rather she got people to follow her.
No one will deliberately pick you if you look like all the other chickens on the farm.
Thank you Miss Khanai.
