Milky Mist's Sathish Kumar builds a dairy giant from rural Tamil Nadu

Milky Mist founder T Sathish Kumar aims to build a regional corporate giant from a rural base, rejecting the need for urban high-rise headquarters. The company recently became India's most-valued dairy firm with a ₹25,000 crore market cap after its August IPO. Kumar, a Class VIII dropout, started making paneer in 1993 and took over his father's struggling milk trade. The company operates from a factory in Erode, Tamil Nadu, with its corporate office above the plant, and plans new cafes and a ₹1,130 crore Maharashtra facility. The firm uses 41 MW of solar power and a battery storage system for green energy self-sufficiency. Kumar lives in a 2,000-square-foot house, with family members in key roles, and is building a 20,000-sq-ft eco-friendly farmhouse.