When Kishore and Indra Matta crossed the Tasman in 1997, they were already a success story.
Having migrated from India to New Zealand, their business had grown from a humble Indian restaurant to a food manufacturer that supplied meals to 80 per cent of the country's supermarkets.
"I had high hopes for Australia. The market was bigger and we had grown as much as we could in New Zealand, so we wanted to try it," Kishore said.
Armed with the same ingredients, the Mattas soon realised their recipe for success didn't translate in their new home, when the contract that lured them Down Under collapsed soon after they arrived.
"We had a contract with the supermarkets, but they went in a different direction... We were ready to give up, but we were at the turning point."
Kishore Matta says the company wouldn't have survived without its loyal staff. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
That turning point was the Sydney Olympic Games, which brought Jewel Fine Foods back from the brink, with a colossal catering contract.
"That was a life changing experience to be honest, it changed everything," Kishore said.
Before the ink had dried on the deal, the Mattas needed 100 to find more staff to join their team of 25.
For the first time in two years, demand was not an issue, but there was a catch: they couldn't afford to pay them.
"The banks and other financial institutions were not as supportive of trying to fund us at that stage, we had all our eggs in one basket and it was a risk that was not spread out for accounts," Kishore said.
Undeterred, the Mattas convinced the majority of their staff to wait for full payment until after the contract was finished.
In the lead up to the Sydney Olympics, the business had to hire 100 extra staff. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"The only way to sort of incentivise was for me to offer them twice the amount for the period of time, and we could support that considering the size and nature of the contract, which was widely agreed by the majority of staff," Kishore said.
In exchange, staff were paid double time wages and received benefits, and the Mattas say most of them were retained well beyond the Games - in time to cater to a spate of new business.
"Since the Olympics we came across a number of companies that were not aware of us before and we started to re-engage with them and we started to grow our business."
Jewel Fine Foods was involved in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, relying on many of the staff hired for the Olympics, to share what they learned six years earlier.
Jewel Fine Foods is one of the largest readymeal manufacturers in the country. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"Those workers really got us through because they remembered the first time with the Olympics and they knew what to do and how to run an account like that," Kishore said.
In the decade since, Jewel has acquired major clients such as Accor hotels and Qantas, scoring Telstra's 2016 Medium Business of the Year Award for innovation and growth.
In 2008, the business came full circle, finally scoring contracts to supply ready meals to most major supermarkets, including Woolworths, Coles and Costco.
At Jewel Fine Foods' 30 million dollar factory in Mascot, the sheer volume of ingredients tells the story; there are 30 million curries prepared on site each year.
Former sea captain Kishore now runs his Marrickville factory. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
Jewel now makes 300 thousand soups a day and 15 tonnes of noodles a week, and half-tonne vats of chicken and rice are re-filled on the hour.
In 2015, 15 million ready meals hit supermarket shelves across the country, and directors projected 16.5 million to be made throughout 2016.
"Sometimes I look around and I am almost in shock at how big the family has grown," Kishore said.
As he proudly surveys the factory, the comparison between the enthusiastic owner and Willy Wonka is irresistible, but the future of this business is in the hands of dedicated staff - they're Jewel Fine Food's golden ticket.
"We owe our success to the people we have on the team, it is a loyal team and we look after them, they are passionate and we treat them like family," Kishore said.
The Matta's five-year plan is to have their meals in every household in Australia, eyeing kids pre-packed lunches and healthy meals as their next growth area.
The company is on track to sell 16.5 million ready meals in 2016. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"Sometimes I'm with my wife and I pinch her and say "look, look" when I see someone putting a meal in their trolley or basket. It is a very good feeling, and a good reason to do the food shopping with her!"
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