The existence of Karachi Haleem is an entrepreneurial journey of Mr. Syed Mahmood Ali, his consistent dedication and enthusiasm. Back in the 1960’s, he was only 9 years old when financial crisis overtook his entire family.Mr. Ali was very young but he still felt the need to support his family and take an initiative on his own. From selling newspapers to working as an artist and making paintings and sketches for the Pakistani Cinema’s, Ali was consistent in all his work. Later when all the movie theaters and cinemas were burnt down, it badly affected his work and his income dropped down.
Financial strain catches Mr. Ali once again but he never learnt to give up so he immediately started searching for another job to keep supporting his family. After some time, he was hired at Karachi Nuclear Power Plant and it became yet a new beginning.
 |
| Syed Mahmood Ali |
At KANUPP, he met a diverse pool of professional people possessing good knowledge of religion and moral values. He got to see life at a broader perspective and realized that the kind of artistry work he has been doing is prohibited in Islam. It became a turning point in Mr. Ali’s life. From then on wards, he decided to quit the hard learned art skill for good and pursued his career as an entrepreneur, which he was already proficient at. Along with his elder brother he started brain storming different ideas.
His mother was popular among neighbors for making most delicious Haleem, people fondly ate and request her to cook it often. He thought why not to utilize his mother’s expertise since it seemed quite feasible. Therefore, he started off his first venture from a stall just in front of his house and sold Haleem but couldn’t make much revenue.
His positivity and will to excel didn’t let him disappoint at all and he started analyzing the loopholes in his business model and ways to adjust them. He brought his artistic skill into work and designed a cart himself and named it Pakistani Mazedar Haleem that he took to the area of 5-C/4 North Karachi so that his product can attain mobility advantage and attract variety of customers.
Though, this idea also did not turn out to be profitable too but still he did not look behind and kept seeking better opportunity. He made school students his target market and devised his strategies accordingly, this time he was eventually blessed with success. In 1986, he established his first outlet under the name of Karachi Haleem and developed a brand name in the food industry.
Now, Karachi Haleem is a well-established business having 4 outlets in the major city areas. It has two subsidiaries under the name of Karachi Biryani and Karachi Foods, targeting the fast food segment as well.
Karachi Haleem, Karachi Biryani and Karachi Foods have a wide range of food items in their menu ranging from desi to western cuisine. Being a family business, Karachi Haleem is now managed by the sons of Mr. Syed Mahmood including Mr. Syed Muneeb Ali (BA Hons from Hertfordshire University-UK), Mr. Syed Fahad Ali (MSc from Coventry University- UK), Syed Faisal Ali (MA in Economics from University of Karachi, Pakistan) and Mr. Syed Muhammad Ali (BA Hons from Institute of Business Management, Karachi Pakistan), who have incorporated their academic knowledge with young and fresh ideas to the business that has given Karachi Haleem a whole new look. It has matured into an organized business structure, designing and implementing management policies, offering customer focused services and quality food with premium hygiene.
