About Us
General Foods Private Limited is a next-generation food processing company building value-added soybean foods for India and global markets—backed by over five decades of deep involvement in the Indian soybean industry.
Our roots trace back to the 1970s, when soybean was still an unfamiliar crop in India. Today, we are returning to food processing with a renewed focus on plant-based nutrition, modern manufacturing, and close collaboration with farmers.
Promoter Legacy and Industry Contribution
In 1973, at a time when soybean cultivation was still nascent in India, Shri Kailash Chandra Shahra—along with his father, Shri Mahadeo Prasad Shahra—established India and Madhya Pradesh’s first 50-MT solvent extraction plant in Indore. This marked the beginning of organized soybean processing in the country.
In 1975, he founded General Foods Limited, which under his stewardship grew into a large-scale enterprise processing and refining approximately 2 million tonnes of soybean annually, setting benchmarks in quality, scale, and operational excellence.
In 2006, General Foods Limited was amalgamated into Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd., now Patanjali Foods Ltd.
Leadership & Vision
Today, General Foods is led by Mr. Suyash Shahra, grandson of Shri Kailash Shahra.
With a background in Mechanical Engineering (VIT), Manufacturing Engineering (Warwick Manufacturing Group), and an MBA from Warwick Business School, Suyash brings global exposure and modern manufacturing expertise to the business. He has been instrumental in the development and operationalization of the Avantee Mega Food Park and brings a blend of technical, operational, and strategic expertise to the business.
In his own words, “Madhya Pradesh is India’s soybean capital, with rich black soil, strong irrigation access, and evolved farming practices—yet much of its value is still lost before reaching the market. Coming from a family with five decades of experience in this industry, and having worked as a broker in the mandi’s open outcry markets, I’ve seen firsthand how inefficiencies, weak price discovery, and broken linkages affect farmers and processors alike. I’m excited to build a modern food processing business that works closely with farmers, applies high-quality processing standards, and transforms regional produce into scalable, value-added products.”
Infrastructure Platform: Avantee Mega Food Park
In 2015, Shri Kailash Chandra Shahra promoted Avantee Mega Food Park (AMFP), a 51.2-acre integrated food processing park sanctioned by the Government of India under the Mega Food Park Scheme.
Strategically located in Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, the park serves a diversified agricultural belt producing soybean, wheat, onion, potato, garlic, and other crops. The park provides shared, world-class infrastructure including:
- Cold storage and warehousing facilities
- Gamma irradiation plant
- Steel storage silos
- Grain processing and wheat milling units
- Vegetable dehydration facilities
- Quality testing laboratories
AMFP is supported by a consortium of leading agribusiness and FMCG companies, including ITC, Jain Irrigation, Jain Farm Fresh, Allana Group, Azista Industries, and LD Foods, positioning it as a key node in India’s food processing ecosystem.
Strategic Focus and Growth Plans
Leveraging strong access to soybean raw material, integrated infrastructure, and long-standing relationships across the soybean value chain, General Foods Private Limited plans to establish greenfield soybean value-added processing facilities within the Avantee Mega Food Park.
The company’s proposed product portfolio includes:
- Soy milk
- Tofu
- Soy protein isolate
The project is positioned to address the rapidly growing demand for plant-based, high-protein, and health-focused foods across domestic and export markets, with a focus on operational efficiency, quality standards, and scalable manufacturing.