Suganya Selvaraj is taken aback by the response her simple home-made podis have received in just a year
“I make podis and masalas that remind my customers of their own homes”, says Suganya Selvaraj, the founder of Grandmas Goodies. This 46-year-old entrepreneur from Coimbatore launched her brand in October last year. “It was not pre-planned. My niece had a carnival at her school and my mother-in-law took the initiative to put up a stall to sell podis. All our products were sold out in no time and that gave me confidence to turn it into a business.” She now sells her products in exhibitions and through WhatsApp.
Suganya learnt to make podis from her mother-in-law. “There will always be around four varieties of podi on our dining table. My son suggested the name Grandma’s Goodies.” She agrees that it was not initially easy as she had to deal with huge quantities of ingredients compared to what she was used to. “I did not have a recipe written down. It took me a while to figure out the right proportions.”
She offers eight varieties of podis — Dandy Dal, Tamarind Temptation, Gusty Garlic, Peanut Perfection, Moreish Moringa, Comforting Curry, Crunchy Coconut and Scrumptious Sesame. Other than this she sells sambar podi, rasam podi, vatha kuzhambu masala, fish fry masala, chicken or mutton kuzhambu masala, chicken or mutton fry masala and pepper fry masala. “The podis and masalas are made in small batches of four kg according to the order. This ensures that all my products are fresh. I buy the ingredients from the local market, except moringa leaves, which I source from my farm.” She says that the most difficult one to make is Morish Moringa. “Cleaning it takes a lot of time. The drying part is also tricky. It has to be dried in shade and care should be taken so that there is no fungus. The dried moringa leaves are then powdered with jeera, asafoetida, dal, and chilli, before being roasted. It takes one day to prepare a batch.”
Suganaya has participated in 10 exhibitions — four in Coimbatore and the rest in Chennai. She says that she never expected such a response for her products. “Youngsters these days buy podis and masalas, as most of them are working. They do not have the time or patience to make it at home. I do not add any preservatives or artificial colours in my products.”
Packed and ready to be shipped
She claims a shelf life of four to eight months for her products (depending on what they are). She door delivers her products in Coimbatore and also sends them across India.
Suganya’s future plans? “I will introduce pickles and thokku next month. I am still working on the new menu. ”
Info you can use
Each packet weighs between 100 gm and150 gm.
The price ranges from ₹120 to ₹180.
Contact 9965520839 to order