We all have a need for something about our grandmother’s food. Even after they have passed away, we still think back on their recipes and try to recreate them. This is how Anand Bharadwaj recounted the memories of his grandmother Janaki’s special recipes—the days when their home was filled with Diwali treats like Aval Pori Urundai, Nendran banana chips, and Kai Murukku.
Nalini Parthiban, his wife, also remembers with fondness helping to make these sweets and loving the origin stories. But she adds, “It was difficult for me to find the time as a mother to prepare (those) traditional recipes the authentic way they deserved to be prepared.”
This challenge was significant for Nalini and Anand, who chose to pursue entrepreneurship as a result. “Our goal was very clear: to share the united voice of South India with the world and to offer real recipes, just like our grandmother used to make them.”
Absent preservatives In South India, the term “Sweetheart Karam Coffee” refers to a three-part snacking experience: first, a sweet dish; then, karam (namkeen); and last, a hot filter coffee. It is an essential component of any celebration Nalini throws. With just Rs 2,000, the two founded Sweet Karam Coffee in order to tackle two significant problems in the South Indian snacking market.
First, there is a dearth of properly packaged, authentic, traditional snacks and sweets that are accessible and devoid of preservatives. Instead, these products are kept fresher for longer periods of time by using nitrogen-flushed packaging and MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging). Second, younger generations are starting to choose Western munching.
The D2C brand, which sells its snacks only online, provides a variety of options from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, including Madras Mixture, Ribbon Pakoda, Seedai, Kara Sev, Oma Podi, Peanut Chikki, and more. It intends to add Karnataka and Andhra specialties to its lineup soon.
In response to the question of what distinguishes the brand, Nalini states that clean, locally sourced ingredients and flavor are the main differentiators. In order to stay on course, we’re actively experimenting with millet-based snacks and sugar-free alternatives, which are currently in style.
South Indian handmade snacks are a direct rival to Sweet Karam. She continues, “We make products that taste exactly like we make them at home, with zero palm oil and preservatives.”
The brand primarily employs jaggery and rice bran or groundnut oil in its products. Depending on the particular snack, gram flour, uncooked rice flour, and sunflower oil are used to make some of the millet snacks.
empowering female entrepreneurs and farmers
In addition to offering nutritious snacks, Sweet Karam Coffee supports a broader network of independent contractors and small farmers by giving them opportunity to continue producing these time-honored treats. There are currently 35 workers, majority of them are female.
The other distinction is that consumers are growing more aware of ingredients. They desire more goods that are more akin to what they can taste at home. The consumption of South Indian snacks by non-South Indians has also increased, she continues.
By working closely with farmers, we are able to develop a direct link with the yield, which is the actual source of our components. Because we buy our millet goods directly from farmers in the southern areas, the snacks have a more organic quality, according to Nalini.
While hearty ingredients and bold flavors are the main draws of these snacks, the author credits “our grandmother’s recipes and working with skilled home chefs” for their authenticity. “We empower them, especially women entrepreneurs, to scale with us,” she continues. The objective is to create an ecosystem that is sustainable and maintains tradition.
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