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Taste of enterprise

Some enterprising women in the city have turned their hobby into business ventures

They are women of substance. They are some of the many enterprising women in the city who have turned their hobbies into successful ventures. While Supriya A. and Prabha Joshua work over a hot stove to whip up dishes, Jyothi P.B. blends various herbs and oils to create Ayurveda beauty products.

Supriya enjoys cooking. Called `Saturday Treats,' Supriya's garage on Golf Links Road turns into a take-away food counter every Saturday evening.

"I offer only home-cooked vegetarian food. It's mostly traditional items but we do have eats to suit the palette of the younger generation." Taking off two months ago, the reason why she chose Saturdays to offer her fare is because Saturdays is normally a day when families like eating out. "I started this to promote homemade delicacies like `orratti,' `mudra uttapam,' `adai' and `ottada' to the present generation. Some have it for dinner and leave some for breakfast on Sunday. Besides most people are tired of the normal, repetitive fare at the restaurants," she says.

Cooking on Saturdays for her counter also provides a reason for friends to get together. "I am lucky, my neighbours help me out with the cooking and packing as their children and mine do the arranging," says Supriya.

All in the family

For Jyothi, on the other hand, brewing and concocting Ayurveda potions comes natural to her as her grandfather was a `vaidyan,' and her father had a library full of books on Ayurveda. "A neighbour's daughter had a slight discolouration on her face. They tried various means to remove it, but failed. That is when I suggested she try a pack I made. It worked," she says. And that made her think of marketing her homemade remedies.

Similarly, Prabha Joshua started off by baking a cake or two for family and friends. Now, well known for her baked products like tarts, patties, birthday and wedding cakes, she caters to kitty parties, birthdays and other small gatherings.

While turning their hobby into a business venture is extra pocket money for Supriya and Prabha, it is a source of livelihood for Jyothi. She supplies her homemade Ayurveda products to various parlours in the city under her name.

"Most of the products like `Mukhakanthi,' `Pimple Pack' and `Amla Plus' are a mixture of things our ancestors used. I use a mix of Ayurveda and Aromatherapy in it."

The fact that they are homemade seems to be the USP of their growing business. As Supriya puts it, "As everything is homemade, everything is fresh and the quality is guaranteed."

LIZA GEORGE

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