ATHEY NALLATHA
MBA Grads Employ 49 Kerala Homemakers To Sell Mummy’s Homemade Pickles
While many lost their jobs during the pandemic, two MBA graduates quit their jobs to start a venture, employing mothers and homemakers. Today, their brand, Athey Nallatha — which means ‘That’s good’, empowers middle-aged mothers to prepare pickles on a small scale.
Launched in July 2020, today Athey Nallatha employs 49 mothers to ensure the hygienic and nutritional value of the product is kept intact. The brand claims to avoid “harmful preservatives” and uses only high-quality ingredients.
The founder of Athey Nallatha, Hafez Rahman, says, “While speaking to my mother about the pandemic one day, she asked me to start something new that would generate income for others during the lockdown. So I discussed the matter with my friend, Akshay Raveendran, and we decided to start something which provides employment to mothers.”
Hafez, 28, says that they got the idea to sell homemade pickles as it is a must-have in most Kerala homes. The duo went to the market to find out how ordinary pickles are made for cheap prices. “During our research, we understood that the local brands pick up low-quality food items to make the product. There was a need for good quality pickles in the market,” the Kochi native says.
Asked why he thought of employing homemakers, Hafez says, “I believe that the taste of pickles improves when prepared by mothers. No chef will be able to replicate that taste.”
Hafez’s mother, Aneesa Ashraf, says, “During the initial days of the lockdown, I saw many in my neighbourhood losing their jobs. To help them I suggested that Hafez start a venture of his own. Today, I am the happiest and very proud that my son employed over 30 women, myself included, in his venture.”
A fusion of pickles
“We have seven pickle varieties on our menu as of now. Each of them is a unique blend of quality ingredients. The fish and mango pickle which we call Jalpushp 2.0 is a nod to the popular “meen-manga curry” of Kerala. There is a lot of nostalgia associated with the dish but not everyone can cook it at home so we decided to bottle it for convenience.
While Jalpushp 2.0 evokes fond memories, our prawns and papaya variant was created keeping the health factor in mind. Over consumption of prawns can damage the digestive system but papaya balances the ill effects. We consulted a nutritionist before pairing the two together,”.
Product details and purchase link : https://atheynallatha.com/store/
You can also purchase it via Amazon now : https://cutt.ly/Pbs9UiK
All these fusion pickle variants are prepared after consulting a nutritionist. The team is also planning to launch other fusion pickles, including chicken and prawns and brinjal and scarlet gourds.
The 25-year-old adds that all the pickles have health benefits which are listed on the pickle bottles too. While one improves bone health, another helps with digestion and others still improve blood quotient and boosts energy. Akshay says, “Our journey began with mothers and now we have around 49 mothers on our team. We wish to expand our venture by adding more mothers into our group from different parts of Kerala.”
Megha M, who is one among the many mothers at Athey Nallatha says, “I started to work with the team six months ago. My son is Hafez’s friend, which is how I came to know about the venture. As I love to cook, my son asked me whether I would be interested in joining the team. At the age of 54 I am happy to say that I earn Rs 18,000 monthly from making pickles.”
The art of homemade pickling
The homemakers are assigned jobs, such as cutting, peeling and frying the vegetables and meats, based on their preferences. Once the pickles are ready for packing, a team at Athey Nallatha come to the homemakers’ doorstep for its collection.
Ensuring all measures related to coronavirus are met, the team brings the homemade components to the main facility in Thrippunithura for the final step which is conducted by Aneesa Ashraf herself. From there, Alisa prepares and packs the pickles in bottles with the help of other team members.
They have also started a social project called NALLATHA, entailing the Art of sales to the whole of the public, wherein people are getting an opportunity to get trained for generic sales and other business processes. They can also make a living by selling their products without the fear of any targets.
The duo tell me Athey Nallatha receives the most number of orders from South Indian states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu. “People residing in Gulf countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have also shown interest in the pickle and we are working on our supply chain for the same,” Akshay signs off.
To order from Athey Nallatha, one can do so on their website or contact them on 95671 35217.
