“It packs a punch,” says G Sriram Prasad talking about the newly-introduced thick green soups in moringa and brahmi flavours. Sriram is the CEO and founder of keeraikadai.com, a six-year-old start up that thrives on the philosophy ‘food as medicine’ and has revived over 100 varieties of native greens such as aadathodai, thavasi, dill to name a few.
After launching green cookies formulated with vallarai, insulin spinach, guava leaves, tulsi and ashwagandha, the start up rings in its sixth anniversary by adding thick soups to the menu. “You have to empty the sachets in boiling water and stir it in. The dry green powder has as many as 16 ingredients including vegetable extracts like cabbage, broccoli, and carrot, greens and other nutrients.” Priced at ₹50 per sachet, it is currently available pan India across 25,000 pin codes.
In recent years, Keerai Kadai has found a middle ground in fusing science and ancient wisdom by using greens like aadathodai, thoothuvalai, ashwagandha, and amla. “Our ancestors always speak of brahmi’s memory-boosting abilities. Moringa, on the other hand, has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities,” says Sriram adding that while brahmi prefers well-ploughed and levelled soil, leafy vegetables are best grown at high temperatures and humid weather. “Moringa demands wet soil that is not overwatered. The harvested crops are taken to a nearby farmhouse for cleaning and processing before being sun-dried at the company’s manufacturing facility in Madurai. The dried leaves are ground into fine powder alongside other ingredients and spices.”
As an incubatee at the TBI (Technology Business Incubator) of TNAU, Sriram networks with over 200 farmers across Madurai, Theni, Nilakottai, Dindigul, Coimbatore, Pollachi, and Virudhunagar.
He distributes country seeds of native vegetables among farmers and buys back the produce. Coming from a farming background, Sriram’s vision is to make greens available at every doorstep.
Over the years, he has added as many as 10 products under the FMCG franchise. The latest is cut vegetables in response to customers’ demand in Coimbatore, Chennai, and Madurai. “Currently we are offering cut vegetables and fresh greens at delivery points like gated communities and apartments across the three cities. They have to place orders on our app one day in advance,” Sriram says.
He adds, “We have introduced 20 varieties, including carrot and beetroot in grated form, peeled green peas and soya beans, garlic, diced snake gourd, yellow pumpkin and cauliflower florets besides wild greens like thoothuvalai and country betel leaves. We source exotic green and red lettuce, celery, spring onions, from hydroponic farms in Udhagamandalam.” Next up is an instant smoothie mix with greens and keerai rasam.
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