Kallidaikurichi, a small town in Tamil Nadu, located on the banks of the River Thamirabharani, was once known for hand-made appalams. Today, only a few people continue to make them. For years, Uma Kannan’s mother-in-law was one of them, supplying to customers across Tamil Nadu. In 1998, when Uma took over, she decided to pivot, focussing on vadams, the sun-dried, rice-based crispsversions of papads .
“My husband was working overseas and my child was in school. So, my friend and I began to make vadams and sell them to my mother-in-law’s customers. Since then, my customers have been increasing steadily,” says Uma.
She is not the first homemaker-turned-entrepreneur to do so. Vadams are dear to Tamil families: almost every family has a carefully stored stash in the pantry, no matter where in the world they live.
