KOCHI: When one hears the word miller, a medium-sized flour-dusted room comes to mind. Smelling of the pungent chilly powder or the myriad oils with big machines, a traditional mill comes with ear-deafening noise. But for a person who walks into The Miller, a new generation mill, the experience is one that of awe. An air-conditioned mill where one can order flour or spices of their choice on the phone.
“For city folks, going out to buy whole wheat grains or spices in bulk and then getting them milled is a tiring and tedious process,” says Venugopal R, managing director of The Miller. However, frequent news articles questioning the quality of packed items make people look for safe options like sourcing natural products that won’t comprise their health, he added.
So, Venugopal, a civil engineer by profession, thought why not set up a mill that gives the customers the very thing they need — pure, natural and healthy products. “At The Miller, customers can get the flour and spices of their choice milled and packed in front of them,” he said adding the price is nothing more than the regular packaged goods.
“We assure quality,” said Venugopal. “We have many varieties of wheat and rice. Some are priced the same as in the market and some are high-end ones. For example, we have wheat selling at Rs 51 and also a variety priced at Rs 74,” he added. Another feature that sets The Miller apart is the use of separate machines for every product.
“We don’t mill chilly or other spices in the machine that is used to powder wheat. These machines are cleaned daily, weekly and monthly to ensure that total hygiene is maintained,” said Venugopal. The flour even undergoes a cooling process before getting packed. Something not seen at the regular miller. “We also mill edible oils and at present have machines to produce coconut oil, flaxseed oil, mustard oil, rapeseed oil and almond oil. We are strict about quality,” reiterates Venugopal.
Venugopal set up the first shop at Kadavanthra. “After Onam, we launched one at Kakkanad and then at Elamakara. The plan is to open more franchises in the district and then in the entire state,” he said adding they are getting orders from outside the state too. The Miller uses e-commerce websites to cater to long-distance orders.