Gushing over leafy greens, thanks to this Coimbatore agri-startup

From spinach variants like vallarai and paal perikki to dips and delicious snacks, KeeraiKadai.com’s maiden outlet in the city is here to make Chennai eat healthy.
The greens are harvested four hours before going on sale. (Photo | D Sampathkumar, EPS)
The greens are harvested four hours before going on sale. (Photo | D Sampathkumar, EPS)

CHENNAI: With spinach’s infamous ambassador, Popeye the sailor man, off of our television screens, aiming to breathe new life into the leafy greens with the launch of their maiden store in Nolambur is KeeraiKadai.com.

A Coimbatore-based agri-tech start-up, it aims to be your one-stop destination for farm-fresh greens in the city.

Over 70 different types of spinach, named and labelled with health benefits, was on display.

The shelves were thronged by curious customers. Pirandai for spine strengthening, nattu vallarai for improving memory power, and paal perikki for pregnant women are some of the spinach varieties featured.

“There were over 5,000 native varieties of spinach just in Tamil Nadu,” says Sriram Prasad G, CEO and founder.

“Over the years, the number has dwindled, but we’ve been to able to rediscover over 120 varieties.”

Harvested just four hours before they are available for sale in the shop, the quality of the greens are superior and nutrient-loaded.

Partnering with various farmers in the neighbouring districts of Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram, KeeraiKadai is an immense help to the growers, cutting their operating costs while educating them on better agricultural techniques.

“As we integrate more farmers into our family, we will also be donating one per cent of the total sales from our new product, the Greeny DIP, towards the education of the children of the farmers,” says Sriram.

The newly launched Greeny DIP — in six different flavours, including moringa, aswagandha and vallarai — is a natural soup sachet rich in iron and calcium packed in a filter bag similar to a teabag.

We were served the moringa flavour, which has hints of pepper and other spices that form the undertone of the soup. Created keeping various health ailments in mind, it is safe for people of all ages to consume.

The Nolambur outlet also serves herbal soup varieties and evening snacks like keerai vadai, keerai kozhukattai, keerai smoothies and keerai paniyaram.

Not done just yet, the brand has big plans to open stores in 20 other locations around the city and add moringa noodles, spinach jams made with country jaggery and other healthy snacks to their line-up.

Visit the new KeeraiKadai store at No.144, LIG Nolambur 4th Main Road, Chennai.

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The New Indian Express
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