An empty nest that led to a thriving business

HYDERABAD: An empty nest can make parents feel gutted, especially a stay-at-home mother who has been devoting herself to family. When her son left for college, Poornima Mital felt lonely and faced a tough time adapting to her empty nest. However, she did not fret for long, as a business idea took shape in her mind. After two years of labour, she formed mirchi.com, an online store for sweets and snacks.

Be it Pootherukulu from Kakinada, or Peda from Mathura, you can have specialties from different states delivered at your doorstep. The best part of the venture is that it engages home cooks who do not have any avenue to sell their products. This Shaikpet-resident was working as a marketing professional in the US, before the family decided to move back to India. She continued working in India until her company was acquired by another organisation.

After this, Poornima decided to take a break and spend more time with family.  In 2015, after her son had left for college, she started toying with the idea of making Indian delicacies available all over the globe. “When I used to buy food items in India and take them to the US, everyone used to order some for themselves. I have grown up with a mother who is an expert in making sweetmeats. However, after I came back to India, I found few places that sell good quality products.

That is when I thought that it would be great to provide a platform for home cooks to sell their kitchen creations. Many of them cannot go out and sell due to family restrictions. We provide them packing material and also arrange for the delivery of the products.” By 2017, her business was up and running. She thanks her husband for being her pillar of strength throughout the journey. “My husband took care of the website design and other technical details.

I also have a team of ten supporting me. Keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic, we are training our home cooks to take all safety precautions. We also make sure that all the products are packed and shipped in a hygienic way.”

—   Kakoli Mukherjee   kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com  @kakoliMukherje2