Selvakumar Sago Factory

The Selvakumar Sago Factory is situated at No.110A in Jangamasamudram, which is part of the Thammampatty area in Salem. We are right in the heart of Tamil Nadu, surrounded by the land that produces the tapioca we use. The factory itself is a busy place, especially when the harvest comes in. There’s a lot of water used in making sago, so the ground is often damp, and there’s a distinct smell to the processing that you get used to after a few days. We’ve been running this factory for quite a while now. It’s not a high-tech facility with robots; it’s mostly hard manual work and machines that we have to maintain ourselves. We start the day very early, usually when it’s still dark, to beat the worst of the Salem heat. By midday, the sun is beating down on the tin roof and it gets pretty warm inside. We have a local crew from the village who know the process inside and out. We don't have a website or a sales team. We just produce the sago and it goes out to the markets. It’s a simple life and a simple business. We focus on the quality of the starch and making sure the machines don't break down at the wrong time. If you come to visit, you'll see us in our work clothes, probably covered in a bit of dust.