Ananthi Foods & Masala

We run Ananthi Foods & Masala right out of our place at Ananthi House on Narmatha Street. Being in Tambaram East, it’s a nice enough neighborhood, and our workspace is basically part of the home. You can usually hear the grinders going from the street if the windows are open. We spend most of our mornings preparing the mixes and getting everything measured out. It’s a lot of repetitive work, but we find a rhythm in it. The kitchen area gets quite warm, especially in the summer months, but that’s just how it is when you’re working with spices. We started this because we needed something to do, and it just grew from there into a full-time job for the family. We don't have any big delivery trucks, just a scooter we use to drop things off nearby. Sometimes neighbors come by to see what we are making that day. It’s a very local way of doing things. The jars and bags take up most of the spare room we have, and sometimes it’s hard to find a place to sit down for a tea break. We keep the paperwork in a shoebox on the shelf because that’s the easiest way to find it. It isn't a massive company, just us at Narmatha Street trying to get the orders filled and keeping the house smelling like roasted peppers and turmeric. It is a long day every day.