Sri Athavan Masala

Sri Athavan Masala is located at 73/1 Kasipalayam Road, right near the Koolipalayam Naal Road. It is a spot that almost always smells like strong spices, which is a good thing considering what we do for a living. We have been working out of this small space in S. Periyapalam for a good while. It can be a bit confusing with the addresses because we are also near Tilaknagar in the Old Malviya Nagar area. We spend most of our time grinding and mixing different ingredients. There is often a lot of dust from the dried chilies and turmeric, so we have to keep the windows wide open even when it is cold. It is hard physical work, and your hands usually end up smelling like cumin or coriander for days. We started this because we wanted to make the kind of spice blends we use in our own kitchens at home. We do not have a big factory, just a couple of sturdy grinders and some metal scales for weighing everything out. Most of our neighbors stop by to get their supplies for the week. We pack everything into small plastic bags by hand. It takes a lot of time, but we do not mind the effort. The machines can be quite loud, so we try to do all the grinding early in the morning before it gets too hot outside. It is just a simple, local business for us.