Milka Bakers

The mornings start really early here in Vellalapalayam Post. Usually, the sun isn't even up when we arrive at the bakery. Being in Erode, it gets warm fast, so we like to get the ovens going before the heat of the day hits. Milka Bakers is a local spot, nothing too fancy. You can smell the bread from the end of the road. We spend most of the day in our aprons, covered in a bit of flour. The kitchen area is where everything happens, and the front counter is just big enough for a few people to stand at. We get a lot of people stopping by on their way to the post office or heading into Gobichettypalayam. The tiles on the floor are a bit worn down from all the walking back and forth. We have an old radio that plays local songs while we work. It’s a family-run feel, even if we aren't all related. Sometimes we run out of things earlier than expected, and we have to tell people to come back tomorrow. We don't use any high-tech gadgets, just the old recipes and the equipment we've had for years. It works for us. The community here in Tamil Nadu is close-knit, so we know most of our customers by their first names. It’s just a simple life of baking and talking to neighbors every day while we wait for the next batch.