Ruchi Chilli

We are over at 158 Gandhi Peth in Betageri. If you come by during the harvest season, the whole street is filled with the smell of drying chillies. It can be quite strong and makes your eyes water if you aren't used to it. Our building is an old one in the middle of Gandhi Peth, and we use most of the space for sorting and packing the red chillies. There are piles of them everywhere on the floor on big plastic sheets. We spend hours sitting there, pulling off the stems and making sure only the good ones go into the sacks. It is back-breaking work sometimes, but it is what we do. The walls are a bit stained and the roof leaks a little when the rain is heavy, but we manage to keep the stock dry. People in the market know us as just another small family outfit trying to make a living. We don't have any big signs or advertisements. Most of our business comes from people who have been buying from us for years. The sunlight comes through the small windows in the afternoon and lights up all the red piles, which looks quite nice actually. We keep a ledger for all the sales, and it is full of scribbles and stains. It’s a messy, spicy, and loud environment, but it feels like home to us after all this time working together in this spot.