Tharappil Flour & Oil Mill

If you go down Koodaranji Road in the Thottumukkam area, you will find our mill at 1-65. It is a busy little spot, especially in the mornings when the air is still a bit cool. At Tharappil Flour & Oil Mill, the smell is the first thing people notice. It is a mix of ground spices and the heavy, thick scent of fresh oil being pressed. We have a couple of machines that take up most of the floor space, and they make a fair bit of noise when they are both running at the same time. Thottumukkam is a place where everyone knows everyone, so we often have people stopping by just to chat for a minute while they wait for their stuff. We spend a lot of time cleaning the oil presses because they get very sticky if you leave them for even an hour. The bags of seeds and grains are stacked up high toward the back of the building. We don’t have many staff members, just a few of us who handle everything from the unloading to the actual milling. It can get pretty hot inside with the motors running, but we have a couple of big windows that look out onto Koodaranji Road. It’s a very basic way to make a living, but it keeps us busy from Monday to Saturday. We just focus on keeping the machines in good shape and getting through the daily pile of work.