Thangavilas Aval Mill

You can find Thangavilas Aval Mill at 87/44, Pachaiyappa Street. It’s an old street, and we’ve been part of it for a good while. The mill isn’t a modern factory with robots. We rely on the old ways of doing things because that’s how you get the right texture for the aval. There is a lot of heat involved in the process, so it gets pretty warm inside, especially around noon. The smell of parboiled rice is always in the air, which is something you either love or get used to. We don't have a fancy storefront. It’s just a wide entrance where the sacks are piled up high. Most of our day is spent watching the rollers and making sure the grain isn't being crushed too hard. We have a small crew, mostly local men who live just a few streets away. We talk about the weather and the local news while we work. The machinery is loud, so we have to shout a bit to be heard. It’s a hands-on job, and your clothes will definitely be dirty by the time you head home. We don’t bother with much paperwork beyond what’s necessary for the taxes and the orders. On rainy days, the sound on the metal roof is deafening, but we keep going. It’s just a regular local mill trying to do a decent job for the people who buy from us. We don’t have a website or anything like that, we just rely on people knowing where to find us on Pachaiyappa Street when they need their grain processed.