Abi Areca Leaf Products

Our place, Abi Areca Leaf Products, is over in Chakala on VL Mehta Road, B 204. It’s actually inside a building, so it doesn't feel like a typical shop. We work with those plates and bowls made from fallen leaves. They come in big bundles and we have to sort through them to make sure they are okay. The room has a very earthy smell, kind of like dry grass and woods. There isn't a whole lot of space, so we have to be careful where we walk or we might trip over a stack of square plates. I spend a lot of time packing these things into cardboard boxes for shipping. My tape dispenser makes a loud screeching noise that echoes in the hallway. Sometimes the neighbors in the building ask what we're doing with all those leaves. I explain it’s for eating off of, and they usually find that interesting. The lighting isn't great, just a couple of tube lights that hum. I keep a small notebook to track what goes out, but I often misplace my pen. It’s a bit of a messy process, dealing with natural materials like these. They aren't all perfectly the same shape, which I think is fine. We just handle the orders as they come in and try to stay on top of the stock. It's a quiet operation here in B 204 and it keeps me off the streets.