P A Masalawala

Our place is tucked away in the Shreepal Industrial Esta over in Malad West. It's Rajawadi 56/2 if you’re looking for the exact unit. If you come near the building, you can usually smell what we’re doing before you even see the door. The air is always full of that sharp scent of chilies and turmeric. We spend most of our time at the machines, grinding down whole spices into powders. It’s a dusty kind of work and it makes you sneeze if you aren’t used to it. We deal with a lot of local shops and some families who want their own blends made up. The industrial estate is always loud with trucks moving in and out, so there's never a quiet moment during the day. We’ve been at this spot for a while, just keeping the grinders running and making sure the bags are sealed up right. It’s not a fancy showroom or anything like that, just a workspace with stacks of sacks piled up against the walls. We get the raw stuff in, clean it, and then it goes into the mills. People around Malad know where to find us when they need their kitchen staples stocked up. It’s honest work and it keeps us busy from Monday to Saturday. Sometimes we stay late when a big order comes in, just trying to keep up with the demand for fresh masala. That’s just the daily life for us here.