Shetye Pan Shop

You can find us on Oil Mill Road, right near the Opera House. It’s a busy area for sure, but our little corner stays pretty much the same. We have our glass jars lined up on the wooden shelves. They’ve been there for a long time and some have chips in them. Every morning we get the fresh leaves delivered and we start sorting through them. Some are better for certain types of pan. We spend the day mixing the lime and the catechu. It’s a messy job, but we’re used to it by now. The smell of the sweet fillings is always hanging in the air. We don't have a big neon sign or anything flashy like that. People just know we're here. We see a lot of office workers coming by after their lunch is done. They usually want something to help with digestion before they head back to work. We chat for a bit while I prepare the leaf. It’s a quick interaction, but it’s nice to see familiar faces. The traffic on Oil Mill Road can be quite something, with all the horns honking constantly. We just stay behind the counter and do our work. Sometimes the jars need a good polish, but mostly we just focus on making the pan. It’s a small business, just a family thing really. We’ve seen the area change a lot, but we’re still here doing our thing.