Supreme Jaggery

Out here in Ayothiyapattinam, things move a bit slower than they do in the big cities. We make jaggery, and it’s a process that hasn't changed much in our family for a long time. It starts with the sugarcane, and there is a lot of heat and steam involved in the making. Our place is simple. We don't have a fancy storefront or a big office with air conditioning. It’s mostly just the production area and a place to store the finished blocks of jaggery before they go out to the markets. You can smell the sweetness in the air from a distance when we are boiling the juice. It’s hard work, especially when the sun is beating down on the roof. We employ people from the local village, and we all know each other. There is no corporate ladder here. We just work together to get the batches finished. Sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate, or the cane isn't as sweet as we hoped, but we just manage with what we have. It’s an honest way to make a living. We don't do much in terms of fancy packaging or big brand names. People buy it because they know it’s made right here in Ayothiyapattinam by people who have been doing it their whole lives. It’s just sugar and sweat and a lot of patience, day after day. We stay at it until the work is finished and the pots are cleaned.