Virucham Mara Cheku Oil Private Limited

We set up our shop at Vadagarai Junction, right on G.N.T. Road in Chennai. Being in the Redhills area means there is always a lot of traffic and noise passing by our front door. Our place at No.220/1 is where Virucham Mara Cheku Oil Private Limited does all its oil pressing. We use the traditional mara cheku method because that is the way we learned how to do it. It is a slow way to make oil, but we aren't in a massive rush to finish. The machines make a lot of rhythmic noise throughout the day. People from the neighborhood stop in to get their oil for cooking. It is messy work, to be honest with you. There is oil on the floors and we are always cleaning something up. We get the seeds and nuts from different places and just get to work. We aren't a massive factory with hundreds of workers. It’s just a few of us here making sure the oil comes out the way it should. Sometimes we have to explain to people why the price changes, but that is just because the cost of the raw materials goes up and down. We try to be fair about it. Living and working in Chennai can be very hectic, but being here at the junction keeps us busy enough. We don't have a marketing team. We just open the shutters in the morning and stay until the work is finished. It's a simple life.