Chaitra Palavi Foods

Down here in Murud, things move a lot slower than they do in the big cities like Mumbai. Our place is located at House Number 233, right in the heart of the village. Being in the Dapoli area of Ratnagiri, we are surrounded by a lot of greenery and it is mostly very quiet. Chaitra Palavi Foods is really just a small local operation we run from our home base. We process a lot of the local produce here, depending on what fruit or vegetable is in season at the time. The smell of whatever we are making or drying usually drifts right out into the street. Most of our work is done by hand, from the cleaning part to the final packing in jars or bags. It is a lot of daily effort, but we much prefer doing it this way. We do not have any big industrial machines or a fancy factory floor. It is just us and a few helpers from the village who come in to assist. During the monsoon months, things can get a bit tricky with all the moisture in the air, so we have to be extra careful with our storage. We sell mostly to the local markets and to the tourists who are passing through on their way to the nearby beach. It is not a complicated business by any means. We just take what the land gives us and try to make something people like.