Today on the blog we feature, Divya Pamuru and Sirisha Sumanth, co-founders of Suvai based in Chennai – a farm to table venture. With first hand farming experience, the founders have created a farmers community to sell organic and safe farm produce. Sirisha shares with us their start up story, their mission and the proposed showcase at By Hand From The Heart : Makers Market this September.
About your venture ‘Suvai’.
The Namma Suvai Community… It all starts with us – The desire to feed ourselves and our family nutritious, non toxic, preservative-free, balanced food that we actually want to eat. At Suvai, we do just that. We are a community who pride ourselves on feeding our family healthy organic and non GMO food. At Namma Suvai, we buy, source and share information about healthy food.Food that is sourced here comes from our farms or from sustainable natural farms we know personally to bring you the freshest, finest and most nutritious produce so that for you, eating right is as easy as pie!
How did you begin Suvai and how has it evolved over the years?
It started with us from when our kids were born. As a mother I wanted to feed them nutritious, non-toxic, no preservative, balanced food that they would actually want to eat.
Divya’s background as a horticulturist and her experience working with farmers in rural AP for 5 years told her that the food we get in stores is not the kind she would like to feed her children. At the same time, Sirisha was experiencing first hand how a change in food choices for her family was making a big difference in her kids allergies and general health. Suvai is a means to the end of our search for our families wellness.
What is your personal favourite pick from your Suvai right now? And why?
This year, we’ve had a long dry summer that was definitely very hard on the farms and farmers. With the recent rains, we are delighted to have a bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits.
The farmers you work with.
We work primarily with natural and sustainable farmers around Chennai. Running a farm ourselves, we are in a position to lead by example, growing crops that are best suited to our lands, seasons and natural resources, and most importantly, learn from our peers. Being part of this group of farmers makes it possible to share traditional knowledge and practical information on what works best for each farmer. Our community of growers are acutely aware of the water and resource shortages plaguing North Coastal Tamil Nadu and are deeply involved in the fight to build a sustainable future.
What are you bringing to the “By Hand, From The Heart” event.
We will be displaying a range of seasonal vegetables and fruits and naturally grown grains and pulses. We do also work with sustainable natural farmers in other agro-climatic regions – after all, variety is the spice of life!
A typical day at Suvai.
Between working on our farm, working with our partner farms and continuing the all important conversation with our community, the fact that we are a farm to fork initiative means that we are constantly focused on our logistics and quality. We are proud of the fact that all the produce reaches your doorstep within 24 hours of harvest.
Any product story you would like to share.
This past season, one of the farmers in our community harvested a traditional rice called Kullakar. This is his third time working with this variety of rice. We are beaming with pride at the results. He used 3 kilos of seeds, employed traditional sowing methods and all natural inputs and harvested 1.5 tonnes of paddy! Not only is such a crop economically and environmentally sustainable, the rice will be a great addition to our diets. It possesses antioxidant properties, and has higher zinc and iron content than white rices. It also strengthens, regenerates, and energises the body, regulates blood pressure, and prevents skin diseases and premature aging. Kullakkar rice is great for making Idly and Dosais.
What is your message to your customers and to the public?
You are what you eat. We all know that we should eat better and we all want to eat better. But change is not easy. At Suvai, we make this effort as a community. Sharing information on good food habits, exchanging recipes and sharing helpful tips in our journey to adopt and savour healthy food.
By Hand From The Heart: MAKERS MARKET – 21st Edition
Date: Friday – Saturday, 8th – 9th September, 2017
Time: 10:00 a.m – 8:00 p.m
Venue: Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park
Address: 132, T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600018, Tamil Nadu. India
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