“Our packaging is eco-friendly but we still encourage our customers to bring their own bags and containers for the things they buy,” says Gowri Madhu firmly. She is showing me around Seeragam Native Store, a venture that she recently launched along with her friends and partners Parthiban M and Jagadeesh N.
The juice and snack counter at the entrance
Despite the afternoon heat, the inside of the store is cool. The thatched roof, the bamboo screens and the heavy stones all contribute to keeping the temperature down. The décor is made up of wood, bamboo and stone... “all of which had been junked,” laughs Gowri. “We even picked some stuff off the roads. Every bit here has been reused, or upcycled.”
The idea behind the store is to spread the word about healthy living and traditional food. For the last few years, Gowri and her partners have been buying products wholesale from farmers and other producers and selling them across the country. “This is our first retail venture and we want to tell people why they should buy natural products and where it comes from.”
Only seasonal vegetables are available
The first room is devoted to fruits and vegetables. “But you will find only what is seasonal,” explains Gowri. One shelf holds gleaming golden apples from Uttarakhand. Another holds papaya and bananas. On the veggies side are piles of brinjal, lady’s finger, snake gourd and ivy gourd.
Glass, aluminium and brown paper for storage
In the next room are big glass containers full of powders and spices. Brown paper packets containing the same products line the walls. Six big aluminium tins contain different kinds of rice. “All native varieties,” says Gowri proudly and reels off their names, “ mapillai samba, thuyamalli, seeraga samba,kullakar ...”
I am more excited at seeing the containers, which I remember from my childhood. Glass was for sweets and the aluminium tins were for biscuits, I tell Gowri. She laughs and says it allows the customers to get a feel of what they’re buying. “It’s very different buying a product that you have handled.”
The third room “will have items not related to food,” explains Gowri. Some Chennapatna toys, the traditional choppu from Madurai, cooking vessels and implements made of iron, wooden ladles and glass bottles of various sizes and shapes are up on offer. Gowri would like to add palm-leaf products like winnows and baskets. “As long as the product is native and eco-friendly, we’re open to stocking it,” she says. The other caveat being that they prefer to source it directly from the producer or manufacturer and not go through middlemen or traders.
A space to relax, talk and learn
More than just being another store, Gowri and her partners hope to develop this as a space where people can drop in, relax and also have conversations about natural farming, where the food they eat is coming from, and sustainability among others. To this end, they have created Ambuli, a long corridor with low stone seats and tables on one side. On the other is a tasteful display of books, plants and ceramic ware. “People can read or just chill here,” says Gowri.
To that end, a juice and snacks counter has been set up at the entrance. “The drinks will be served in coconut shell, glass or steel tumblers. For the eatables, it will be plates made of areca nut or theyal illai . No plastic or disposable cutlery here.” Over time, they also plan to host events at Ambuli.
In the final reckoning, says Gowri, “we don't want to be the only ones talking here. We're want to hear from our customers too. We want to keep the dialogue going.”
What’s behind the name
The ‘Native’ comes from the idea of stocking only products native to the region. Ask about the Seeragam and Gowri gives three reasons. “One is that it is a prominent spice in the anjaraipetti . Tamil literature has many poems that say, without seeragam , the anjaraipetti is not complete even if all the other spices are there. Second, the word means balance the body. Seer means maintain/balance and agam means body. Third is the recall value. Some people laugh at the name, others are surprised. But no one forgets it.”
Info you can use
The store stocks fruits and vegetables, pulses and grains, spices, oils, cooking implements and utensils in wood and iron, some wooden toys and glass containers
Customers who bring their own bags or containers are given discounts. “For purchases between 500 g to 1kg, they get ₹4 per product. For less than 500gm, it is ₹3 per product.”
They use only brown paper to package spices, grains and pulses. Honey, pickles and oils are sold in bottles only
The snacks and pickles are home-made. “We find women who are in need of money. We train them in the process and provide them with all the raw materials,” says Gowri. “Through frequent checks, we ensure the quality and pay them for making these items for us. It’s a win-win situation for both.”
All their snacks like athirasam, kara sev, murukku and sweets are made with native rice varieties and millets
Seeragam is at #27 E, Bharathi Colony, Peelamedu. Open from 9.30 am to 10.00 pm. Contact 9843644455 for more details
