As the primary mild of day touches the picturesque city of Marangattupally in Kerala, Beena Tom embarks on her morning ritual: gathering a recent harvest of sun-kissed fruits from her yard. For the proud 56-year-old entrepreneur, turning her ardour right into a worthwhile enterprise had at all times been a suggestion in passing; eight years in the past, she determined to make it a actuality.
“Immediately, I collected about 20 kg of nutmeg and made juice. Whereas most individuals discard the outer overlaying of the nutmeg flower, I exploit it to make pickles and juices,” she says after the tip of her morning ritual.
Beena makes use of her culinary prowess to make quite a lot of dishes from flowers and fruits she grows in her cherished yard — house to a thriving inhabitants of coconuts, areca nuts, mangoes, guavas and butterfly peas, to call a number of. She combines conventional recipes with a contemporary twist to showcase the flavours of Kerala’s wealthy produce. Her ingenuity has reworked her easy harvest right into a affluent enterprise, bringing in Rs 50,000 every month.
Below her enterprise ‘Bees of Beena’, she makes over 140 forms of merchandise — akin to do-it-yourself pickles, jams, squash, juices, chips, pulps, and honey. Her creations have captured the hearts and style buds of many, resulting in a gradual stream of orders, each on-line and offline.
By means of the efficient use of social media and word-of-mouth advertising and marketing, Beena has expanded her attain past Kerala. Immediately, she caters to clients throughout a number of cities, together with Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mumbai.
Harvesting goals: The beginning of an enterprise
Beena’s journey into the world of culinary entrepreneurship started in 2017, following her husband Tom Antony’s retirement. Whereas her ardour laid the muse for her enterprise, Tom’s unwavering help helped Beena begin her journey.
“I used to be at all times keen on cooking meals with what I harvested in my yard. Each time my husband’s associates or our kinfolk would go to us, I loved treating them to my do-it-yourself dishes. They’d take some with them as effectively and infrequently advised that I commercialise them. Their compliments motivated me,” she says.
“However she was by no means in a position to commercialise the merchandise. All her time went into taking care of our two youngsters and my dad and mom. She was in a position to deal with beginning the enterprise solely after my retirement. Now that my dad and mom are not any extra and our youngsters are settled, she has on a regular basis to fulfil her goals,” her husband Tom explains.
He smiles as he fondly remembers how his spouse was at all times his rock when he was nonetheless working. “After my retirement, I simply supplied her some help and he or she began doing this work. Whereas I used to be in service, she was my spine, and now, I attempt to be hers,” he says.
In 2017, Beena started her journey by present process coaching in beekeeping and the worth addition of vegatables and fruits via numerous companies, together with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Kumarakom. Following her coaching, she began processing honey and creating merchandise like honey soaps.
Over time, she refined her abilities and discovered to create quite a lot of modern merchandise from bananas, nutmeg, mangoes, and different fruits. Aside from her backyard, Beena and her husband additionally handle 60 bee containers.
Natural magic: Beena Tom’s speciality
Within the three acres that make up Beena’s yard, all the pieces is organically grown. “We don’t put any chemical fertiliser. We solely use vermicompost, cow dung, bone meal, and kitchen waste compost to develop our fruits and flowers,” she says.
One in all Beena’s star elements is the butterfly pea — a fragile blue flower that provides a pop of color and flavour to her creations. She transforms this humble harvest into delectable tea and juice.
Her dedication to utilizing pure and natural elements units her merchandise aside, attracting a loyal buyer base nationwide. Flower juices are priced between Rs 350 and Rs 400 per litre, whereas pulps and different merchandise vary from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. Beena caters to eight to 10 orders every day. “With this, I’m able to make round Rs 50,000 per 30 days as revenue,” she says.
Past the monetary success of her enterprise, Beena finds fulfilment in pursuing her ardour and staying engaged in significant work. Along with her youngsters settled overseas, farming and her home based business have change into not simply sources of earnings however avenues for private development and connection.
“Greater than earnings, I do that for ardour and to remain engaged. I don’t wish to waste a minute of my life. It’s a win-win scenario, as I’m in a position to earn a great earnings whereas pursuing what I like,” she shares.
Speaking about operating a house enterprise at 56, Beena says, “If pursuing your pursuits makes you cheerful, the work doesn’t really feel hectic. I get pleasure from my time doing this. With youngsters being away, it’s farming and this home based business that has change into a medium for us to get engaged and get away from loneliness.”
In a world the place time is a treasured commodity, Beena emphasises that pursuing one’s passions not solely enriches one’s life but additionally positively impacts a number of others. “Each time I met somebody new, they might first ask my identify; the second factor can be what I did for a residing. Each individual has a objective. I didn’t know mine. These questions stored bothering me. However as we speak as a working lady incomes an earnings, my shallowness has undoubtedly grown. I really feel assured now,” she says as we conclude our dialog.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee. All images: Beena Tom.
