As the primary gentle of day touches the picturesque city of Marangattupally in Kerala, Beena Tom embarks on her morning ritual: amassing a contemporary harvest of sun-kissed fruits from her yard. For the proud 56-year-old entrepreneur, turning her ardour right into a worthwhile enterprise had all the time been a suggestion in passing; eight years in the past, she determined to make it a actuality.
“At the moment, I collected about 20 kg of nutmeg and made juice. Whereas most individuals discard the outer overlaying of the nutmeg flower, I take advantage of it to make pickles and juices,” she says after the top 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 just a few. She combines conventional recipes with a contemporary twist to showcase the flavours of Kerala’s wealthy produce. Her ingenuity has remodeled her easy harvest right into a affluent enterprise, bringing in Rs 50,000 every month.
Beneath her enterprise ‘Bees of Beena’, she makes over 140 types of merchandise — akin to selfmade pickles, jams, squash, juices, chips, pulps, and honey. Her creations have captured the hearts and style buds of many, resulting in a gentle stream of orders, each on-line and offline.
By the efficient use of social media and word-of-mouth advertising and marketing, Beena has expanded her attain past Kerala. At the moment, she caters to prospects throughout a number of cities, together with Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mumbai.
Harvesting desires: The start 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 inspiration for her enterprise, Tom’s unwavering assist helped Beena begin her journey.
“I used to be all the time keen on cooking meals with what I harvested in my yard. Each time my husband’s associates or our relations would go to us, I loved treating them to my selfmade dishes. They’d take some with them as properly and sometimes instructed that I commercialise them. Their compliments motivated me,” she says.
“However she was by no means capable of commercialise the merchandise. All her time went into taking care of our two youngsters and my dad and mom. She was capable of deal with beginning the enterprise solely after my retirement. Now that my dad and mom are not any extra and our kids are settled, she has on a regular basis to fulfil her desires,” her husband Tom explains.
He smiles as he fondly recollects how his spouse was all the time his rock when he was nonetheless working. “After my retirement, I simply provided her some assist 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 vegetables and fruit by varied 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 realized to create quite a lot of progressive merchandise from bananas, nutmeg, mangoes, and different fruits. Aside from her backyard, Beena and her husband additionally handle 60 bee packing containers.
Natural magic: Beena Tom’s speciality
Within the three acres that make up Beena’s yard, all the things 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 among 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 thirty 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 grow to be not simply sources of revenue however avenues for private progress and connection.
“Greater than earnings, I do that for ardour and to remain engaged. I don’t need to waste a minute of my life. It’s a win-win state of affairs, as I’m capable of earn a superb revenue whereas pursuing what I really like,” she shares.
Speaking about operating a house enterprise at 56, Beena says, “If pursuing your pursuits makes you content, 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 grow to be a medium for us to get engaged and get away from loneliness.”
In a world the place time is a valuable commodity, Beena emphasises that pursuing one’s passions not solely enriches one’s life but in addition positively impacts a number of others. “Each time I met somebody new, they’d first ask my identify; the second factor could be what I did for a residing. Each particular person has a objective. I didn’t know mine. These questions saved bothering me. However immediately as a working girl incomes an revenue, my shallowness has positively grown. I really feel assured now,” she says as we conclude our dialog.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee. All photographs: Beena Tom.
