In many Indian homes aachars and papads are not just food. They are memories, tradition and love from mothers and grandmothers served on a plate. For middle aged women especially in rural and small town areas, this can also become a way to earn some money and help their family. With little investment and some family support, a woman can start a homemade pickle and papad business from her own kitchen itself.
A Woman’s dream to earn from Home
Lets take the example of Lakkhi Devi from Barpeta, Assam. She is a 40 year old housewife. Her children go to school and her husband works in the fields and various other things. But the family income is not enough. Rina knows how to make tasty mango pickle, lemon pickle and crunchy urad dal papads, recipes passed from her mother. She starts thinking, “If people in the village like my pickles, why not sell them?”
This is how many women in India begin their small journey. No big shop no heavy investment, just a few bottles of pickle and packets of papad etc. Slowly with hard work, this becomes a business.
The Inspiration Shri mahila Griha Udyog (Lijjat Papad)
Every woman who dreams of this business must know the story of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog. In 1959 seven women from Mumbai started making papads in their own homes. They had no money, no big machines only their hands and recipes. People laughed at them in the beginning. But the women worked together with honesty and unity.
From those small beginnings, today Lijjat Papad is a company worth hundreds of crores, giving work to more than 45K women across India. Their struggle was not easy but their success shows that women’s hands can create magic when they come together. This story inspires women like Lakkhi Devi in villages of Assam, Bengal, and everywhere.
Different Products to start with
In India, people eat a variety of pickles and papads. Some popular ones are these:
- Pickles: Mango, lemon, chilli, garlic, mixed vegetables, bamboo shoot ( common in Assam and northeast) mustard oil based pickles.
- Papad: Urad dal papad, rice papad, sago papad and masala papad etc.
These are easy to make at home with family support. Women can start with seasonal fruits and vegetables, and dry papads in the sun.
Investment and Materials needed
The good part is, this business needs very little investment.
- utensils: Large mixing bowls, grinders, flat wooden boards for papad etc.
- Raw materials: Mangoes, lemons, oil, salt, spices, pulses etc.
- Bottles & Packing: Glass jars or food grade plastic containers and polythene packets for papads.
- Other: Labels and stickers for branding.
Initial investment can be Rs10000 to Rs20000 if started small from home.
Government Loans and Help
Women in rural areas can also get help from different government schemes:
- PMEGP (Prime Minister employment Generation Programme) – gives loans for small units.
- stand Up India Scheme – special for women entrepreneurs.
- Self Help Groups ( SHGs ) – banks give loans to SHGs for small food businesses.
- State Khadi and Village Industries Board – supports pickle and papad units.
In Assam and West Bengal, SHGs are very active. Women can form a group, apply for loan together and start in a bigger way.
How to Sell the products
Selling is the most important part. Some ways are:
- Local Market: Weekly haats, bazars in villages like Howly, Nalbari, or Silchar.
- Shops: Small grocery shops in the nearby town.
- Schools & offices: Sometimes tiffin suppliers buy papads and pickles in bulk.
- Online: With the help of young family members, products can be listed on facebook, Whatsapp, and even Amazon or flipkart.
At first, sales may be small. But if the taste is good and quality is clean people will keep coming back.
Problems and struggles
Like every small business, this also has some struggles:
- seasonal fruits and vegetables may not be available all year.
- Packing must be clean or products will spoil.
- Some people may not trust home based food at first.
- without good marketing, sales remain limited.
But with patience and family support, these problems can be solved.
A Path of Hope for rural women
The homemade pickle and papad business is not just about money. It is about giving confidence to the women. A middle aged housewife like Lakkhi Devi can slowly grow, maybe employ one or two women from her village and make her own small brand , with that she can earn a living.
Just like Shri Mahila Griha Udyog, today’s small steps can become tomorrow’s big success. The key is honesty, cleanliness and unity.