What happens when three women in the neighbourhood get together? If the answer is “gossiping”, then you are wrong What if they have an exciting and inspiring story? When Fakeesa, Sakeena and Mumthaz, from Muringampurayi, Mukkom and Kozhikode joined hands five years ago, a catering unit called Kudumbam (family), was born. The ladies were staying in the same locality and they had some spare time after completing the domestic chores, and they decided to spend the time doing something constructive. While thinking of starting a business on their own, cooking was the first thing that came into their mind. Yes, these three women have converted their passion to money and when the windows of opportunities opened before them, they didn’t pull down the shades. In fact, they worked harder and that's how the _Pathiris_ and _Appams_ made by the trio earned good name. Some days, they made around twelve thousand _Pathiris_, some other days they had to forsake their sleep. As a result, the number of orders increased and so did the profit. With the improved income, they got machines for kneading and rolling the dough for making _Chapati_ and _Pathiri_. Along with this, they also procured bigger pans that helped them to cook many of the dishes simultaneously, thereby saving time. _Biriyani, Chapati, Pathiri,Vellayappam, Nool puttu (Idiyappam)_, and curries for each of these—you name it, and they have it! Needless to say, all these food with the unique Malabar flavour are being sold like hot cakes. Bakeries, hotels and canteens sell the _Kudumbam_ products every day. In addition to this, the catering unit takes orders for delivery from the nooks and corners of Malppuram and Kozhikode. An auto and three bikes are always kept ready for delivering the orders on time. Promptness is the key for the success of their business. As the business expanded, more people came in. The trio has been upgraded to an octad now; the families also stick together whole-heartedly, to render a helping hand to the ladies. Another unique feature of _Kudumbam_ Catering Unit is that they follow traditional methods, for example, for making these delicious items, they clean, dry and grind the rice and wheat in mills under direct supervision. This is to ensure cleanliness and taste, like mother’s do at home. Probably, that could be the reason why the mouth-watering dishes made by these mothers remind you of your own mother. They are looking forward to developing the unit further. For reducing the workload, they have plans to purchase more sophisticated machinery in the near future. The success story of _Kudumbam_ Catering Unit could not be written without bearing in mind the amount of blood and sweat these women have shed for this venture. The unit keeps marching on the path of success today, thanks to the hard work and unstinting efforts of these wonderful women.
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