How an engineering graduate turned Konkani heritage recipes into thriving business in Attappady

"Traditional Konkani cuisine is rich with heritage flavours, but banana halwa is undoubtedly the crown jewel. For generations, it remained confined to our kitchens, prepared only on special occasions because it requires hours of patient stirring over hot wood fires—a luxury the younger generation simply doesn't have," says Kishore N Pai, a mechanical engineering graduate, as he packs his latest batch of premium halwa for dispatch. Based in the scenic hills of Attappady, Palakkad, Kishore has successfully commercialised this culinary treasure, turning it into a thriving agro-startup while supporting local farmers.

The decision to build a business around Nendran bananas was highly strategic. Attappady is abundant in banana cultivation, and Kishore's unit now sources around 12 tonnes of raw bananas every month directly from local farmers at a fair price of ₹35–40 per kg, offering them a reliable market even during seasonal price drops. The recipe is deceptively simple: locally sourced Nendran bananas, pure ghee, jaggery, and cashew nuts. Unlike traditional home recipes that rely on refined sugar, Kishore and his parents, Nagesh and Kavitha, chose premium jaggery to offer a healthier alternative.

Into the wild: A family’s pursuit of slow living
The journey began 15 years ago when Nagesh Pai walked away from a successful advertising career in the bustling city of Kozhikode. Seeking a clean, nature-centric lifestyle, he purchased five acres of barren hillside on the forest fringes of Attappady, where wild elephants regularly roam. Despite skepticism from friends and family, Nagesh transformed the land into a lush orchard. To secure a daily income, they initially set up a polyhouse to grow salad cucumbers, with Kavitha managing the marketing and retail supply in Kozhikode. However, extreme winds in Attappady and logistics challenges eventually forced them to pivot.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kishore returned home from Bengaluru on a work-from-home arrangement. Unwilling to return to the corporate rat race in the city, he decided to channel his engineering background into food technology. He chose to scale his mother's traditional Konkani recipes, giving birth to their brand, 'Bhavani'.

Engineering the perfect halwa
Today, Kishore uses a custom-built industrial halwa-making machine capable of producing 400 kg of halwa per batch, requiring nearly one tonne of fresh bananas. Production runs three times a week. Sourced green bananas are naturally ripened using traditional smoke-chambers for two days. Once the skins turn deep yellow and black, indicating peak sweetness, they are pulped using commercial blenders and transferred to the automated copper vessel. Jaggery, ghee, and cashews are introduced at precise intervals.

Maintaining natural preservation without any chemical additives was their biggest challenge, solved through months of meticulous testing by Kavitha. To appeal to modern consumers, Kishore's sister, Keerthana, designed innovative, single-serve 20g candy-style packets. This hygienic packaging eliminates the sticky mess of traditional block halwa—making it a perfect on-the-go snack for school children and office goers.

Harnessing the power of jackfruit
Alongside banana halwa, the family has made a mark in the health-food sector with premium jackfruit powder. Initially, they wanted to produce traditional Konkani-style jackfruit papadums, but mechanising the delicate process proved difficult. They quickly shifted focus to raw jackfruit powder (chakkappodi). Local wild jackfruits, which were once wasted across Attappady's homesteads, are now a valuable source of income for the local community and farmers.

Slightly mature, unripe jackfruits are cleaned, sliced, dried, and vacuum-packed. The process is highly intensive, with 10 kg of raw jackfruit flesh yielding just 1.4 to 1.6 kg of pure powder. Consequently, it retails at ₹700 per kg. Demand for their jackfruit powder has surged across North India, driven by clinical research proving that consuming 30g of raw jackfruit powder daily helps in regulating blood sugar levels for diabetic patients.