Radhika Menon slogged at her well-paying corporate job for more than 20 years of her life. Until one day, her Facebook post of a picture of the cast iron skillet she used at home went viral. On a whim, she decided to quit her job and get into reviving traditional cookware full-time. This led to the birth of her startup – The Village Fair.
Menon’s goal is to re-discover the healthy lifestyle of our ancestors and to bring that back in our metropolitan lives. To get things into perspective, one out of every four Indian is likely to die of a lifestyle disease. Apart from the flavour, traditionally seasoned cookware comes with many health benefits. Watch the video below to learn how Menon began to sell utensils on Facebook.
In this video, the woman entrepreneur shares her inspiration behind The Village Fair. “Cooking in iron vessels is something we do traditionally. So, when I posted the picture of an iron kadai I was surprised at the responses. There were a few enquiries on buying such vessels. That’s how the idea of sourcing and retailing traditional cookware came about. In fact, Facebook has played a big role in our growth. A lot of the business comes via the Facebook page.”
The startup has employed more than 15 women from economically weak backgrounds. “I would never call them staff; they are self-reliant, independent women who go to the parcel office, pick parcels, take it to their homes and then do the seasoning. Most of their husbands are fisherfolk and these women are very meticulous about maintaining registers about stocks and their work. Their accounts are so accurate that I have not found any single mistake so far.”
Menon’s vision is for The Village Fair to be a social enterprise, but for profit. Her deeply personal approach has won hearts everywhere.