Coffee, pickles and pappadums

Tucked away in a side lane behind the Besant Nagar bus terminus, Sri Vidya Coffee (better known as maami kadai) has been one of the most popular shops in the neighbourhood since 1983. Whether it is appalams, pappadams, pickles or podis, this is the place to go to.

“When in 1983, due to personal reasons, I left Thrissur with my four children and came to live with my parents in Madras, my father came up with the idea of setting up a shop to sell good-quality coffee powder in Besant Nagar, to sustain myself. We found a shop on second avenue, and business was flourishing, as there weren’t many shops selling coffee powder those days,” says Vidhya Sreenivasan. Later, she decided to shift the shop and moved to the present location in 1988.

Her story

“Moving from the main road to this place was a major decision, and it lessened my visibility. But, thanks to my customers. They came searching for it,” says the 74-year-old, who has been single-handedly managing the store for the past 34 years.

“It is sheer hard work and guidance by my late father that has helped me sustain this long,” she says, and those days, she used to walk to

every house in Kalakshetra Road and other neighbourhoods with her coffee powder, and canvas door-to-door. Later, she also started stocking home-made vadams, appalams, pickles, podi and other essential items. “The days when households meticulously prepared these food items in summer are over. Even sambar and rasam podi are not made at home any more. Twenty years ago, there were no takers for such items, but today, it disappears from the shelf quickly. I source and sell good-quality items in my shop, which also provides a livelihood for some women who are willing to work hard in their free time,” she says.

Checks and measures

Before placing orders for any home-made items, Sreenivasan visits the place where it is being prepared and assesses the environment and hygiene aspects and tastes the samples.

“I don’t change my suppliers if the quality is good. For many years, all my pickles were supplied by a lady, but after she lost her husband, she went back to her native town. So I started making the pickles in 2014. Similarly, all the snack items were supplied by an elderly couple, and now their son has taken over.”

Among the pickle range, vadumanga and aavakka are the most popular. Apart from this, she sources certain varieties of pickles from Kerala — Thirumurthy malavadu (kilimookku variety mango, pickled in a different manner), kanni manga (only salt used for senior citizens), uppu manga (less spicy, but long shelf life) and kaara manga (high on spice). From Palakkad, she gets veppilakatti and thamara thandu, and from Mangalore, she gets chakka appalam (made of raw jackfruit), a rare item which is also expensive. Tiffin items are available everyday between 4 pm and 6 pm.

Some of her customers, who have relocated overseas, send in their lists, with their photos stuck on them. “I find this amusing. If not for the photo, I may not remember these customers. I feel happy that they come back to me year after year for my products, which travel overseas, across the globe,” she chuckles.

Sri Vidya Coffee, E 157/3, NDP Complex, Besant Nagar 24918939