Food travels through generations. Family recipes get passed through generations. And that’s how food becomes an integral part of one’s culture and heritage. Geeta Patil’s mother, Kamlabai Nivugale ran a tiffin service years ago. Young Geeta was her Aai’s (mother) little helper who stirred ingredients in pots and helped her pack tiffins. Today, Geeta has her own business Patil Kaki, where she earns crores selling homemade Maharashtrian recipes. Read on to know this inspiring story of how food has travelled across generations and has made a place in the hearts of Mumbaikars.
Geeta Patil’s Mother Influenced Her Food Journey
48-year-old Geeta Patil hails from a humble Maharashtrian family in Mumbai. Her father worked in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and her mother, Kamlabai Nivugale, ran a tiffin service. Geeta revealed to The Better India that she grew up watching her mother cook, stirring ingredients in a large pot. Little did Geeta know that from being her Aai’s helper, she would one day have her own food business.
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Homemaker Becomes Entrepreneur To Support Family
In 2016, Geeta’s husband, Govind lost his job. With two young boys to educate and a home to run, it was a difficult financial turmoil on the family. Geeta, who had inherited her mother’s cooking skills, used to prepare delicious snacks for her neighbours. They devoured her chakli and puranpoli and she never charged them for it. To support her family, Geeta decided to capitalise on her cooking skills. And so, she started supplying tiffin to the employees of BMC in Prabhat Colony. From 2016 to 2020, she earned around one lakh a month.
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Patil Kaki: Beloved Maharashtrian Food Brand
After years of running a successful tiffin venture, Geeta’s son Vinit joined her business. With his knowledge about grading and marketing, he helped his Aai scale her business. Her food business was named ‘Patil Kaki’ as an ode to the neighbourhood aunt who prepares homemade food with love. Today, Patil Kaki earns a revenue of ₹1.4 crore annually. The food venture employs women and empowers them. Besan Laddoo, Chivda, Modaks and Puranpolis are some of their bestsellers. Around 10,000 puranpolis and 500 kg chakli are prepared and shipped every month across Mumbai and Pune.
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Patil Kaki is a story of how food travels across generations, and the aromas and flavours get etched in everyone’s memories.