Post 'Covid' outbreak, awareness on Spinach increased rapidly among people according to 'www.keeraikadai.com' Founder Sriram Prasad
Coimbatore: 'Spinach' which is not everyone's favourite food but considered to be one of the healthiest food not only in India but across the globe was marketed even by the famous American cartoon character'Popeye The Sailor Man' just to increase awareness on the importance of eating Spinach among children.
Following the 'Covid-19' pandemic outbreak, the awareness on Spinach varieties and its importance for leading a healthy life has been highlighted much, according to the 'Keeraikadai' team who are based in Coimbatore, and doing business both through retail outlets and online. This team has introduced more value-added products out of Spinach varieties which they believe helps people to stay healthy.
'Keeraikadai' Chief Executive Officer and Founder, G Sriram Prasad in an exclusive interview with 'SimpliCity' said, "My native is Madurai. I was so inspired by my grandfather, a farmer who went about his agricultural activities with sincere interest. I was so eager to take up agriculture but was forced to pursue Engineering studies. But after completing my higher education, I decided to get back to agriculture-related business and arrived in Coimbatore. I choose to concentrate on traditional green spinach varieties which are very good for people of all age groups to stay healthy.
'www.keeraikadai.com' is an Agritech Food Processing start-up focusing on re-inventing traditional greens and introducing them to the modern diet, and delivering value-added greens to customers. We are a unique establishment that endures to provide fresh and quality produce to customers and has already successfully delivered products to over 20,000 pincodes. www.keeraikadai.com has revamped the entire idea of farming and technology and has been able to bridge the gap between both online and physical stores and have been set up to build trust and engage better with customers.
For the convenience of our customers, all our products are designed to be ready-to-eat, light weight and can be carried anywhere and very easy to prepare in a short period of time. In this way, we are able to increase the customer base for the consumption of healthy greens and traditional food of all age groups and at the same time also able to support India’s farmers because all our raw materials are directly procured from them without the involvement of middlemen.
By collaborating with almost 1,500 farmers, we are able to have a sustainable supply of materials for our products that are very fresh and high quality. In addition to this, 1 percent of our total transaction is contributed towards the education of our farmer’s children for a better India."
www.keeraikadai.com was established in 2017 and introduced over 150 varieties of Keerai aka Spinach. The first store was launched at Coimbatore with the primary goal of delivering fresh, nutritious and a wide variety of greens to the society. During 2018, the first exclusive showroom for greens was launched by www.keeraikadai.com at Coimbatore attracting over 1,000 customers the same year and soon became a one-stop store for multiple varieties of greens.
* Greeny Dip – Soup in a Dip for the First Time Ever!
During 2019, www.keeraikadai.com launched the Greeny Dip soup that was reportedly the very first of its kind. They were able to develop and deliver six variants of Keerai-based soups that can be consumed in the easiest possible way.
1. Moringa Dip Soup
2. Moringa Turmeric Dip Soup
3. Balloon Vine Dip Soup
4. Thoothuvalai Dip Soup
5. Ashwagandha Dip Soup
6. Vallarai Dip Soup
* Greeny Meal – Ready-to-Eat curries!
During 2020, Ready-to-Eat curries were developed in five tasty variants that can be carried anywhere and very easily prepared. This made Keerai/Spinach a part of the regular diet for most of their customers.
1. Palak Greens Curry
2. Moringa Greens Curry
3. Ponnanganni Greens Curry
4. Banana Flower Curry
5. Banana Stem Curry
Their third branch was launched in January 2021 at North Carolina, USA. This expanded their scope into the international business for their carefully crafted products. They are currently exporting to USA, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Singapore and Malaysia.
"'COVID-19' has caused a global healthcare impact and has provided an insight on the maintenance of proper health and immunity to combat infections. All the products are naturally processed and contain no chemicals or preservatives that can potentially compromise immunity. Products have high nutritional value which is important in naturally maintaining good immunity. The natural greens based phytocompounds are rich in antioxidants and have good anti-inflammatory, anticancer properties and are good for the maintenance of digestive health.
Thoothuvalai spinach is a very common household remedy in India for treating respiratory ailments. It is scientifically proven to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help in relieving asthma, sinusitis, and chest congestion. This is of importance especially during the COVID-19 period because the infection primarily affects the lungs and this spinach can be used as a natural immunity enhancer.
Moringa is rich in in beta-carotene, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, etc and Turmeric is rich in curcumin traditionally used as medications to treat cough, respiratory ailments, anorexia, dysentery, abdominal pain, acidity, ulcers and indigestion. Turmeric is a natural immunity booster that helps fight many microbial infections. The balloon vine spinach is traditionally used for cough, skin diseases, menstrual cramps and maintaining proper digestive health.
Vallarai/Brahmi spinach variety has been used for proper cognitive development especially in children and for many neurological conditions. Ashwagandha has also been long used in Indian diets and is effective in maintaining strong bones and joints. Banana flower (Vaazha poo) is rich in protein, fiber, calcium, iron, copper, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and phosphorus and Banana stem (Vazhaithandu) is rich in vitamin B6, potassium and helps maintain proper insulin and haemoglobin levels.
All products are rich in nutritional values and can be consumed on a regular basis to maintain overall health and boost immunity," elaborates 'Keerakadai' Chief Executive Officer and Founder, G Sriram Prasad.
Others in The www.keeraikadai.com team are Sriram Subramanian - Co Founder, Mr. Maniraj N G - Chief Statistical Officer, Dr. Thiruppathi Raj - Chief Strategist, Padmini Sekar - Head, Food Processing, Ramya Rajendran - Client Relations - USA, Ramya Guptha- Regional Head - Chennai and Ramesh Krishnan, Advisor. Their aim is to retain maximum nutritional value from spinach varieties and all ingredients used in our food product preparation. They have created two series of products – ‘Greeny Dip’ and ‘Greeny Meal’.
They provide high quality, preservative-free, 100 percent natural and highly nutritious food to customers with no compromise. For convenience, all products are designed to be ready-to-eat, light weight, can be carried anywhere and extremely easy to prepare in a short time. In this way, they are able to increase their customer base for the consumption of healthy greens and traditional food in all age groups.