The good EARTH

Organic. Locally-sourced. Natural. These are the buzzwords in today’s food industry and the environmental and health conscientious among us. If not that, at the very least, it’s considered very cool to “go local”. But for Karen Anand, it has been a way of life since 1989, when she started a salad bar in Mumbai, using fresh local produce and importing items only when absolutely necessary.

India’s ‘gourmet guru’ has, as she puts it, “without making a big noise about it, been promoting local produce and producers for the longest time”. Born in Mumbai and raised in London, and living in Paris for a couple of years to study, before moving back to India, Karen’s love for food grew with her journey across the world.

“After coming back to Mumbai and moving to Pune, I wanted to have authentic Continental cuisine. I found that it is possible to recreate the same flavours with the kind of vegetables available here. And, that’s the message I wanted to spread,” she says.

Four years ago, with the aim of bringing a larger audience to the natural food market scene, Karen launched the Pune Farmers’ Market. “In our first market, we had 15 stalls. Now, there are over a 100 in each edition in Pune. A lot of brands such as Paper Boat and Raw Pressery

launched at our market,

I do. I sample the wholegrain mustard dressing and citrus ginger marmalade. The flavours are unmarred by chemical additives and are refreshing.  Karen’s general rule of thumb is that, “a 20 per cent over the price of commercial produce is acceptable. Marking it up to 100 or 150 per cent makes it inaccessible. It is not enough that this is being produced; it’s also important that people are able to consume it and make it a way of life”.

Raising the bar for millets two flavours — Cranberry Almond and Cacao Nibs. They hope to introduce another three flavours at least, beginning with a quinoa, blueberries and pecan mix.

They also supply energy bars to a Hyderabad-based company that offers diet plans for individuals. They had specific instructions, says Srivardhan. “Each bar must have a certain quantity of protein and sugar, etc.

The raw material comes from many places. The millets are sourced locally — “all they need is a good wash,” says Uma — as are the coconut, honey and palm jaggery. The cacao nibs are from Pollachi. The oats come from a wholesaler in Mumbai; the almonds, cranberries and flax seeds from another in Delhi.