Startup ‘Fulva’ Takes Kozhikoden Halwa to The World; Earns Rs 84 Lakh

Hamza Shaheem, a local of Kozhikode, recollects the very first time he was handled to a specific crimson candy from a bakery close to his dwelling in Feroke. “It was so good!” he exclaims as he retrieves the reminiscence from a treasure trove of others, all involving the Kozhikoden halwa.

Following that childhood expertise, the halwa (Indian confectionery made out of flour, butter, milk and sugar) grew to become an essential visitor at Shaheem’s dwelling. It was the principle celebrant on particular events. “These included festivals and dinners when family members would drop by,” he explains.

With a smile that means he would gladly binge on the dessert daily if he might, the halwa aficionado says it fashioned a cornerstone of his growing-up years.

So, the query begs to be requested why the natives of Kozhikode maintain a reverence for this candy. Shaheem credit the halwa’s easy however distinctive style. “It’s thought-about as an icon of Kerala,” he explains.

Whereas he idolises the crimson variant (additionally the most well-liked flavour), the halwa enjoys a gamut of flavour quotients. And understandably, Shaheem considers himself fortunate to have lived and grown up in a metropolis the place the halwa is mass-manufactured.

However we aren’t as lucky. So, I’m going to disclose an essential piece of data. You don’t must be restricted to Kozhikode anymore to get your fill of the halwa. Not only one, however an eclectic mixture of 24 varieties will discover their means to the doorstep if you want.

A brainwave by 4 childhood mates is making this attainable. Their startup Fulva — a Kerala-based model serving genuine conventional meals merchandise sourced from small-scale producers — is finishing a yr of operations and has already touched a milestone with a Rs 84 lakh turnover. And as they share, their success story is written by the Kozhikoden halwa.

Sq.-shaped items of historical past

In case you have visited Kozhikode, you’ll know it’s virtually a sacrilege to not return dwelling with servings of the halwa, additionally thought-about a ‘status image’ in Kerala.

The halwa, as historical past tells us, has an attention-grabbing story that prequels its start.

It’s supposedly an Arab invention born across the sixteenth century when the group settled in Kerala. They had been intent on gifting a chunk of their culinary prowess to Kozhikode’s Zamorin (monarch). And the halwa made the reduce. It went on to grow to be an integral a part of the spice commerce and ultimately a part of town’s gastronomy.

Many have been perplexed as to how a easy mix of water, sugar, corn starch, coconut oil, citrus salt, and flavourings birthed a dessert so beautiful that no successor dessert might compete with. In reality, it’s mentioned that no two blocks of halwa are the identical because the ratio of every ingredient varies from proprietor to proprietor in Kozhikode.

Nonetheless, vacationers and locals aren’t choosy about these altering nuances as long as they get their fill of the Kozhikoden halwa.

The identical was the case with 4 childhood mates — Shabas Ahamed N C, Sanu Muhammed C, Irfan Safar S, and Thesreef Ali P Ok. Rising up, they gorged on the candy deal with. They thought-about it a standard feast. However, it was solely after they moved out of their hometown to review, that they realised they had been unsuitable.

The buddies, who had been finding out in several schools in Kerala, had been berated with related requests on every journey again dwelling. “Enikk kurach Kozhikoden halwa venam (Get me some Kozhikoden halwa)!”

The request got here from lecturers, mates and hostel mates. And so forth each return journey, the boys would return loaded with vibrant squares of halwa, which had been relished by its patrons. At some point, the sample was mentioned over some chai and biscuits. They realised that folks past Kozhikode and Kerala discovered profound delight within the halwa.

Because the dialog furthered, it dawned on the 4 that whereas every had grown up consuming the halwa, the choice for flavour differed. “We realised there are such a lot of flavours that existed!” Sanu provides. And this sparked the thought of beginning a platform that might be an umbrella of types for the totally different types of the Kozhikoden halwa.

Turning a childhood deal with right into a enterprise

In case you’re planning a visit to Kozhikode, I encourage you to take a stroll down the ‘Mittaiteruvu’ (Candy Avenue). Also referred to as SM Avenue (SM stands for sweetmeat), the lane is lined with store upon store, a endless blur of color. Look carefully and also you’ll see the color is lent by stacks of colored halwa squares.

The road inception dates again to when the land was being dominated by the Zamorin. The ruler invited Gujarati sweetmeat makers to arrange store within the metropolis. At this time, it’s a Pandora’s Field for halwas of each type.

As the buddies fortified the thought of Fulva, they are saying nostalgia was a essential ingredient. Thesreef pitches in right here, “I bear in mind if anybody in my household was going overseas, the very first thing they at all times purchased to take alongside was the Kozhikoden halwa. We grew up with it, and the totally different flavours of the halwa have at all times made us enormous followers.”

However Irfan interjects right here, saying, “Regardless of the halwa being available in the market for the final 500 years, there’s nonetheless no established model for it, as is the case with many conventional merchandise.”

Fulva is seeking to fill these gaps. The startup is seeking to elevate the halwa from being a product that lies on a bakery shelf for hours earlier than a buyer walks in and decides to purchase it, to a product of status — giving it its rightful dues.

Whereas the enterprise began as a facet hustle, the boys now spearhead it full-time. Recalling their first bundle, Sanu shares it was a field with 24 halwa varieties. Going past the same old crimson and inexperienced flavours, there was additionally an experimental dry coconut, inexperienced chilli, watermelon, kiwi, carrot, pomegranate, and fervour fruit selection.

And who ready the halwas? “The individuals who know greatest how you can,” Sanu responds.

The buddies, whereas debating on whether or not they need to arrange a producing facility, determined to activity the halwais (candy makers) with this. “This makes the product extra genuine,” Sanu explains including that they possess a generational talent of constructing the halwa.

He continues, “These small-scale producers have underutilised services. Whereas they’ve an enormous capability, they don’t have a lot time to satisfy the demand.” Their statement was that within the quest to chop prices, these bakeries often slack on some hygiene protocols.

So, Fulva makes a cope with the halwai, issuing them a set of SOPs that have to be met earlier than the partnership is began. “We insist on high-quality elements and the usage of gloves and masks. We bear the price of any extra necessities which can be wanted for the hygiene standards to be met. This additionally contains renovating their services freed from cost,” Sanu notes.

Extending a hand of assist to the locals

A ache level that was anticipated after they got down to launch Fulva was that it could be robust to interrupt the sentimental mindset individuals related to whereas buying Kozhikoden halwa from an area store.

Shabas explains, “Prospects see halwa as a nostalgic deal with, however we wished to current it in a contemporary means that everybody would settle for.” However, all doubts had been erased when the buddies’ first field that includes 24 premium variations of Kozhikoden halwa was an instantaneous hit and the order tally crossed 300 proper within the first month of beginning out.

The startup delivers to overseas shores as properly and has shipped its halwa to the UK, Turkey, Germany and UAE.

Taking us again to one in every of their campaigns ‘Empower by Fulva’ executed in Ramadan this yr, Sanu shares, “We thought it could be a fantastic concept to have individuals break their fasts with a whole meal of Kerala specialities, together with snacks and juices made by homemakers. We united 120 homemakers from Kozhikode who would put together the gadgets; tied up with auto drivers who would deliver the meals to our facility the place it was packaged after which despatched to counters which had been manned by pupil volunteers.”

The purchasers collected the packing containers from these counters in Kozhikode.

One of many homemakers Shabna who benefitted from the marketing campaign, says, “That is my first time being a part of a enterprise, and I earned Rs 30,000 throughout this marketing campaign in my free time!” She provides that the expertise was much more wonderful because the incomes was a product of her ardour.

The buddies say the idea might properly grow to be an arm of the enterprise. By the potential ‘Residence to Residence’ section, the buddies try to transcend Kozhikoden halwa and introduce genuine and conventional snacks ready by homemakers and small-scale producers that may be delivered to individuals’s doorsteps.

These will embrace samosas (a savoury pastry), Kozhikoden sweets, Kerala banana chips, and Malabar snacks like Kozhi ada (rooster bites). 

“The plan is to protect cultural heritage whereas embracing innovation,” Sanu concludes, chewing on one thing, that I believe, enviously, is a chunk of Kozhikoden halwa!

Edited by Pranita Bhat; All photos: Fulva workforce