In my previous blog post, I introduced myself. Today I'll share with you why I started DKhat Spices, a Masala grinding business.
About 4 years ago I reached a point in my life where I started feeling like I was a NOBODY ☹ My baby girl was about to start school (Prep) and I realised soon I’ll be known as “Triya’s mum” in school. I am Kalpesh’s wife, and a mother to my kids but I didn’t see Dhreeti anywhere. Where was Dhreeti and who was Dhreeti? As a housewife and mother, I felt I had lost my identity :(
It got me thinking. I had to find something to do, to come out of my shell.
What could I do? What was I good at? I wanted to do something that I could work around my kids. As I wanted flexibility with working hours, I knew starting my own business was what I wanted to do. What type of business could I start? What was I passionate about? So many questions!!!!
So I started brainstorming…
Since moving from Fiji, I had noticed how fast paced life here in Australia was. I saw working mothers rushing from work to after school activities to cooking and finally to the house chores. Then some weekends, these hard-working mothers would sacrifice hours to go to Indian shops to get masala ingredients and grind the masala and then tackle the pile of never-ending dishes! If they didn’t find time, these busy mums would compromise by buying ready-made masala from Indian shops.
I enjoy cooking and I have been grinding my own masala since I got married. I have over 15 years of experience!
So I decided to start a masala grinding business, providing busy mums the luxury of receiving freshly ground masalas. To help these busy mums save time from masala making so they could use those extra hours in the weekend to spend time with their family and friends or even enjoy some “ME” time! As a mum, I know how hard it is to find some “ME” time (normal things like going to the toilet or having a shower suddenly becomes a luxury! A few minutes of peace and quiet...then suddenly...(knock...knock) "Mummy Mummy!!!!"). So a few extra hours off masala making would be a luxury for these super-mums!
I did not want to stock the ground masala because stored ground masala did not have the aroma nor the taste that freshly ground masala had! This I knew from my own 15 years’ experience of masala making. So I decided that I will grind it fresh after I receive orders and provide ladies the luxury of receiving these freshly ground Masala Australia wide.
So with all these plans, Kalpesh and I applied for the food business license and got the council's approval. In 2017 DKhat Spices began. I was quite nervous about sharing my Facebook post to announce my new venture.
I wasn’t sure if it will work. I didn’t know what to expect. After 30 minutes of posting about my business I received my 1st order!!! I remember getting excited and emotional at the same time and excitedly texted Kalpesh that I got my 1st order.
That 1st order was a sign to me that I was on the right path and since then I have kept moving forward. I have been making freshly ground masalas for many ladies based in Australia, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, UK, America and even Japan!
It brings me joy to see that my freshly ground masala is helping these lovely ladies create delicious meals for their family and also saving them time from masala making!
So this is how I got into the Masala grinding business.
Thank you for reading 😊
I hope you are safe and well!
Take care and keep smiling 😊
Dhreeti Khatri – The Spicy Mum.