Instead of focusing on high-yield varieties, Sriram decided to bring the green leafy vegetables back into the dining table. 

“A leaf-based diet has always been popular across various states. India is home to many indigenous greens that have a lot of nutritional values and I wanted to bring the trend back. That’s how I started my e-commerce venture — Keerai Kadai, based in Coimbatore. We supply over 40 varieties of keerai to our customers,” he says. 

All the keerai are farm-fresh and naturally grown. 

“I am particularly interested in keerais , as these are not just nutritious, but economical as well. I met a couple of organic farmers and also did an extensive study about its nutritional properties. Keerai is fast becoming one of the most in-demand products, but there aren’t many farmers who cultivate them on a larger scale. So, I decided to employ farmers on a contractual basis — this in a way, help them find a stable income as well.Currently, I am collaborating with farmers from Gobichettipalayam, Pollachi and Coimbatore,” explains the entrepreneur. Sriram has an exclusive keerai showroom in Coimbatore and is working on a pop-up store model in Chennai and Madurai. 

“People are slowly becoming aware of keerais’ benefits and we are getting a lot of orders from various parts of the state. We sell it in Chennai twice a week (Tuesday and Friday at Ashok Pillar) and to be honest, the response is overwhelming. That’s one of the main reasons to open a store in the state capital. Once we get hold of the market, we would take this model across south India. We are looking for potential investors who would help us achieve our goals,” Sriram shares his plan.