Philo Thomas’ husband, KJ Thomas, had one last wish that his wife should run a
and make a name for herself.
It’s been six years since, and the 67-year-old has left no stone unturned to making him proud.
But why a pickle business, you might wonder. Well, shouldn’t we all bat to our strengths?
Philo is a passionate cook whose family get-togethers and weekend brunches usually comprised guests fawning over her food. Everyone returned home with a bottle of her latest batch of pickles; especially those visiting from abroad.
These small gestures and words of appreciation meant a lot for the Alappuzha resident. Unable to pursue her education post class 12, the homemaker harboured a deep desire to do something. But how, what and when were the questions that eluded her.
Philo with KJ Thomas
Her husband and daughter-in-law, Tincy, were keen to see her happy and provided her with the answer — a pickle business. They gently nudged her into that direction as well.
Up for the challenge, Philo started her eponymous pickle venture in 2015. Shutting down and reviving the business multiple times, here’s how the mother and daughter-in-law duo started a successful small business from home.
Tincy shares that what sets her apart, besides the flavour, is the fact that they have a long shelf life.
Philo turned into an entrepreneur in her 60s
With just a Facebook page, they started the business on a small scale. Offering two to three varieties of pickles like chicken, sweet lime and beef, it ran entirely on word of mouth.
But just as it started gathering pace, a major health problem brought it to a halt.
“Appa (father) was diagnosed with cancer and was hospitalised for three months. We had to travel to Vellore for his treatment frequently, making it difficult to run the business,” Tincy shares with The Better India.
When things looked bleak, Thomas shared his dying wish.
Tincy recalls those words, “Look, Philo, you are very talented. You have an innate ability to give people joy through your food. Don’t give up, continue the business. I’m sure you’ll make it big.”
The 67-year-old, who had spent her entire life in the kitchen and household responsibilities, took this as her cue to fly.
She rebuilt and relaunched ‘Philo’s Pickles’ in a new avatar in 2018 by changing the logo and the packaging. Most importantly, she secured a food licence from the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). With an investment of Rs 10,000, they bought all the necessary equipment.
“We started giving our products to local supermarkets which helped spread the word,” 36-year-old Tincy adds.
What really kicked things off though was the visit by a food blogger. Mrinal Das Vengalat, who runs Mrinal’s Blog posted a video about their products in 2019. The video brought in large orders for the and also led to the Instagram page, @philospickles.
The USP of these pickles is Philo’s recipes and the fact that they are made at home, in small batches. The duo has a designated area behind the kitchen that they use just for pickle-making.
Their bestsellers are the prawns’ pickle and their dried beef powder. Besides these, they also sell fish and meat pickles, and chemmeen chammanthi podi (dried prawn powder). They also make seasonal vegetable pickles like mango and sweet lime. Philo shares that they make small batches of 10 kg at a time, as per orders.
“The sweet lime pickle recipe is something I learnt from my mother. The other recipes, like prawn and fish, are my own creations. All the ingredients are locally sourced including the meat, prawns and vegetables. We don’t use any frozen products. Even the chilli powder is made at home,” shares Philo, with a hint of pride in her voice.
It is this love and effort that hooks the customers. Each order is prepared as if it is made for their own family, Mrinal shares in his blog.
“Everything is very tasty and packed with flavour. All you need is some pickle or dried prawns’ powder with rice and you can survive in any country,” Mrinal wrote in his blog.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to shut shop for two years as they couldn’t deliver orders due to the lockdown. Most of their orders were from abroad. But they rose yet again in 2022, with renewed gusto.
Philo and Tincy manage the business from home
While they had help initially, now it’s just the two of them managing everything from production to packaging to marketing.
Most of their orders are from NRIs based in the UK, USA, Australia and other countries. They hope to expand in the coming months by hiring some help and marketing themselves more aggressively.
For the 67-year-old, it’s a fresh lease of life. The excitement and happiness in her voice is palpable as she talks about the business that she has .
“We spend our entire lives buried in responsibilities. As we cross 60, we feel bored and tired and feel that we aren’t capable of anything. Change your attitude by focusing on your skill. My stress and anxiety have greatly reduced after I started Philo’s. It’s giving me immense recognition and love,” she shares.
And somewhere from up above, KJ Thomas must be smiling from heaven.
Edited by Padmashree Pande, Images Courtesy Tincy Thomas.
It’s been six years since, and the 67-year-old has left no stone unturned to making him proud.
But why a pickle business, you might wonder. Well, shouldn’t we all bat to our strengths?
Philo is a passionate cook whose family get-togethers and weekend brunches usually comprised guests fawning over her food. Everyone returned home with a bottle of her latest batch of pickles; especially those visiting from abroad.
These small gestures and words of appreciation meant a lot for the Alappuzha resident. Unable to pursue her education post class 12, the homemaker harboured a deep desire to do something. But how, what and when were the questions that eluded her.
Philo with KJ Thomas
Her husband and daughter-in-law, Tincy, were keen to see her happy and provided her with the answer — a pickle business. They gently nudged her into that direction as well.
Up for the challenge, Philo started her eponymous pickle venture in 2015. Shutting down and reviving the business multiple times, here’s how the mother and daughter-in-law duo started a successful small business from home.
A tale of two women, ups and downs, and a pickle
Tincy shares that what sets her apart, besides the flavour, is the fact that they have a long shelf life.
Philo turned into an entrepreneur in her 60s
With just a Facebook page, they started the business on a small scale. Offering two to three varieties of pickles like chicken, sweet lime and beef, it ran entirely on word of mouth.
But just as it started gathering pace, a major health problem brought it to a halt.
“Appa (father) was diagnosed with cancer and was hospitalised for three months. We had to travel to Vellore for his treatment frequently, making it difficult to run the business,” Tincy shares with The Better India.
When things looked bleak, Thomas shared his dying wish.
Tincy recalls those words, “Look, Philo, you are very talented. You have an innate ability to give people joy through your food. Don’t give up, continue the business. I’m sure you’ll make it big.”
The 67-year-old, who had spent her entire life in the kitchen and household responsibilities, took this as her cue to fly.
She rebuilt and relaunched ‘Philo’s Pickles’ in a new avatar in 2018 by changing the logo and the packaging. Most importantly, she secured a food licence from the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). With an investment of Rs 10,000, they bought all the necessary equipment.
“We started giving our products to local supermarkets which helped spread the word,” 36-year-old Tincy adds.
What really kicked things off though was the visit by a food blogger. Mrinal Das Vengalat, who runs Mrinal’s Blog posted a video about their products in 2019. The video brought in large orders for the and also led to the Instagram page, @philospickles.
Made with love
The USP of these pickles is Philo’s recipes and the fact that they are made at home, in small batches. The duo has a designated area behind the kitchen that they use just for pickle-making.
Their bestsellers are the prawns’ pickle and their dried beef powder. Besides these, they also sell fish and meat pickles, and chemmeen chammanthi podi (dried prawn powder). They also make seasonal vegetable pickles like mango and sweet lime. Philo shares that they make small batches of 10 kg at a time, as per orders.
“The sweet lime pickle recipe is something I learnt from my mother. The other recipes, like prawn and fish, are my own creations. All the ingredients are locally sourced including the meat, prawns and vegetables. We don’t use any frozen products. Even the chilli powder is made at home,” shares Philo, with a hint of pride in her voice.
It is this love and effort that hooks the customers. Each order is prepared as if it is made for their own family, Mrinal shares in his blog.
“Everything is very tasty and packed with flavour. All you need is some pickle or dried prawns’ powder with rice and you can survive in any country,” Mrinal wrote in his blog.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to shut shop for two years as they couldn’t deliver orders due to the lockdown. Most of their orders were from abroad. But they rose yet again in 2022, with renewed gusto.
Philo and Tincy manage the business from home
While they had help initially, now it’s just the two of them managing everything from production to packaging to marketing.
Most of their orders are from NRIs based in the UK, USA, Australia and other countries. They hope to expand in the coming months by hiring some help and marketing themselves more aggressively.
For the 67-year-old, it’s a fresh lease of life. The excitement and happiness in her voice is palpable as she talks about the business that she has .
“We spend our entire lives buried in responsibilities. As we cross 60, we feel bored and tired and feel that we aren’t capable of anything. Change your attitude by focusing on your skill. My stress and anxiety have greatly reduced after I started Philo’s. It’s giving me immense recognition and love,” she shares.
And somewhere from up above, KJ Thomas must be smiling from heaven.
Edited by Padmashree Pande, Images Courtesy Tincy Thomas.