While majority of young Kashmiri women with innovative ideas complain about the access to finances to execute them, Sabira Mattoo, 35, belongs to a well-to-do family. So money for starting a business was never an issue.
However, Sabira’s business journey has a late sudden beginning. It was Facebook group for women, which became her inspiration for starting the business of home-made pickle.
“A women’s group running on the Facebook where there are almost 20,000 group members became my motivator. One day, I upload a photograph of my own prepared anchar (pickle) in the group and I got overwhelming response for it. This is where the journey of Panun Anchar started. Sabira learned the art of pickle making from her mother-in-law.
“Sabira gives the Credit for opening Panun Anchar goes to her mother-in-law. She taught her different traditional recipes of Kashmir pickle, on which she built further.
In a short span of time Panun Anchar has gained popularity among people as a quality pickle and is recognized as a homemade brand. There is huge demand for different varieties of pickle which Sabira is making. But the Aloo Bukhara variety is the most popular one.
Presently there are six women working under Sabira, such is the demand of Panun Anchar in the market.
She has roped in six women, they help her in slicing the vegetables because with every passing day her customer base is increasing and she is making variety of pickles like mix vegetable with Aaloo Bukhara, chicken with Aaloo Bukhara, Mutton with Aaloo Bukhara and full Aaloo Bukhara and all is prepared in her kitchen with proper hygiene and without the mixture of any harmful additives.
The demand for this homemade pickle has not only increased within Kashmir but people from outside cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh are also asking for its shipments. Panun Anchar has kept also home delivery available within the Srinagar city.
They sell it online and also receive orders from people who are living outside the state. They have also kept a choice like if somebody from outside state ordered Panun Ancharand if they didn’t like it then they pay them back. They don’t compromise on the quality of product. They also deliver it on leading departmental stores in the city and in coming future they are planning to make it available in every district of Kashmir.
The success did not come by the ‘stroke of luck’. “I worked very hard on Panun Anchar. Everyday besides my household chores, which include handling my two kids, I mix almost 1 quintal of vegetables for making the pickles. Although I earn from what I do but still the journey has not been a cake walk for me,” says Sabira.
However, Sabira says the success she achieved would not have been possible without the support of her husband and mother-in-law, who were with her through thick and thin.
“Without their support, I don’t think I would have been here, talking about my work. They provided me full support in opening this small venture,” she says.
“When I was growing up, women were considered a liability. I never liked that and want to change it,” she says.
On her future plans, she wants to extend supply of Panun Anchar throughout Kashmir and some prominent cities of the country.
She proved that a woman can build her own identity by dedication and hard work .
