Avilasha Salaria Salaria Foods Jammu Kashmir Entrepreneur

When Avilasha Salaria married into the Salaria family in 2019, she stepped into a household long rooted in the grocery trade. Seven years on, the MA graduate is not only carrying forward that legacy but has also become the face of a growing food‑processing venture in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district.

From an industrial unit at Battal Ballian, Avilasha and her husband Rohit have transformed the family’s traditional kirana (grocery) business into Salaria Foods—a registered food-processing enterprise marketing spices under the ‘Vimal’ brand and pickles under ‘Swad Le’.

While the enterprise is in her name, Avilasha, who is in her early 30s, says the journey has not been hers alone. She credits her husband, brother-in-law Ramneek, and the entire family for encouraging her to take an active role in expanding the business. “I never felt that this was only my husband’s family business. Everyone encouraged me to become a partner and contribute to building a brand,” she said.

Today, the company manufactures around 20-25 varieties of spices, including garam masala, meat masala, tikki masala, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, crushed chilli flakes and several blended spices. It has also diversified into pickles, with products such as mixed pickle, garlic pickle, and raw turmeric pickle finding a growing customer base.

The business has come a long way from its modest beginnings. Starting in a rented house, the family established a modern processing unit a year ago in the Industrial Area at Battal Ballian. Spread over nearly 4,500 square feet, the facility was built with an investment of around Rs 75 lakh.

Today, the company’s annual turnover has reached Rs 60-70 lakh, with nearly 70 per cent of sales coming from spices, while the remaining revenue is generated from pickles and other food products.

The production process begins with manually sorting raw spices, procured directly from farmers locally and across several states, including Punjab. After cleaning, the spices are dried to reduce moisture, ground using specialised machines, sieved for uniform texture, and finally packed. The company deliberately avoids maintaining large inventories.

“We prepare fresh batches regularly and supply them immediately to wholesale and retail markets. Fresh grinding helps us retain the natural aroma and quality of spices, which is what customers appreciate the most,” says Rohit.

The products are packed in consumer-friendly sizes ranging from 50 gm to 500 gm packs. “Our focus is freshness. We don’t believe in stocking spices for months because aroma is the biggest selling point,” says Avilasha.

Part of the machinery was procured under a subsidy scheme of the Horticulture Department and the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, while the rest was financed through bank loans and family resources.

The automated unit has boosted production efficiency. The main grinding machinery has a capacity of 600-700 kg a day. Though current daily output is at 200-300 kg, manufacturing is gradually scaling up.

The enterprise has also become a source of local employment. Around 10 people, including seven production workers, are employed at the processing unit, while family members supervise procurement, production, marketing, and distribution.

“Government support has played a significant role in the venture’s growth. Besides machinery subsidies, the Horticulture Department has facilitated the company’s participation in food exhibitions and trade fairs across the country,” says Avilasha, adding that these events have helped the Salarias understand market trends and introduce their products to new buyers.

“We are not interested in becoming the biggest brand overnight. Our effort is to ensure that every packet carries the same freshness and taste that customers expect,” says Rohit.

For Avilasha, entrepreneurship has also been a story of shifting perceptions. “In many businesses, women remain behind the scenes. My family gave me the confidence to become a partner in decision‑making. Whatever we have achieved has been possible because everyone worked together,” she says.