Started as a grocery store in Malad, Shah Valji Naya is one of the oldest shops in Mumbai and was founded with the aim of providing employment opportunities to needy and widowed women in and around Malad. They have some really fun flavours like samosa, pani puri, dosa, and pizza, which makes them our favourite place for khakhra in Mumbai.
It was a small kirana shop established by Mr.Valji Naya Satra that later became one of the biggest sellers of Khakhra in Mumbai. Today it sells over 50 types of healthy snacking options, namkeens, dry fruits, Khakhras, and much more. But there's more to their Khakhras than just the lip-smacking taste. This shop has been helping out needy women since 1972 and is currently working with 28 women who are either widows, poor, or need financial support. And so, let's munch a few khakhras and know their story that's worth telling.
Helping with a crunch
Mr.Valji Naya Satra started with a small grocery shop in Malad, but it wasn't doing great. Being the sole bread runner of the family, it was difficult for him to sustain, and thus he was looking out for opportunities and was thinking of starting a new business. In between all this chaos, he was also actively involved in a local Yuva Mandal where along with others, he used to help needy women financially. The Mandal would donate an amount and would also support them.
"But one day, one of these women asked us if, instead of providing them with money, can the Mandal help them find employment opportunities and become independent. And that made sense, so we started brainstorming. We decided to make these women sell clothes and papads around, but it didn't work out since we were new to the market", said Pravin Valji Satra, the current owner of the shop and the son of Mr. Shah Valji Naya. But then someone from the Mandal suggested something.
"There was a friend in the Mandal who had a business of khakhra and asked if there was anybody who could sell it. One of these women joined in and started selling 2-3 kgs of these khakhras every day. But later, he insisted on increasing the quantity and said 30 kgs should be the minimum quantity", added Mr. Valji. This was a little sudden, but the Mandal agreed on the said quantity. After a little while, Mr. Shah Valji Naya opened the shop and started selling Khakhras.
"We started working closely with other women who we were helping earlier, and gradually it worked out. Our sales increased and went up to 60-70 kgs per day. Meanwhile, we also started feeding the street dogs around with the broken pieces of khakhras, which were earlier considered waste", he added.
By 1998, Mr.Shah and his children joined the khakhra manufacturer, and this small team of Khakhra enthusiasts started working even more closely with these women, paying them a decent amount per kg. To help those who didn't know how to make khakhras, the wife of Mr.Shah started teaching them, and since then, there's been no going back for this Khakhra paltan. " We are currently working with 42 women, and they are all from the nearby areas and glad to make the best khakhra in Mumbai", he mentioned.
Samosa, pani puri, khichdi, and more!
Seeing the demand and targeting new audiences, Mr. Pravin Valji Satra and his brother Savji Valji, recently introduced over 50 types of khakhras that include fun flavours like Samosa, vada pav, tikhi khichdi, cheese garlic bread, Kanda bhajiya, oats masala, pizza, panipuri, and many more. There are also shots in flavours like paan that are just so much fun to eat, along with snacks like puffs, Patra, potato biscuits, and more. There's also a chocolate cart that features a plethora of the same in different flavours. "Jain option is also available as well as the healthy alternatives. But yes, khakhra remains our specialty and we manufacture 200-250 kg every day. We supply the same in different shops across Mumbai", concluded Mr. Pravin.
Where: Shop no .7, Nalanda Niketan, Datta Mandir Rd, near raghuvanshi farsan, near Sangeeta cinema, Malad, Malad East, Mumbai. When: 9 am to 10 pm Price: Starting from Rs.45 for 250 gms.
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