Our Story – Giving Years of Skill the Value They Deserve

Mithila Maai began with conversations with my mother.

As we spoke, I began to understand something that stayed with me. She knew so much – traditional recipes, pickle-making and the everyday skills that had helped care for a family for years. Yet without an opportunity to earn from that knowledge, she sometimes felt her work had little value.

I heard the same feeling in conversations with other elderly women in our village. Women with a lifetime of experience, traditional art and practical knowledge often had very few opportunities to earn through their skills.

I could hear the hurt in those conversations. These were women whose work had mattered to their families every day, but who struggled to see that work as something others would value and pay for.

That feeling became the reason behind Mithila Maai.

The Value Was Always There

Our mothers and grandmothers carry knowledge that takes years to learn.

They know family recipes, the details that make a pickle taste right, and traditional ways of making things by hand. Much of this knowledge has passed from one generation to another through everyday work.

But for many elderly village women, opportunities to turn those skills into an income are limited. Over time, it can become easy to believe, “If my work cannot earn anything, perhaps it has no value.”

Hearing that from my mother and other women was painful. I had seen how much care, patience and experience their work required.

I wanted to help create an opportunity for them to earn through what they already knew, and to feel recognised for it.

Why I Started Mithila Maai

I wanted to build a business that could connect these skills with people who would appreciate them.

Elderly village women became the starting point of that purpose. Women who still had so much to contribute, but few opportunities to earn well through their traditional knowledge.

Leaving my job to build Mithila Maai meant stepping into uncertainty. There was plenty to learn, from preparing and packing products to reaching customers and understanding how to run a business.

But the reason for starting remained clear: I wanted the women whose knowledge inspired this journey to see that their work could have a place beyond their own homes.

We began small, listening to feedback and learning with each order. We are still growing, with the hope of creating more meaningful earning opportunities as the business develops.

Why the Name “Maai”

“Maai” means mother.

For me, the name holds the conversations that started this journey. It brings to mind my mother and the many village women whose care and knowledge have shaped the lives around them.

Mithila connects us to our roots. Maai reminds us of the people at the heart of our purpose.

Our words, “Swad Maa ke haath ka,” carry that feeling of familiarity, care and belonging.

From Their Knowledge to Your Home

Our collection brings together homemade pickles, plain makhana and natural loofahs.

Each has its own place in everyday life. A familiar flavour beside a meal. Makhana prepared for the family. A natural loofah used as part of a daily routine.

Through Mithila Maai, we want to bring village-rooted products to more homes and build appreciation for the knowledge and work behind them.

Pickles are an important part of our story, but our purpose reaches further. We hope to create space for more traditional skills and handmade work as we grow.

Earning, Recognition and Choice

Being able to earn through a skill can mean something deeply personal.

It can mean having money of your own, making a small decision independently, or feeling proud that someone chose and paid for something you helped make.

That is the opportunity we want to work towards for elderly village women.

We want their experience to be respected, their contribution to be recognised and their work to offer a source of income. We want to build these opportunities around their willingness, comfort and abilities.

This takes time and a dependable business. We are at the beginning of that journey, and we want to grow with care.

Every Order Helps Us Move Forward

For a small business, every order is encouraging. Every honest review helps us learn.

When someone tells us that a flavour reminded them of home, or that a product has become part of their daily routine, it gives us confidence to keep building.

Your choice helps us develop a market for these products. As that market grows, our aim is to create more opportunities for the women whose skills inspired Mithila Maai.

A Promise Close to My Heart

I started Mithila Maai because I had seen and felt the pain of women questioning the worth of work they had done for years.

My hope is that more of them will have the chance to say, with pride, “People value what I make. I can earn through what I know.”

There is still much to do. But that hope guides the business we are building.

Thank you for being part of our story and for welcoming a little of Mithila into your home.

Shrawan
Founder, Mithila Maai