27 June,2010 02:36 PM IST | | Soma Das
Make a beeline for the latest organic health food store at Kala Ghoda, which offers eco-friendly goodies from all over the country
Over the years, the spot that houses GreenFields at Kala Ghoda has been known variously as a diary and a cold storage room. It has now morphed into a one-stop affordable green shop offering products to help you embrace an "organic lifestyle".
Organic store GreenFields acts as an outlet to sell sustainable farmers'
products to the masses
The store opened in March and was set up by biodynamic farming instructor Sanjay Doctor and nutritionist Sapna Shah. Doctor was bitten by the green bug after attending a sustainable farming workshop at Auroville in 1993. Since then, he has been helping farmers and NGOs across the country make the switch to organic and biodynamic farming, which follows traditional practices and uses astronomical predictions to grow crops.
GreenFields acts as an outlet to sell these farmers' products to the masses.
At the outset, the store seems tiny but offers a lot in terms of variety. There is a reading room adjacent to the store with comfy chairs in case you want to read more on the organic movement. The owners personally attend to customers and are eager to have you sample their Nilgiri organic tea.
What's on offer
The store stocks products by 40 farmers and brands from across the country, ranging from grocery products to books and clothes. The diet-conscious can rejoice; the products are free from chemicals, artificial preservatives, sugar and flour.
Pocket books (Rs 40 onwards) on topics like the safety of mobile phones, genetically modified foods, undeclared salt content in foods and the toxic content of soft drinks offer a good read. If you like your food exotic, buy Gir Cow Ghee (Rs 150) made from the milk of wild cows in the Gir forest of Gujarat, Lingri pickles (Rs 120) made from fern or opt for Tribal Honey (Rs 180) sourced from Oriya tribals who extract honey without harming the beehive.
If you crave an energy boost, try fortified Palm Candy (Rs 15) or Muesli bars (Rs 50) made from amaranth, apricot, sesame, cashewnut, mango and buckwheat. Malted rye/ barley porridge (Rs 20 onwards) from Himachal Pradesh makes a good breakfast option.
If you are disgusted with the conventional varkh (silver foil) on sweets, which are hammered between layers of ox-gut, try their machine-made edible gold (1 leaf for Rs 130) and silver (Rs 45 for 15 sheets) that can be consumed with sweets, milk or porridge. They also offer Ajwa dates (Rs 850 for 500 gm) from Saudi Arabia, believed to have been planted by Prophet Mohammad himself. GreenFields also has a small range of organic T-shirts (Rs 565 onwards) and bags (Rs 195 onwards) made from cotton and bamboo.
The USP
Cup-sized portions of most goodies are offered. Prices are only 10 per cent higher than the market price, a feat possible thanks to several companies subsidising rates for their products. The store also organises free tasting sessions; drop in for the ongoing honey-tasting festival that ends on July 15. Farmers from all over the country will attend, explain the process and offer different kinds of honey.
At: Army Navy Building (back entrance), David Sassoon Library Marg, opposite City Civil Court post office, Kala Ghoda, Churchgate
Call: 65157507
Email: hello.greenfields@gmail.com
