For Beena Tom, every guest was an opportunity to showcase her love for cooking. Whenever her husband’s friends or relatives visited their home in Kerala, she enjoyed treating them to her homemade dishes.
The guests often encouraged her to turn her homecooked food into a business. Beena would be touched by the compliments, but she could only pursue this dream after her husband’s retirement.
As her children settled, she found the opportunity to focus on the dreams she had long postponed.
In 2017, Beena began her journey by training in beekeeping and learning the value addition of fruits and vegetables through various agencies, including the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Kumarakom.
Following the training, she started processing honey and creating products like honey soaps. Over time, she learned to create a variety of innovative products from the produce of her backyard.
Spread across three acres of land, Beena grows a wide range of fruits and vegetables such as bananas, nutmeg, mangoes, areca nuts, and butterfly peas in her backyard.
She proudly shares thateverything is grown organically using vermicompost, cow dung, bone meal, and kitchen waste compost.
Her dedication to using natural and organic ingredients sets her products apart, attracting a loyal customer base nationwide. Through her venture,‘Bees of Beena’, she fulfills eight to 10 orders everyday.
“With this, I am able to make around Rs 50,000 per month as profit. More than earnings, I do this for passion and to stay engaged,” she says.
Talking about running a home business at 56, Beena says, “With kids being away, it’s farming and this home business that has become a medium for us to get engaged and get away from loneliness.”