Rediscover indigenous rice varities of India at this zero-waste store in Coimbatore

Vilvah Agro, a zero-waste store in Coimbatore, showcases more than 40 different rice varitieties from various States across the country

Some of India’s precious native rice varieties — parakkum chittu, ilupai poo samba and Rajamudi — call out to visitors at Vilvah Agro, a new zero-waste store in Coimbatore. Curious, the visitors make a beeline to the rice section, where the varieties are stored in tall glass canisters.

“This is our objective — to get people talking about native rice varieties,” says Kruthika Kumaran, founder of Vilvah that stocks over 40 indigenous white, brown, red and black rice grains, including Athur kichili samba, hand-pounded raw rice, poongar and thooyamalli.