About Us - MANINI

Who we are

MANINI is a Self Help Group (SHG) of women from different villages in Tiptur taluk in Tumkur district in Karnataka. MANINI was founded with the objective to empower rural women economically and socially. It is supported by the NGO Technology Informatics Design Endeavour (TIDE).

The SHG produces and markets various value-added products like dried vegetables and millet products. Local women supply various food and non-food products like cloth bags, paper bags, masks to MANINI, which then markets the products. All food products sold under MANINI are FSSAI certified, non-food products are tested for quality. TIDE introduces various livelihood options to MANINI, conducts technology training, enterprise training, soft skill training, and provides facilitation services to grow MANINI. TIDE has offered its Women’s Technology Park (WTP) for production activities of MANINI which currently includes millet products, dried vegetables, areca leaf sheath products, and tailoring.

MANINI is an excellent model demonstrating value addition for local produce, income generation for rural women and farmers, and contributing to the local economy.

A friendly store

100% Natural

All MANINI products are 100% natural with no additives or preservatives. They are certified by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).

Keep You Healthy

MANINI dried products are hygienically produced in Women's Technology Park by trained (health certified)

Certified by FSSAI

They are certified by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). MANINI dried products are safe, convenient to use and save cooking time.

Eco Friendly

products are hygienically produced in Women’s Technology Park by trained (health certified) women using eco-friendly solar and biomass fired dryers.

Our Team

SUNANDA K C

CHANDRAKALA S K

KAMALA

MANJULA KOLLIHATTI

KAVITHA T K

KAVITHA J

LOKESHWARI

KAVITHA

PUSHPAVATHI

MANJULA

KALPANA

SHASHIKALA

SUNANDA

REKHA A S

RADHA MANI

SUDHA

SAKAMMA

Case Studies

Kalpana – Successful Ragi entrepreneur employing other women

Kalpana is from a farming family, owning a small patch of land. “My husband used to work in coconut mandi in Tiptur and came home quite late. As our landholding is small, I had to find a way to bring in more income into the house” says Kalpana. She started preparing Ragi papad based on the traditional knowledge and tried to sell the papad to her acquaintances without much success. She got to know about TIDE and participated in a Ragi value addition training conducted by TIDE where she learned about value-added products such as Ragi malt and Nipattu. She also understood other important aspects like quality, compliance for food grade, packaging, and marketing. Today Kalpana manufactures different variants of papad, Ragi malt, Hurihittu, savories like chakli, and Nipattu all Ragi-based. She has become a successful entrepreneur employing 3 other women. She recalls how her entrepreneurship journey with TIDE provided her knowledge, skills, and linkages. Post our intervention, Kalpana earns a profit of Rs 8,000 to 12,000 every month from sales of her products and after paying women employed by her.

Veena - Areca entrepreneur

Veena is a farmer woman helping her husband in agriculture work. She was looking for a part time earning opportunity for giving good education to her 2 girl children. She came across TIDE ECO stores and approached the TIDE team. TIDE team explained the various entrepreneur opportunities and she decided to start the areca leaf plate production with the support of her family. She had now purchased her own areca making machines and is regularly supplying 30,000 plates per month. She is also planning to expand her business by manufacturing 50000 plates per month and try other products like areca spoons and cups. Veena is now hopeful that this enterprise could generate an additional income which would be additional income for Growing needs of her two daughters.

Shashikala - Employee at WTP Production unit and Resource person for paper Bag making and Ragi value addition training

Shashikala, 29 years old, is from Aralaguppe village near TIDE’s Women Technology Park (WTP). She was in her first year of undergraduate course when she got married and her education was discontinued. Although she comes from a farming background, neither she nor her husband work on the small piece of land they have inherited and it is left fallow. Her husband drives tractors for a living and has mostly seasonal work; he also has health problems. They have a 9 year old boy who studies at the local Govt school in Aralaguppe. She got trained by TIDE in ragi value added products. Subsequently, Shashikala has been working at WTP for more than 15 months now on a flexible basis in her spare time and earns Rs 2500 to 3000 every month. She says the work seemed a little complex at the beginning but she is comfortable now. Additionally she has become the resource person for training other women, earning additional income.

Pushpa - Employee at WTP Bakery unit and Resource person paper Bag making and Ragi value addition

Pushpa comes from a large family of 8 in Aralaguppe village and could only study till high school. Her family does not have any agricultural land and her husband works in a brick kiln. She started to look out for work to supplement her family’s income and to take better care of her daughter’s health. She started working as an assistant in a school nearby but did not continue due to poor pay. She was unemployed when she heard about opportunities at the Women’s Technology Park (WTP). Pushpa approached and was trained in the process of making plates using areca leaf sheath, an eco-friendly alternative to plastic plates which is manufactured using a locally available resource. She started operating the manual areca plate making machine at WTP. Through the course of her work Pushpa also got trained in Sarala stove building and travelled to various villages to build Sarala stoves. She has also become the resource person to train other women at WTP. All this is new and enjoyable experience as Puspha says “I feel good when people recognize me and feel more confident about myself”