The PICKLLUM Story
Long before pickling was artisanal. Before it was exported. Before jars had labels — it was simply what women in North East India did with the gifts of their harvest, their land, and their love.
We didn't invent a recipe. We remembered one.
— Founder, PICKLLUM
On Majuli — the world's largest river island, floating in the Brahmaputra — a woman named Meena Devi was known across three villages for her mango pickle. She rose before the sun, heated oil in an iron pan over firewood, and layered her spices with the patience that only decades of practice imparts.
Her granddaughter, who would one day start PICKLLUM, grew up watching those hands. She didn't know she was watching history. She thought she was just watching grandmother cook.
By the 1980s, Meena's recipes had evolved across three generations. Her daughter began writing them down in a cloth-covered notebook — not exact measurements (none of the women measured anything) but descriptions of colour, aroma, and texture that signalled a pickle was ready.
"When the mustard oil smells like sunlight," one entry read. Another: "The mango should be angry — sour and fibrous, like it doesn't want to be eaten yet." These were not recipes. They were poems.
When Meena's granddaughter — let's call her Priya — moved to Bengaluru for a software job in 2018, she packed three things: a suitcase, her grandmother's notebook, and one jar of mango pickle. The jar lasted three months. The longing for a second one lasted much longer.
Priya began making the pickles herself in her tiny apartment kitchen. Her colleagues tasted them. Then their families. Then strangers on Instagram who found her posts. Something was happening.
Priya returned to Assam. Not as someone who had failed in the city — but as someone who had understood what the city was missing. She began working with the women of her grandmother's village, documenting recipes, creating consistent production methods, and solving the core challenge: how to preserve the authenticity of a handmade product at a scale that could reach people across India.
The answer was: very carefully. Small batches. No shortcuts. The same hands. Better jars.
In 2023, with FSSAI certification secured, a team of twelve women artisans trained and proud, and five flavours perfected over hundreds of test batches, PICKLLUM launched. The first month sold out in 72 hours. The second month, in 24.
Today PICKLLUM ships across India, with export inquiries arriving from the UK, USA, and the Gulf. The jar has travelled further than anyone imagined. But it still starts in the same kitchen. Still sealed by the same hands.
Community Impact
PICKLLUM is not just a food brand. It is an economic engine for twelve families in Assam. Each woman in our production team earns above the local market rate, works in humane conditions, and retains the pride of being a craftsperson — not just an employee.
Their names are on every box. Their stories are in every jar. We consider this the most important ingredient we could possibly offer.