Makara Sankranti falls on January 14. Brisk sales of ellu bella and sakkare acchu are happening online.
With rise in Covid-19 cases, most Bengalureans are swapping plans of purchasing goodies from busy markets with ordering via social media.
There are many who are making them at home and selling them. They are doing home delivery via Swiggy Genie, Dunzo, Uber connect, Teleport, WeFast and courier services.
Sushma Naresh, resident of JP Nagar 7th phase, has been selling these goodies for 16 years now. “Our ellu bella and sakkare acchu are chemical-free. We have two types of ellu bella — with and without peppermint,” she says.
Sakkare acchu is available in white and colours, according to orders.
Call: 99866 79974
Prathima Raj, resident of AGS Layout, has been selling ellu bella and sakkare acchu for a decade. “All our festive products are made on charcoal and we do not use gas stove,” she says.
She started preparing the treats in December. “We take orders early as we have a global customer base and need to ship products for them to reach on time,” she adds.
Contact: 90357 80418
Suraksha Prabhu and her mother Shubha, residents of Malleswaram, have been making ellu bella and sakkare acchu for four years.
“Most customers use the ellu bella for ‘naivedyam’ (offering to god) and do not want jeera peppermint added. We make it the authentic way, by only adding jaggery, kobri (dried coconut), groundnut, gram and til (sesame seeds),” she explains.
Sakkare acchu is available only in white. “People don’t prefer coloured ones now,” she adds.
Purchases via social media have increased, says Suraksha. Weekend curfews have deterred people from stepping out. “We used to make around 50 kg earlier but this year we made around 250 kg,” she says.
Call: 98453 09300
Customised versions
Deepti Nadagouda, resident of Vidyaranapura, has been selling these goodies for two years.
“We are also making 50-100 gm packets based on orders. Also, adding items like kusuri ellu (sesame seeds coated in sugar balls) and peppermint is optional,” she says. Some want the mix made with organic jaggery too. “Some only want some items like ‘til’, roasted groundnuts, cut jaggery separately and they want to make the mix at home,” she adds.
Call: 98442 28005
Resident of Indiranagar, Nagaveni Rajappa, customises ellu bella according to the customer’s choice — will increase or decrease jeera peppermint, peanuts in the mix. Some ask for cut pieces separately to be mixed later.
“Sakkare acchu in elephant, lotus and other shapes are available. We have coloured versions too but people prefer white ones now,” she says.
Call: 95387 60032
More sweet treats
Jayalakshmi, who works as a utility staff at a school in Rukmini Nagar, has teamed up with three colleagues to sell ellu bella. “We actually started the business last year as we needed to find a way to earn a living because schools were shut due to the pandemic,” she tells Metrolife.
Apart from the sweet mix, the team of four is also delivering other festive items like ‘laddoos’ and ‘karjikai’.
Contact: 98452 92831
Cost factor
Most vendors are selling ellu bella for Rs 280-Rs 400 per kg and sakkare acchu for Rs 200-Rs 300 per kg.
Websites too
Many websites, including e-commerce majors, are selling Sankranti goodies, and promise quick delivery.