Feeling playful and want to experiment with cooking something other than your usual vegetables? Try Green Goblin, one of Chennai’s first exotic produce stores, selling things you might not even have heard of! With a variety of fascinating ingredients, this store is just what you need to level up your meals.
Sticking out like a green thumb
Aditi Vasu, the owner of Green Goblin, started the enterprise in 2015 mainly for her husband and kids. They lived abroad for over a decade, and her kids grew up in Sweden. They were acclimated to Swedish food and were not too familiar with Indian ingredients. When they first moved back to India, they were based in Bangalore for six years. It was slightly easier to find Western ingredients there compared to Chennai. There was no concept of complex, balanced salads at the time. Everything used chilli powder, and her kids couldn’t handle it. That was her main motivation behind starting the store. Every venture needs a foundation, and for Aditi, that was close to home.
Origin story
“I fortunately already had a source. My cousin was managing my uncle’s farms, which are based in Pune, the surrounding areas, and Ooty. They were growing ‘English vegetables’ and have been for decades, supplying them to 7-star hotels across Mumbai. There’s a fun story: when McDonald’s first came to India, my uncle was the only one who qualified to supply the outlets with iceberg lettuce!”
Aditi brings in one shipment a week, getting the produce shipped by air or bus. She reveals that she never wanted to grow the business or expand too much. She needed the ingredients, and starting a business with that produce made the most sense. Luckily, there was a ready market for what she was sourcing, so it worked out perfectly. “My children studied at the American School, and all the expatriate families became my customers.” Then came the step of naming the store. The quirky, memorable name became synonymous with the brand’s identity.
EXOTIC FRUITS – Mulberries, Avocados, Blueberries
Green beginnings
“I was thinking of names with ‘green’, like ‘green basket’ or ‘green garden’, and more tame things. My husband told me to go all out and name it something outlandish so it sticks out, hence the word goblin. It’s not a pretty name, but hey, people will remember it,” she laughs.
Apart from the challenge of naming her venture, she talks about logistical hurdles. “I, along with my husband’s driver, collect the shipments from the airport and bus stations, depending on where they’re coming from. This is one of the main reasons I didn’t scale up. Having to drive up twice a week is an additional cost to the already expensive shipping. The shipping cost is almost the same as the vegetables themselves, but when people want something, they’re willing to pay the price. As for the overhead costs, I didn’t want any fancy accounting systems. My husband made some templates for me on Excel, and I still use them 10 years later. As needs arose, we managed to put things in place to solve the issues.” For 10 years, Aditi has managed to keep Green Goblin thriving by being organised and focusing on the nuances of running a business dealing with fresh produce.
SALAD VARIETIES – Ready to eat salad, Microgreen salad
Behind the green scene
Green Goblin has two addresses for order pickups—one being Aditi’s office and cold storage room in Neelangarai, and one in her mother-in-law’s house in Cathedral Road. Handling fresh produce is not an easy task, so she only ships in what people have ordered that week. “Since I don’t have a storefront, I don’t bring in anything extra. Nobody wants old vegetables; they have to be fresh. It’s a good system, because this way, we have next to no wastage. This is especially useful, since hotels form more than half of my business, and they order large quantities. We ship exactly how much they require and have little to nothing left with us after the orders are fulfilled.” Being sustainable has become a part of the process for her. It’s in between these mindful choices that she found stories of encouragement, proving that every step forward counts for a small business owner. It’s these affirmations that keep her grounded and encouraged.
Small joys, little wins
On the topic of memorable customer stories, Aditi narrates, “One of my favourite stories is of an Italian lady who showers me with hugs every time she comes to pick up her order. She was elated when she found radicchio here, which is something they use frequently in Italian homes.”
Hearing positive feedback made her husband think of expanding, but Aditi explains why that is not something she’d like to do. “I have some health problems that have given me mobility issues. Paired with this, I started this business more as a way to bring familiar food to the table, and not for the money.” Her motivation continues to evolve, intertwined with food, family, and the joy of shared experiences.
FRESH CUT FLOWERS – Alstroemerias, Ornithogalum
Passing down flavours and dreams
Flavours from her husband’s Swedish heritage paved the way for interesting dishes in her household. She talks about her dinner table and how different it is compared to her friends and family’s. Three cheese ravioli with burnt butter and sage sauce, and fresh, crisp salads that had a kick to them.
What began as an attempt to plate Western flavours while living in India turned into a full-blown business. “The only major difference in all this time is that my younger daughter just joined me. She’s a trained bartender and mixologist, but I’m hoping she will take over the business eventually. Having a younger member on the team gives me hope that the business can go in a different direction. She’s just learning the ropes now, it’s still early days, so let’s see,” Aditi smiles. With one generation inspiring the next, Green Goblin stands to become a longstanding business venture.
CHINESE AND THAI INGREDIENTS – Bamboo shoot, Bangkok chilli
Lessons from a decade of doing business
Regarding lessons learned along the way, Aditi emphasises, “The customer is of utmost importance. If someone complains that there’s an issue with the produce, we either refund it or replace it if we have stock available. We do it instantly without a second thought. You just have to believe in people’s inherent integrity. You have to believe that they wouldn’t lie and make up stories.”
Dealing with customers and logistics has its ups and downs, just like with any business. When asked if she has an exit plan, she details, “There’s no big investment that went into this other than the cold room for storage, so technically, it can be shut down. But I don’t see it being shut down so easily and this quickly. The day it stops being profitable, however, I will shut it down. As long as it’s paying salaries and the business is running itself, why stop something good?” It’s a philosophy that values purpose and practicality.
Rooted in gratitude
As far as staying motivated is concerned, Aditi reflects, “The fact that I pay salaries is a big motivator. Being up and running for 10 years is a big deal, and the girls who work for me have stuck by my side, so that in itself is wonderful. However tiny my venture is, I’m still providing employment,” she says proudly. Much like the fresh produce she sources weekly, Aditi’s story is rooted in care and consistency that keep her business blooming.
Green Goblin sells a variety of exotic produce like zucchini flowers, celeriac, artichokes, kumquats, kaffir lime leaves, palm hearts, rhubarb, and arugula.
