Kumaon Foods: Bringing the Taste of Uttarakhand's Hills to Every Indian Kitchen
A young Uttarakhand brand is taking the staples of Kumaoni kitchens, from Bhatt Dal to Mandwa Atta, to households far from the hills.
The short answer
Kumaon Foods is a Dehradun-based Uttarakhand food start-up founded by Nirmala Devi. It sells traditional Himalayan staples, including Pahadi Rajma, Bhatt Dal, Gehat Dal, Himalayan Red Rice, Mandwa Atta and Pahadi Turmeric, to consumers across India, and says its products are sourced from local Uttarakhand farms and handcrafted by Himalayan women.
Start-up
A Himalayan pantry, packed in Dehradun
Kumaon Foods is a young Uttarakhand food brand that sells the staples of hill kitchens to households across India. Founded by Nirmala Devi, who calls herself a daughter of the Kumaon hills, the Dehradun-based company packs grains, pulses and spices that most of the country rarely sees outside the mountains, under the line “From the hills to your heart”.
Its aim, in its own words, is to preserve regional food traditions, build awareness of Himalayan ingredients and make the flavours of the mountains available to everyone.
The range
Rajma, Bhatt and Mandwa: what is on the shelf
The range reads like a Kumaoni kitchen cupboard:
- Pahadi Rajma, the small red kidney beans of the hills
- Bhatt Dal (black soybean) and Gehat Dal, also called kulath or horse gram
- Himalayan Red Rice and Himalayan Basmati Rice
- Mandwa Atta, flour of finger millet (ragi)
- Pahadi Turmeric, described by the company as Lakadong-grade haldi
- Chuk, a Himalayan lemon concentrate, plus Jakhiya (wild mustard seed) and Bhang Dana (hemp seed)
Packs are mostly 500 g, with spices in smaller sizes, and every pack carries the product name in English and Hindi.
Sourcing
Grown in the hills, handled by local women
Kumaon Foods says its products are grown naturally in the Himalayas, sourced from local farms in Uttarakhand, and handcrafted by local Himalayan women, buying direct from farmers.
Hill crops such as Bhatt, Gehat, Mandwa and Pahadi Rajma are grown in small terraced plots, often by women farmers. A brand that packs and sells them under one name gives these crops a route to city kitchens.
Why it matters
Regional foods deserve a wider table
India's regional foods are part of its farm heritage, yet many hill staples are hard to find outside their home districts. Small brands like Kumaon Foods carry Pahadi grains and pulses into households that know only the plains varieties, and give hill growers a market beyond the local haat.
Why it matters
Hill staples like Bhatt, Gehat and Mandwa rarely reach city shelves. Brands that pack them give hill growers a wider market and keep regional food traditions alive.
Frequently asked
What is Kumaon Foods?
A Dehradun-based Uttarakhand food start-up, founded by Nirmala Devi, that sells traditional Himalayan staples such as Pahadi Rajma, Bhatt Dal, Himalayan Red Rice and Mandwa Atta to consumers across India.
What is Bhatt Dal?
Bhatt is the black soybean of the Uttarakhand hills, cooked as a dal in Kumaoni and Garhwali kitchens.
What is Mandwa?
Mandwa is the hill name for finger millet (ragi). Kumaon Foods sells it as Mandwa Atta, a flour.
Where does Kumaon Foods source its products?
The company says its products are grown naturally in the Himalayas, sourced from local farms in Uttarakhand and handcrafted by local Himalayan women.
Company story based on information supplied by Kumaon Foods. Photos: Kumaon Foods.
Edited by Devendra Kumar Jha. How we report, source and correct: editorial policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.
