A range of gourmet sweets launched in Coimbatore

The blissful nutty goodness of pistachios melts in my mouth as I enjoy a pistachio date ladoo at On The Go. The crunchy nuts and naturally sweet dates make every bite satisfying. The English toffee variant with roasted almonds, dark chocolate and caramel is perfectly crunchy with generous chunks of almonds and is a delight to savour. “It’s also gluten-free,” says Ranjana Singhal, who started the That’s Why chain of restaurants and cafes in the city. Ranjana has recently launched Abhiran, a range of curated gourmet mithai in the city in collaboration with Chennai-based Saffron by Anu’s range of artisanal sweets and savouries.

“I kept ordering their badam and pistachio sweets for every occasion in my family, apart from festivals like Deepavali. We then struck a deal to bring them to Coimbatore and here we are,” says Ranjana, adding: “We had fantastic reception from our soft launch that boosted our confidence to launch this niche sweets segment. Once customers place their orders, we can deliver within a couple of days. The sweets come with a three-week shelf life in ambient temperature.” We try out more goodies such as the indulgent dates and nut squares that has a nutty crunch and natural sweetness and the tangy cranberry that is sweet, tart, and chatpata. Among savouries, there is also Thai almond mix with crisp almonds, cashew nuts and peanuts, all tossed in Thai spices and a drizzle of olive oil.

Thai almond mix with crisp almonds, cashew nuts and peanuts, all tossed in Thai spices and a drizzle of olive oil
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Special Arrangement

With the collaboration, Ranjana hopes to curate sweets and savouries that are entirely handmade, made using original recipes handed down many generations from families in Rajasthan. “Every day is a celebration there. For instance for hariyali teej, women fast, dress up in traditional clothes, and home-made sweets form a big part of every celebration. A cherished aspect of this festival is the sindhara or sinjara ritual, where women receive gifts including sweets from their maternal homes. Then, there is Raksha Bandhan, Deepavali, Sankranti…. there is no dearth of occasions,” says Ranjana adding that people there celebrate good food, clothes and jewellery.

Abhiran’s sweet and savoury treats are made without ghee and come in artistic packaging with attention to detail. “The city is changing. Out goes besan ladoo and in comes baked badam ladoo garnished with dried rose petals. It’s the natural oil of nuts that binds the sweets together. All savouries are air fried and baked. What one enjoys is the goodness of nuts. It is also vegan, but we make it zero sugar based on order,” says Ranjana as we enjoy baked pista, badam and nutella, and lotus biscoff, which is rich, crumbly, nutty, and not overtly sweet.

The four-in-one bake box is wrapped in bespoke packaging. As someone who has been a part of the food industry for over two decades, she says the market is evolving where innovation is the key. “Be it new cuisines, fusion food, or gourmet mithai, there is space for growth. Food business is high on investment, dependent on human resource. Pricing, social media presence, parking spaces, everything counts. I have seen That’s Why grow from zero reservation to people queuing up outside,” says Ranjana.

Baked pista comes in customised boxes
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Special Arrangement

She started On The Go with a 30-plus team, serving continental food, which initially did not work. “We added Indian food to the menu, opened up parking and turned things around. Later, we opened Cafe Totaram  and now All Rise Cafe, a niche space. Coimbatore food scene now also has themed cafes and restaurants. We are testing the market with gourmet sweets,” explains Ranjana adding that currently they send out gourmet sweets to Tiruppur, the Nilgiris and Pollachi. Orders can be customised as four-piece or six-piece boxes. Cinnamon granola and almond crunch comes in a bottle.

“Mysorepak, ladoo and sandesh are like comfort sweets which we can have every day. We associate, for example, a jelabi with a childhood memory though it may not taste the same now. Our That’s Why restaurant’s mud souffle evokes the same emotion. Artisanal sweets are expensive and hence are reserved for special occasions,” she says, adding, “Sangeet is now part of every South Indian wedding. Pattu Paavadai has a trendy avatar. We are embracing cultures, and there is a growing market that loves to indulge in gourmet mithais to ring in celebrations.”

For pre-orders, call 9843045992/ 9843145992