Women in wellness
Ayurveda advocate Gouri Kubair, 42, shares how her family enjoys making innovative culinary products as well as healthy and natural skincare that cares for people and the planet.
MY FAMILY pioneered the essential oils industry in India back in the 1930s. My grandfather was the first person to cultivate vetiver – atall grass – on a commercial basis to extract the oils. From these beginnings grew a successful family business called Holy Lama Naturals, which makes a natural body care range based on ancient ayurvedic principles. We also make Holy Lama Spice Drops, which are unique, highly concentrated liquid extracts of herbs, spices, flowers and fruits, for adding fresh flavours to food and drink. They are little drops of magic that transform any recipe.
As a third-generation member of the family, I grew up in Kerala with my younger sister and parents. I watched as my parents worked up the family’s beauty range and began to experiment with oils for cooking. We continued to develop and grow the business, extending the range of use of the essential oils.
As the company grew, more help was needed, and so my mother, Vijaya, set up a manufacturing unit in Kerala as a government-recognised women’s enterprise, supporting and empowering disadvantaged women who are marginalised due to personal circumstances. In a traditionally male-dominated society, employment in the factory gives these women much needed self-confidence and independence, making a difference to their lives. This is something the business still does today.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Although I was very much interested in the family firm, for eight years I worked as an auditor and, during that time, met my husband, Anirudha, and had our two children.
Now, more than half the 30-strong range of Spice Drops has been awarded either one or two stars at the Great Taste Awards, and chefs including Nigella Lawson, Rachel Khoo, Tom Kerridge and Cyrus Todiwala have recommended them – some varieties, including Lemon Spice Drops even made an appearance on the 2019 Great British Bake Off when winner David Atherton used them in his final showstopper!
FOCUS ON QUALIT Y
All our ingredients are ethically sourced, largely from local farms in Kerala. The products are all also produced ethically – still handmade in the factory my parents founded.
The extraction process we use today has been perfected over an 80-year period and we believe it to be unique to us. It enables us to retain the natural goodness of the raw ingredients so that the oils are as beneficial in terms of their flavour and health benefits as if you were using the fresh ingredients, and likewise when used in our skin and haircare products.
