Coimbatore Woman, Who Studied Architecture, Launches Traditional Butter Churner

The dietary habits and items used by our ancestors, who lived healthy lives for a long time, are once again being embraced by the modern generation. In this context, a couple from Coimbatore, Haritha and Sanjay, have reinvented an old tool used by our grandparents to churn curd, blending tradition with modernity. They have created a modern version of the traditional ‘Kili Mathu’ used in the old days to extract butter from curd. Crafted with artistic flair, this churner instantly attracts the current generation.

Made of wood and intricately carved by hand, this churner is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. In the past, our ancestors used large churners to extract butter from curd, a practice that our parents’ generation eventually abandoned, leaving us unfamiliar with the tool. However, with the Kili Mathu created by this couple, anyone, from children to adults, can easily extract butter. Haritha, who studied architecture, and her husband Sanjay, who works in the private sector, have together created this traditional churner under the brand name ‘Sirpi’ to suit the modern era.

Regarding this, Haritha said, “My husband Sanjay and I, under the brand name Sirpi, are creating such traditional items. When we thought about what we could do independently, we realized that many business opportunities exist in engineering and medicine. We are reviving traditional items that are on the brink of disappearing from our lifestyle and reimagining them for modern times with artistic touches. Our family is involved in agriculture, with my father still farming. So we thought, why not develop artistic and craft-related items, and that’s how Sirpi began.

Through Sirpi, we are bringing handcrafted artistic items to the public, thinking through each product ourselves and working with a carpenter to bring them to life. One of our creations is the Kili Mathu. This Kili Mathu is a product with a storyline. In the past, before churning butter, people used a traditional churner, which today’s children have never seen. They don’t know how it was used to extract butter. This is an item that everyone can have and use at home. We thought, why not redesign and recreate it, and that’s how the Kili Mathu came about. In the old days, people would churn with the help of a single stick. We took that and redesigned it. This product is entirely made of wood. In the past, people used both hands to churn with the Mathu, but we’ve designed it for use with one hand. We got this idea from the violin, and our carpenter Ravi brought it to life as a product,” she explained.