Founded in 2015 by brothers Raam Mohan and Ram Prasad—and later joined by their cousin Sriram Nandan—Farm Made Foods is a family-run business in Tamil Nadu retailing free-range eggs. They also retail coconut sugar made from coconut neera or sap, as well as coconut sugar-based sweets like laddoos and candy. They are third-generation poultry farmers and fifth-generation coconut farmers whose coconut farms—based in and around Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu—span 100 acres.
For Farm Made Foods, it is important that the hens, being the social birds they are, are able to move around freely, as opposed to being in an enclosed space all the time. Raam Mohan first came across the concept of free-range animal husbandry while in Glasgow, Scotland. Upon his return to India in 2013, he thought of introducing the idea of raising hens in a free and open environment on their family’s plantation.
Currently, Farm Made Foods raises three to four breeds of hens. Eggs from these breeds are brown with rich and firm yolks, owing to the feed that Farm Made Foods provides them with.
Adopting a free-range model in India remains a challenge, especially on a large scale, owing to drastic changes in temperature throughout the year. However, coconut trees that offer large, shaded areas, and a year-round stable temperature that ranges from 25 to 38 degrees Celsius, have proven to be beneficial for Farm Made Foods. They have also taken biosecurity measures such as rat-proofing the farms and disinfecting tyres of vehicles that transport the feed. This minimises the spread of disease and reduces stress among hens while also ensuring uncontaminated eggs.
Apart from raising hens, Farm Made Foods are generational coconut breeders too. They cross-pollinate different varieties of coconut to bear saplings with desirable traits such as higher drought tolerance and better yields. They also tap coconut neera or sap from the trees to craft natural coconut sugar. To extract the sap, they’ve employed the Ice Box technology since 2015, developed by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute in Kerala; here, the sap is collected in an ice box and protected by a food-grade cover. This method controls the temperature, prevents any fermentation, and shields the sap against dust and insect contamination. This collected sap is then processed to make coconut sugar.
The Locavore Bite
TL Bite offers a glimpse into how a partner producer runs their operations, and reflects their core principles and values. The idea is to provide insights into their practices and highlight their positive efforts descriptively. We have identified seven key areas of assessment – origin and source of ingredients, composition and integrity of the products, workforce policies, production practices, community-related initiatives, approach towards preserving or celebrating traditional knowledge and the materials used in packaging. While this assessment may not be entirely comprehensive, we hope it helps you make an informed decision about why you might want to support them, and the ways in which to do so.
The information below offers you a snapshot of where Farm Made Foods stands on these parameters. We have put this together based on several rounds of conversations with Raam Mohan. Click on a piece of the pie below to find out more.
Why We Love Farm Made Foods
- Producing their own hen feed: Farm Made Foods have their own feed mill where they produce hen feed with natural, non-genetically modified foods like corn and soyabean. They also feed the hens moringa leaves and marigold flowers. They produce all the feed in-house, and believe that providing the hens with natural feed with balanced nutrition ensures their health, resulting in high-quality eggs.
- Certified Humane-approved farm: While ‘free-range’ is not a legally protected term in India—which means that anyone can use it without having to meet specific criteria—Farm Made Foods makes sure that they are vetted by Certified Humane, an international body based in the United States, overseeing free-range, cage-free poultry farming and dairy farming, to ensure transparency. Certified Humane determines the area dedicated to feeding and drinking water for the hens, the number of nest boxes on the farm, and outdoor area spacing. Their farms are inspected annually, allowing them to improve their agricultural practices while also establishing trust among their consumers.
- Relationship with the local community: Farm Made Foods encourages their employees’ children to receive education from the nearby government school. They arrange transport to and from the school, and provide them with books and stationery. They also partner with Vanam, a local organisation, to help plant native trees that thrive in the dry region—such as tamarind trees—and set up borewells and encourage drip irrigation in an attempt to reforest the region.
Is there a way that free-range eggs are different from others—in terms of how they look or taste? What are some ways in which one can tell if an egg is of high quality?
“Absolutely not! All eggs look the same on the outside, and that’s exactly why so many brands get away with falsely claiming to be free-range. What sets Farm Made Foods apart is that we’re Certified Humane by international standards. It’s a rigorous process, and it reflects the way our hens are raised.
Now, when it comes to taste—yes, there’s a difference. Free-range eggs taste noticeably fresher and more flavourful. A high-quality egg is usually fresh (you’ll notice firmer whites and yolk), has a clean, strong shell, and is free from any artificial odours or residues.”
—Raam Mohan, Founder of Farm Made Foods
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If you would like to learn more about Farm Made Foods, or try their products, check out their website. If you’re interested in supporting them in other ways, please contact us at connect@thelocavore.in.
This is a paid partnership with Farm Made Foods. We strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships. At The Locavore, we strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships.
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