Mithila Makhana Cooperative
Run by Suresh Kumar Mandal · Cooperative — 200+ farmer families
"Phool Makhana is not grown — it is harvested from sacred ponds by hand. Then the seed is roasted, popped, and graded. Every step is monsoon-dependent.
Their Story
The Mithila Makhana Cooperative connects 200+ farmer families across Darbhanga, Madhubani, Saharsa, and Purnea who grow and harvest GI-tagged Phool Makhana from inherited family ponds. Founded in 2010 to fight middleman markups, the cooperative pays farmers 3x the market rate and dispatches direct to TasteLokal customers. Each pack is traceable to the specific village pond it came from.
How They Make It
Lotus seeds are collected from family-owned ponds across Mithila between June and September. After sun-drying for 2-3 days, seeds are roasted in clay pots on a controlled fire until they pop into the characteristic white puff. Grading is then done by size — only Grade 1 (>22mm) goes into our premium pack. This is the GI-tagged process the cooperative protects.