Can pandan conquer India? This entrepreneur thinks so

KUALA LUMPUR: Matcha may have won over India’s cafés and bakeries, but Malaysian entrepreneur Shivaani Suppiah believes pandan could be next.

The 32-year-old from Teluk Intan is working to introduce the aromatic leaf to Indian consumers through a range of foods, from thosai and appam to curries and kaya.

Based near Pondicherry in southern India, Shivaani founded the brand It’s Pandan Only in the hope of carving out a place for the ingredient in India’s growing food scene.

Known scientifically as pandanus amaryllifolius, pandan is widely used in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, earning it the nickname “vanilla of the East”.

Shivaani chose Pondicherry as her base because of its mix of locals, entrepreneurs and international travellers, many of whom are open to trying new flavours.

Rather than focusing solely on Malaysian dishes, she is experimenting with pandan in foods that Indian consumers already know and enjoy.

“The long-term goal is to make pandan more accessible and a familiar flavour in India, much like how matcha became hugely popular,” she told Bernama.

She acknowledged that matcha took years to gain traction in India, but believes pandan’s versatility could help it find a place in a much wider range of foods.

“I want to expand pandan’s versatility beyond traditional Malaysian dishes. I’m introducing Malaysian food to India while also experimenting with pandan in Indian cuisine.”

Among the dishes she has infused with pandan are idli, chapati, poori, puttu and appam, alongside Malaysian favourites such as nasi lemak and agar-agar.

One of the brand’s key products is a vegetarian kaya marketed as Pandan Coconut Spread, which has sold about 20kg across India over the past five months.

For now, the spread is supplied by Malaysian bakery VickedGood, although Shivaani plans to begin local production near Pondicherry later this year.

Sharing that she moved to southern India in December 2023, Shivaani explained she began growing pandan for her own cooking after missing Malaysian food. Today, she cultivates about 50 pandan plants.

Encouraged by a cousin, she eventually began selling pandan products commercially. Drawing on a decade of experience in digital marketing, Shivaani decided a year ago to focus fully on developing the business.

“I’ve given samples to French, German and American travellers, and the feedback has been very positive. The same goes for people from different parts of India,” she shared.

In the coming years, she hopes to expand beyond Pondicherry, targeting cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.

“I would love to see larger Indian manufacturers using pandan in products such as ice cream, breads, cakes and desserts, just as we see in Malaysia,” she added.

‘Through pandan, I hope to build a small bridge between countries.”