As a child, Siby Manivannan from Tamil Nadu loved the dosas his mother cooked, and even now, at 30, he remembers the exact aroma and taste of this dish. He explains that the secret lies in the oils used in its preparation.
Siby notes that when his mother heated peanut or sesame oil, the whole house would fill with fragrance. He emphasizes that the difference between dosa made with sesame oil and one made with refined oil is noticeable in both taste and richness.
Siby considers himself lucky because it was his grandfather who produced these cold-pressed oils on traditional stone mills. His grandfather did this in the 1960s in a small village workshop but was forced to close the business in the 90s due to the advent of refined oils. Siby decided to revive this venture.
As a tribute to his grandfather and to offer a healthier alternative to refined oils, in 2017, he co-founded the company Gramiyaa with student friends Mohammed Yasin and Navin Rajaraman. This trio sells no less than 50,000 liters of minimally processed cold-pressed oils every month.
The Return of Wood-Pressed Oil
After graduating with a degree in robotics and automation in 2015, Siby began working in his family's auto dealership and restaurant business. It was then, while needing to purchase oils wholesale for his restaurant, that he noticed the excessive use of chemical solvents and impurities in them.
He observed that oils were being mixed with cheaper palm and cottonseed oils. This reminded him of how his grandfather used to make high-quality oils on the stone mill—they were minimally processed, contained no preservatives, and had a pleasant taste. Siby felt a sense of nostalgia and wanted to restore this business forever.
Explaining the oil production process at Gramiyaa, Yasin told The Better India that they first obtain low-moisture seeds from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Kerala. Typically, companies use cheaper, high-moisture seeds and roast them before extraction. However, Gramiyaa does not roast the seeds; instead, they dry them in the sun during the day to preserve the flavor.
Next, the oil from these seeds is extracted on a stone mill using a wooden pestle. Yasin explained that when processing refined oil, hydrogenation temperatures can reach 200 degrees Celsius. Although this is done to extend shelf life, this process also leads to the formation of trans fats, which seriously increase cardiovascular risks.
A study published in the International Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences in 2022 showed that due to this procedure, the seeds lose all natural nutrients and antioxidants, resulting in the final product losing flavor and offering no health benefits.