Savouring Tradition Empowering Women
Savouring Tradition Empowering Women
Who Are We?
We are a women-led collective in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh Province, Northern India. We craft small-batch, preservative-free pickles and chutneys using age-old recipes, mustard oil, and sun-ripened local produce.
Our initial craftswomen herald from Swala Vill, Naganpatt (Bandi) - a small agricultural area in the Dharamshala region of Himachal. Their stories are marked by joy, hardships and ultimately perseverance - we are very proud to support their work.
Anita’s Story…
Anita was disabled by Polio at birth. Eventually she was married to Ved Parkash who is deaf and mute from an infection at birth. Ved was trained as a tailor and Anita has been a housewife, as there were no work opportunities for women in the village. Anita and Ved have 3 children, a daughter Anishka, 29 who is now married, and two Sons Jatin 27 and Sujatha 24.
Sunila and Anita have known each other for more than 27 years as neighbors and friends. Anita, thankfully, came to The Mustard Women in September of 2025 and we are so happy to have her!
Sunila’s Story…
Sunila was born in Nandi village and arranged to marry Rajesh Kumar at 23 yrs from Bandi village. She moved there and they had two children Sneha now 19, and Ronit 14 yrs. Before marriage, she worked at Cross Cultural Solutions, an NGO, as a fieldworker in women’s health and education. Her husband, 6 years her senior, operated a successful guest house in Dharamkot before he met with a fatal road accident in August 2022, at the young age of 46.
Sunila was 40 yrs old at the time of the accident. She was left with only her home and small fields in the village. Her subsistence now was to sell the milk from her family cow, some crops from her fields and occasional seamstress work, but it was not enough to feed and keep her children in school. Nupur was casually acquainted with Rajesh’s cousin who recommended Sunila to Nupur in her quest to support a local woman in need. The hook - Sunila makes a mean pickle! The two met in November of 2023 and began production of the first iteration of The Mustard Women in February of 2024.
Sunila embodies resilience and warmth - she is the cornerstone of The Mustard Women, and we are so grateful for her generous spirit and hard work.
Carefully selected seasonal radish, chillies, ginger, and more.
Sterilized jars, food-grade gloves, RO water, and batch logs.
Mustard-oil heat, natural spices, balanced tang and crunch.
Trained women artisans crafting each jar with pride.
Founder Nupur Kohli is an Advertising Exec whose career in Delhi spanned 30 years. Upon her retirement she followed a dream to live in, and open a cozy homestay, in the peaceful fresh air of the Himalaya. After a lot of hard work she has a amassed a large “word-of-mouth” clientele who cherish the experience of a true “in home stay” amongst the sacred Himalayan Cedar trees of upper Mcleod Ganj. Nupur wanted to make Himachali pickles after sampling from local women in the fields behind her homestay. Not long after she was introduced to Sunila - recently widowed and raising two grade-school children, and a pickle maker! In 2024 they began producing and jarring four varieties of pickles which Nupur sold out of her homestay, and in local stores and cafes in Dharamkot.
Partner Alicia Kalhammer is an American TCK, avid traveller - passionate about healthcare and empowering women and children. Her varied career experience includes: Operations for Live TV production, small business ownership, an Int’l MBA, and most recently a 13 year career as a Registered Nurse.
When Nupur and Alicia met at Mustard House in 2023, a kindred understanding, and lasting friendship was born. After some ruminating and individual life expansions and contractions, the seed for The Mustard Women’s collective slowly began to grow in each of them.
After Alicia’s second visit for local Ayurveda Panchakarma in the Spring of 2025, Alicia became a Mustard Woman. Our collective goal was to up-level pickle production and to further help Sunila, and other women like her, thrive and become productive members of their communities.
Over the summer of 2025, we built a small production space in Sunila’s field, revamped our jars, created new labels, and are positioning our marketing strategies to online sales. For this, we have hired another local craftswoman, Anita, and a two man team: Arun and Raju, to procure our fresh locally sourced ingredients and who support the women in their production efforts.
Oct 30 – Nov 2, 2025 our local debut at the Dharamshala International Film Festival was met with rave reviews!
We are a young but tenacious collective – please follow us in our continuing evolution and thank you for your support!
Each pickle is handcrafted by local Himachali women using sun-dried ingredients and age-old recipes.
Yes — we deliver PAN India within 3-5 days.
Absolutely — no artificial colors or flavors.
8 months – 1 year in a cool place or refrigerated.
Write to us at Info@themustardwomen.com
or DM us on Instagram.