Chitra Agrawal has come a long way since founding Brooklyn Delhi in 2014. Back then, she prepared her Tomato Achaar and Roasted Garlic Achaar, small-batch Indian pickles, by hand and sold them at Brooklyn farmers markets.
Her spicy, tamarind-tart Tomato Achaar and mellow, savory Roasted Garlic Achaar are complexly flavored and wonderfully textured for use as a dip, spread or even added to dressings, sauces and soups.
Now, Brooklyn Delhi has reached more than 1 million homes nationwide. And to keep up with demand, Agrawal partners with a facility in upstate New York to produce a sufficient supply of the condiments. But her attention to detail remains as steadfast.
“I'm a control freak,” she says with a laugh. “Before COVID, I would go to each of the production runs. And now, whenever we're running a batch, I'm on the phone with the person who's doing it, and she's showing me the consistency because I'm so specific about that stuff.”
