Small business evolution: Portland’s Tiffin Asha pivots with times to share Indian flavors in a new form

Adapt or die is a principle most small business owners are familiar with, thanks to competitive markets and uncertainties of the business world.

Tiffin Asha, a food cart turned restaurant turned condiment company, is the perfect case-in-point of this persistence in practice.

Elizabeth Golay and Sheila Bommakanti, the women behind Tiffin Asha, are turning a new leaf on their business, and were recently awarded the first equity grant from the Non-GMO Project. Shifting to a production company by themselves has given them plenty of new obstacles to tackle, but their passion for sharing their South Indian recipes continues to drive them forward.

With their newest line of condiments officially Non-GMO Project Verified, the grant is helping them jump over one of the larger financial barriers facing small food business owners.

“The grant coming in when it did, being still within year one of the condiment line, was huge, and we were so floored and so ecstatic,” Bommakanti said. ” I think that just shows again, the Non-GMO Project’s commitment to creating a sustainable workforce.”

Golay, a trained chef, founded Tiffin Asha in 2013 to share the flavors of Bommankanti’s South Indian culture. The couple jumped into Portland’s busy food cart scene with flavorful dosas, chutneys and gunpowder seasonings.

Four years later, they traded their wheels for a permanent restaurant. But after the pandemic changed their business indefinitely, their focus shifted. Eight years after starting Tiffin Asha, Golay and Bommakanti pivoted their production to focus on a condiment line.

This wasn’t the end of Tiffin Asha, as the owners found their footing in the food production world quickly. Since they debuted their condiments in October 2022, their products have been popping up in retail stores throughout Portland and Vancouver.

“The way we gather and eat, it’s just changed, it’s shifted,” Golay said. “It just really took a pretty drastic turn when the pandemic hit. So it’s just really exciting to be able to do something where people can actually take our food home and explore the food on their own time.”

Their Tomato Ginger Pickle and Green Tomato Pickle condiments are vegan, gluten-free and ethically produced in addition to being Non-GMO Project Verified. These standards have always been an important part of Tiffin Asha.

The condiment line was a natural progression of their business. The decision to pivot their focus was a positive change of pace, although it didn’t bring any more ease than running a restaurant.

“Don’t think that changing for a restaurant or doing a condiment line is gonna make your life easy or give you less work,” Bommakanti said. “It’s going to be a lot of work no matter what you do having a business because it’s your baby.”

No longer confined by geography, the duo is able to sell their productions nationally through their website, reaching people and places they never imagined their products would see.

“Indian food and Indian-inspired food is global,” Bommakanti said. “I mean, it just doesn’t have a boundary like all different cuisines, right. What’s so cool specifically about condiments is it’s like you’re tasting the world.”

Bommakanti’s Indian heritage has been a source of pride and influence throughout her marriage with Golay. Their relationship also has inspired a sense of inclusivity within their brand. Their aspirations were to create an accepting community around South Indian food.

“It’s always been kind of a dream of mine to bring this cuisine to people who really didn’t know it,” Golay said. “And I think a lot of people in this part of the country don’t know a whole lot about the vastness of Indian cuisine — including myself before I met Sheila. So, it was just really cool to discover Indian cuisine and the beauty in it.”

The pair sell locally and can be found most weekends at the Vancouver Farmers Market.

You can keep up to date with Tiffin Asha on their Instagram page.

— Chiara Profenna

503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com; @chiara_profenna

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