With gluten-free bakery products being a rarity in India, the Satya Special School in Puducherry, which caters to the intellectually disabled, is getting ready to launch a brand with a series of gluten-free products in the latter half of this year. Making the brand special will be the fact that the bakery products will be made by students of the school.
“Studies have shown that a gluten-free diet is essential to the treatment of autism. We hope to establish a commercially-sustainable brand,” said Chitra Shah, director, Satya Special School.
The bakery is part of the school’s neighbourhood initiatives, which include upcycled Tetra Pack products, making Rangoli and Holi powder, and incense sticks from dried flowers. The neighbourhood initiatives are targeted at young adults (above 18) with special needs, post their stints at vocational training centres, to provide them a means of livelihood and creative engagement. The initiatives are focused on everyday utility products.
Recently, the school hosted training sessions in baking for the students and parents, led by Srinivasa Prasad, 23, who has not let his intellectual disability overcome his interests.
Mr. Srinivasa manages the Sai Bakery in Chennai, a similar neighbourhood initiative. The Sai Bakery products (cupcakes, cookies, cakes, muffins, pies and tarts) are eggless, maida-less and butter, margarine and gluten-free.
The cookies, with 26 varieties, range from multi-grain, ragi, salt and wholewheat. Mr. Srinivasa is assisted by Sumithra Prasad of NGO DORAI.
“The concept is rights-based, and not charity-based. Thus, the group participants decide about workflow and production. Other activities like yoga, lessons on general knowledge, outings are also part of the initiative, aimed at overall development of the participants. The neighbourhood initiatives create a sense of belonging,” said Ms. Sumithra.
At present, the bakery neighbourhood initiative in Puducherry has 12 young adults with special needs, and two mothers. The bakery production is being run from the house of one of the participants.
While they have begun production on order basis, Ms. Shah said they hope to go full steam and scale up production for the new brand in around four months.
