Launched in 2021, Aaji’s is first and foremost, a family affair. Co-founders Rajus and Poorva Korde created the brand based on Rajus’s grandmother’s tomato lonsa recipe — a tomato-based dish that incorporates coastal Indian spices like asafoetida and turmeric. Aaji’s currently offers an original tomato lonsa, as well as garlic, spicy and spicy garlic flavors.
“We take these tomatoes and we cook it down for several hours until it turns into this really lovely consistency,” Poorva says. It makes a delicious topping and can also be used as a base or ingredient to add a punch of flavor to a variety of dishes, she adds. “The number one way people eat it is spreading it on bread and eating it with eggs.”
“Aaji” means “grandmother” in Marathi, a language from the midwest coast of India. Rajus’s aaji is still involved in the brand, along with Rajus’s brother as head of finance and operations and their dad as an advisor.
From the get-go, Aaji’s has been a community-forward project. The Korde family chose tomato lonsa after gathering close to 700 surveys from neighbors on what dishes they’d be interested in trying. Tomato lonsa came in the top 10. Then, it was on to Philly farmers markets. “We took 60 units of lonsa with us to the Fairmount Farmers Market, really unsure of what to expect, and within two hours we’d sold out of everything we brought,” Poorva says.
Customers at the farmers markets introduced the business owners to Weavers Way — one of the first retailers to take a chance on Aaji’s. Since then, Aaji’s has maintained a close and impactful relationship with the store.
“Weavers Way hasn’t just been a new chain of stores we’re in, but another community,” Rajus says. “We got to know everyone on a personal level and they were all so supportive of us in giving us feedback and meeting with us over coffee and supporting us in events and just celebrating. It really became this very endearing relationship that we’re still so grateful for.”
Aaji’s also credits its association with a respected community market like Weavers Way to the brand’s growing availability in other retailers, such as the Swarthmore and South Philly Co-ops, as well as Kimberton Whole Foods.
Looking to the future, Aaji’s plans to expand the reach of its tomato lonsa, building on the foundation that Weavers Way has given them. This summer, Aaji’s will sell at 16 farmers markets spanning Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, all the way to South Jersey and the shore. The brand also recently expanded to Di Bruno Brothers and, next month, Aaji’s will be available at MOM’s Organic Market locally in the Philadelphia region.
The team is also starting to revisit their product development list; Aaji is back in the kitchen working on a new recipe to bring forth in the coming years.
Aaji’s also looks to give back to the Philadelphia community beyond culinary contributions. The company’s cause is centered around grief: Rajus’s brother sits on the board of the Uplift Center for Grieving Children — which Aaji’s also donates proceeds to — a nonprofit that provides support for children and families that have experienced loss. One in five Philadelphians loses a parent or sibling by the age of 20, and Aaji’s is on an emotional journey to give back to the Philadelphia community as the brand’s platform grows.
“Philly has been an amazing place to start this business. We’re not Philly natives but our second son was born here. Starting a food business, you tap into the community very deeply and very quickly through the farmers markets, grocery stores and coops,” says Rajus. “There’s this sense of camaraderie and collegiality. We’re trying to make each other proud and make Philadelphia proud in a way that I think is part of every brand coming out of Philly.”
