Just a cursory look at Pistabarfi’s Instagram feed is sure to transpose you to the mithai shops you might have frequented as a child. It’s a doorway to the old-way charms of the traditional mithai, the world of the kaju katlis, milkcakes, modaks, and more. While the aesthetics of their page are sure to reel you in, it is the nostalgia that they offer that keeps you coming back for more.
The decision to start the shop digital came when brothers Harshit and Tanay Agrawal took over their father’s mithai shop which was passed down to him from their grandfather in 1968 and was threatened with a permanent closure due to the pandemic last year. Now operating from a cloud kitchen based out of Bombay, they offer traditional Indian mithais with minimal sweetness and balanced flavours. All the while they also focus on highlighting Indian artists with their design-forward packaging.
Wanting to create a community of creatives through their endeavours, they are looking at artists, writers, designers and photographers who just like them wish to reimagine and revive the old-world charms of consuming sweets, be it through shared family histories, Indian pop culture or ancient folk arts.
For one of their packaging editions, they had a deer created by Gond artist Bhajju Shyam, and to celebrate the occasion of Eid earlier this year they invited six young creatives to share stories from their childhood, talking about what made the festival memorable. For their new series, they are looking at iconic sweets consumed in popular Indian movies.
To the delight of those with a sweet tooth, those who have a love for design and those moments of nostalgia centred around Indian sweets, Pistabarfi more than sweets offers all heart and wholesomeness in a box.
You can check them out here.
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