Who is Grace de Souza? A Class 9 Goan student who started a small venture of moringa powder from her backyard | Details

Goan student Grace de Souza, a Class 9 pupil at St Mary’s Convent High School in Mapusa, has taken summer vacation to explore a unique venture. Instead of the usual routine of sleeping late and playing, Grace has been dedicating her time to creating moringa powder from leaves grown in her family’s backyard. Her journey began when she noticed moringa trees in her garden were not common in other homes.

Grace’s mother, Maria de Mello, runs a small business called "The Goan Homestead" and observed her daughter’s growing interest in the plant.

Grace, along with her mother, decided to process moringa leaves into powder for wider consumption. She started by sorting, drying, and grinding the leaves, then packaging them into small packets. The entire process took around three to four days. In just over a month, Grace sold approximately 20 packets of the powder, earning around ₹3,000.

Her interest in moringa stems from its nutritional value, rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, iron, and protein. Her mother regularly incorporates moringa leaves into family meals, from dal and soups to smoothies for her baby brother.

Maria de Mello expressed her admiration for Grace’s initiative, stating that her daughter approached her with the idea wholeheartedly. The young entrepreneur elaborated on her mother’s daily use of moringa in various dishes, highlighting its health benefits. With her curiosity piqued, Grace delved deeper into researching moringa, discovering the myriad ways it could be consumed. Her process of turning moringa leaves into powder is a hands-on task, yet one that she finds rewarding.