For generations, the Vanniya Chettiyar community guarded the sacred rhythm of the Marachekku. We crush native sun-dried seeds at 14 RPM with palm jaggery—never exceeding 40°C—so every drop retains its living aroma and heart-healthy antioxidants.
Unrefined palm jaggery absorbs trace seed moisture during crushing, eliminating bitterness and locking in natural sesamol antioxidants.
Long before industrial refineries flooded Indian kitchens with bleached, solvent-extracted oils, the temple towns of Tamil Nadu relied on the quiet, rhythmic turning of the wooden Sekku.
Across Tamil Nadu’s temple towns, the Vanniya Chettiyar lineage mastered the delicate equilibrium of seed moisture, timber density, and pestle weight. Knowing the exact sound of the wooden ulakkai told our forebears when the oil was ready to release—an acoustic intuition passed down from father to son.
Commercial metal expellers generate extreme friction, heating oil above 100°C and destroying fragile Vitamin E, phytosterols, and natural enzymes. Our seasoned Vagai wood (Albizia lebbeck) ural and ulakkai act as natural thermal insulators—keeping extraction strictly below 40°C.
True Chettiyar Nallenai is never pressed from sesame alone. Adding unrefined palm jaggery (Karupatti) during crushing naturally binds trace water molecules, bonds the oil cake (Punnaku), removes natural seed bitterness, and imparts a signature earthy sweetness that elevates raw consumption.
Click through each stage of our 72-hour production cycle to see how we preserve living nutrients without chemicals or high heat.
Sun-drying rain-fed sesame, Tiruvannamalai groundnuts, and Pollachi copra on terracotta courtyards.
We source directly from dryland farming collectives in Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, and Pollachi. Every sack of seed is winnowed by hand and spread across breathable red-oxide terracotta courtyards for 3 days of solar curing—eliminating fungal moisture without industrial hot-air kilns.
Rain-fed native heirloom varieties contain up to 34% higher sesamol and natural tocopherols than hybrid irrigated crops.
Select your preferred vessel size below. Every 5L Heritage Tin includes an 8% family savings and a complimentary handcrafted Kumbakonam Brass Oil Pourer.
Bound with unrefined Udangudi Palm Jaggery inside aged Vagai wood
First-press rain-fed kernels with dense natural monounsaturated fats
Terracotta courtyard sun-dried Pollachi copra—zero sulphur fumigation
Sacred 5-oil Shastra ratio for a steady, soot-free golden Agni
So-called “heart-light” refined oils undergo 6 stages of industrial chemical processing. See how our unhurried Vagai wood extraction compares.