AGARTALA: Behind every cup served at Dhalai Café will be a story of determination, as trained women from self-help groups step into new roles managing a full-fledged food enterprise, following the café’s inauguration at Ambassa on Monday under the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM).
Dhalai Café is a community-led food enterprise established under TRLM, inspired by the successful Sanjog Canteen model. It is owned and managed by the Swapner Siri Cluster Level Federation (CLF), Ambassa, and aims to serve hygienic, affordable and quality food to government employees, visitors and the general public.
For the women involved, the café is more than a place to serve meals. It is a platform for women-led entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods, offering a rare opportunity for rural women to step beyond their homes and into the world of professional enterprise.
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Around 10 staff members are being engaged initially, with preference given to trained and interested women from self-help groups (SHGs). For many of them, the café will serve as a hands-on classroom, teaching the everyday realities of running a professional food-service business, from greeting customers to managing daily operations.
The Cluster Level Federation will lead the café as a dedicated business unit, overseeing everything from procurement and quality control to marketing and financial management. The vision behind this structure is clear: to build a sustainable source of income while creating regular employment opportunities for rural women in Dhalai.
What makes Dhalai Café stand apart is not just the food it serves, but the model it represents, one where women are not merely employees but active participants in building and running an enterprise from the ground up. Each responsibility they take on, whether in the kitchen, at the counter, or in managing accounts, becomes a step toward greater independence.
As the aroma of freshly prepared meals fills the café on its opening day, it carries with it the promise of something larger: a community’s belief that empowerment, like a good meal, is best shared.
