“I have always loved being around plants,” says 13-year-old Grace de Souza, smiling as she speaks about the garden outside her home in Moira, Goa. “Even if I am tired or bored, if I go outside and water the plants, I feel peaceful again. I like doing things with my hands. I like helping my mother. I also like making things that are natural and good for people.”
It is the kind of response that does not sound rehearsed. She speaks slowly, thoughtfully, as though she has never really stopped to think about how unusual her summer holidays have become.
Outside her home, trays of moringa leaves lie drying under the sun. Now and then, she walks over to check them, turning the leaves gently with her hands so they dry evenly. By evening, the leaves will be brought inside for shade drying. A few days later, they will be ground into a fine green powder, packed neatly into small packets, and sold to customers across Goa.
For most teenagers, summer holidays are a break from routine. For her, they have become something else entirely.
Since 1 May 2026, the Class 9 student from St Mary’s Convent High School in Mapusa has been making moringa powder using leaves harvested from the trees growing in her family garden. In just over a month, she has sold around 20 packets and earned close to Rs 3,000.
But inside the de Souza household, nobody speaks about the money first. Instead, they speak about effort and responsibility. About learning to value work done slowly and carefully.
“This was completely her idea,” says her mother, Maria de Mello (42). “One day she just said she wanted to make moringa powder for people who don’t have moringa trees at home. I was honestly very touched listening to her.”
‘I grew up watching my mother make everything.’
Grace grew up surrounded by homemade things.
Her mother runs ‘The Goan Homestead’, a small home business selling pickles, jams, masalas, coconut oil, handmade soaps and ready-cooked foods. Their kitchen is rarely silent. On most days, something is always being dried, mixed, bottled, packed, or prepared for customers.
Since 1 May 2026, the Class 9 student from St Mary’s Convent High School in Mapusa has been making moringa powder using leaves harvested from the trees.
As a child, Grace spent years observing her mother work.
“I used to sit beside my mother and watch everything she made. Sometimes I would help her pack products or stick labels, and sometimes I would just sit quietly and watch because I found it interesting,” she recalls.
Maria laughs while remembering those moments. “She was always fascinated,” she says. “Even when she was younger, she liked understanding how things were made. Whether it was soaps, pickles or other products, she would ask questions about the ingredients and the process, and stand nearby watching everything.” Over time, helping became second nature to her.
“I don’t even remember exactly when I started helping my mother because it always felt normal in our house to sit together, help each other and learn while working,” Grace tells The Better India.
Moringa, too, had always been part of daily life. “My mother keeps telling us how healthy it is,” she says. “She puts moringa leaves in dal, soups, khichdi, rice, and even smoothies for my baby brother.”
Her inquisitiveness also led her to read more about the plant. Research has found that moringa leaves are naturally rich in nutrients such as vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, iron, and protein. Scientific reviews published in journals including Frontiers in Pharmacology and the Journal of Food Science and Technology have also highlighted moringa’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, while noting that more clinical research is needed to fully understand its long-term health benefits. For the teen, however, the appeal is humble. “It is something natural that we already use at home, so I wanted to make it easier for other families to include it in their food too,” she says.
Maria says she always wanted her children to grow up eating healthy and nourishing food. “Nowadays, children eat so much packaged food, so at home I try to include natural ingredients in our everyday meals, and moringa is something we have been using for years,” she explains.
Slowly, her daughter became curious about the plant herself. She began reading about moringa online, learning about its nutritional benefits and how people consume it in different ways.
Then one thought stayed with her.
“We are lucky because we have two moringa trees in our garden,” she says. “But many people don’t. I thought maybe I could make the powder so it becomes easier for them to use it.”
It was not a grand business plan. There were no long discussions or complicated preparations. “What I liked most was that she did not keep waiting or overthinking it. The moment she decided to try out something, she started working on it,” Maria says proudly.
‘Every hour I have to go back and check the leaves.’
The moringa trees stand tall in the family garden, their branches filled with fresh green leaves. Grace says the family has now started planting more saplings because demand for the powder is slowly increasing.
Every batch begins with harvesting leaves directly from the trees. “First, I carefully pluck the leaves from the tree, and then I sit down and separate all the tiny leaves from the stems one by one, which takes quite a long time,” she explains.
Her inquisitiveness also led her to read more about the plant.
Once separated, the leaves are spread out across trays and kept under the sun for a day. Afterwards comes shade drying, which lasts another two or three days. She explains the process with impressive patience, paying attention to details many adults would overlook.
“If the leaves stay too long in strong sunlight, they can lose some nutrition,” she says. “So after the first day, we bring them inside and let them dry slowly.”
The drying process requires constant attention. “Every hour I go back to check the leaves because the top layer dries quickly while the leaves underneath remain fresh, so I keep turning them properly to make sure everything dries evenly,” she says.
Maria says she was surprised by how seriously Grace took the work from the beginning. “She is very particular,” her mother says. “She keeps checking whether the leaves are drying properly. She understands that if people are eating something you make, it has to be clean and good quality.”
The 13-year-old is careful about hygiene throughout the process. “I make sure the trays are kept in a clean open space where animals cannot come near them, and I don’t keep them under trees because dry leaves can fall inside, so I am careful that everything stays clean,” she explains.
Once the leaves become crisp enough, they are ground into a powder using a regular mixer grinder. Afterwards, her parents help her seal the packets neatly. “The colour becomes such a nice green,” she says, smiling. “I really like seeing the powder after all the drying is done.”
The entire process takes around three to four days from start to finish. One of the biggest surprises for Grace was how much the leaves shrink after drying.
“When they dry, they become so little,” she says, laughing softly. “One kilogram of leaves becomes only around a quarter kilogram of powder.” Today, each 100-gramme packet is sold for Rs 150.
Maria says she supervises the process but tries not to interfere too much. “As a mother, of course, I keep a close watch to make sure everything is being done properly, but what makes me proud is that she genuinely takes responsibility for the work herself,” she explains.
Her summer holidays now begin at sunrise
For Grace, summer holidays no longer feel lazy or carefree.
Most mornings begin with watering the garden before the heat becomes too strong. “I like mornings,” she says. “Everything feels calm outside.” Afterwards, she helps look after her one-year-old baby brother while Maria handles customer orders for The Goan Homestead.
“I help feed and take care of my baby brother, play with him, and throughout the day, I also help my mother whenever customers come home,” she says.
Grace says the family has now started planting more saplings because demand for the powder is slowly increasing.
Customers frequently visit the family home to buy pickles, soaps and homemade products. Many now ask specifically about Grace’s moringa powder. “When people come home to buy my pickles, soaps or other products, they notice the moringa powder kept there and start asking about it too, and many of them end up buying a packet for themselves,” Maria says with a proud smile.
Grace admits she still feels shy when customers praise her work. “In the beginning, I was nervous,” she says. “I kept wondering whether people would actually like it.”
But slowly, more people began asking about the moringa powder and placing orders. So far, she has earned close to Rs 3,000 through her small venture. “My mother allows me to keep whatever I earn from the moringa powder, and for now I have been saving the money,” she says.
Those interested in ordering her moringa powder can do so by contacting The Goan Homestead on WhatsApp at 9850452319 or through its Facebook and Instagram pages, where the family shares updates about their homemade products.
When asked what she plans to do with it eventually, she pauses before answering. “Maybe I will use it to make more products later,” she says.
Her mother believes experiences like these shape children in important ways. “When children earn money through hard work, they understand its value differently,” she says. “They become more responsible automatically.”
Even small ideas matter
What stayed with Grace most was not the income, but the reactions from customers.
“People have been very kind and encouraging towards me, and hearing their feedback made me feel much more confident about what I was doing,” she says softly.
“One woman told me that she mixes the moringa powder with honey and lemon for her children, and hearing that they were enjoying it made me feel really happy,” she says with a smile.
Maria believes these small efforts can slowly encourage healthier habits inside homes. “If families start adding healthier ingredients into everyday food, that itself is something meaningful,” she says.
Inside the de Souza household, there are no conversations about becoming a massive business overnight. Instead, there is an unhurried approach to work. One built around consistency and patience.
Grace says she wants to continue making moringa powder even after school reopens. “I know studies will start again, but I still want to continue,” she says. “And later maybe I can try making other things too.”
Towards the end of the conversation, I asked her what advice she would give children her age. She thinks for a moment before answering.
“I think children should observe their parents and grandparents more because you can learn so many useful things just by watching the people around you and paying attention to what they do,” she says.
Every batch begins with harvesting leaves directly from the trees.
She believes that even small ideas can turn into something meaningful if children are willing to try.
Maria nods beside her.
“Children should never feel they are too young,” she says. “If they genuinely want to do something meaningful, they can begin from home itself.”
Back in their garden in Moira, more moringa saplings are already being planted. Soon, there will be fresh leaves waiting to dry under the summer sun again. More trays to stir every hour. More packets to seal carefully by hand.
And somewhere between helping her mother, caring for her baby brother, watering plants every morning, and building something of her own, 13-year-old Grace is experiencing the kind of lessons that stay with a person for life.
All pictures courtesy Maria de Mello.
