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

Goa’s 13-year-old Grace de Souza turned moringa leaves from her family’s backyard into a homemade powder business during her summer break. The Class 9 student sold around 20 packets in just over a month, earning ₹3,000 while learning to sort, dry, grind and pack the leaves.

While summer vacations mean sleeping longer and spending hours playing for most students, for some, like 13-year-old Grace de Souza, they provide a chance to experiment and gain new experiences.

According to a report by The Better India, Grace de Souza, a Class 9 student from Goa, had an entirely different routine during her summer vacation. She began her days by watering the greenery in her family’s backyard, then spent hours sorting, drying, and processing leaves. What grew at home became the basis of a product that found paying customers.

Her business did not stem from a desire to make money; rather, it started with a simple observation: Grace noticed that while moringa grew in her family’s backyard, it was not readily available in many other homes. She began exploring how to bring the leaves to people who wanted to use them in their daily meals.

Meet 13-year-old Grace de Souza: A Class 9 student who sold moringa powder

Since 1 May 2026, Grace, a Class 9 student at St Mary’s Convent High School in Mapusa, has been making moringa powder using leaves harvested from the trees in her family’s garden. In just over a month, she sold roughly 20 packets and earned around ₹3,000.

According to her mother, who runs “The Goan Homestead”, a small business selling pickles, jams, masalas, coconut oil, handmade soaps and ready-cooked foods, Grace grew up surrounded by homemade products.

Maria de Mello, Grace's mother, noted that the idea was entirely her daughter’s. She added, "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.”

Her interest in the plant developed over time. Moringa was already a familiar ingredient in her home, with her mother regularly using its leaves to prepare dishes and even smoothies. Grace said, "My mother keeps telling us how healthy it is,” and added, “She puts moringa leaves in dal, soups, khichdi, rice, and even smoothies for my baby brother.”

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After researching the benefits of moringa leaves, which are naturally rich in nutrients such as vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, iron, and protein, she read more about the different ways people consumed them. This led her to explore how she could help those who wanted to include moringa in their diet.

The process, from sorting and drying the leaves to grinding them into powder and packing it, takes around three to four days.

About the Author

Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.