Verve People
Text by Sadaf Shaikh
I first met Keertida Phadke back in pre-COVID January at Dysco’s Y3K: Plant Lost & Found – a thoughtfully curated programme of talks, workshops and pop-ups put together by individuals and organisations united by their concern for the environment. While soaking in the conversations around me, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and a familiar face come into view. I knew I’d seen Phadke very recently, but it was only when she began to wax eloquent about jackfruit, a fruit which, in my opinion, has no redeeming values, that I was able to put a name to the face. In December last year, over mouthfuls of airy crackers dipped in thick, piquant spreads, I had been privy to a similar conversation at The UpperCrust Food & Wine Show. The co-founder of the plant-based brand Better had been demystifying the properties of mock…