Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these terms

By browsing this website, contacting us, or placing an order, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the site or order from us. These terms apply alongside our Privacy Policy and our Shipping & Returns terms, which form part of the same agreement.

We may update these terms from time to time. The version published on this page at the moment you place an order is the version that applies to that order.

2. About us

This website is operated by Pon Vayal, trading as Pon Vayal, a sustainable foods company based in Tamil Nadu, India. We make wood-pressed (marachekku) oils, stone-milled flours and plastic-free natural-fibre packaging, sourced directly from farmers.

The best way to reach us is by email at info@ponvayal.com. Our registration details appear in the footer of every page once published.

3. Our products & their descriptions

We do our best to describe and illustrate our products accurately. Because we sell natural, unrefined foods, a few honest things are worth knowing before you buy:

• Our oils are unrefined, so their colour, aroma and flavour can vary between batches and seasons. This is a feature of real, single-origin produce, not an inconsistency to apologise for.
• Wood-pressed coconut oil naturally solidifies below about 24 °C and turns creamy-white or firm in cooler weather. Warm the jar gently and it liquefies again.
• Unrefined oils may turn cloudy or thicken when cold. This is normal behaviour for oils that have not been chemically winterised, it is not a defect or a sign of spoilage.

These oils are unrefined and keep their natural character; they have lower smoke points than refined oils and are best for tempering, sautéing and medium-heat cooking. You can read more on our cold-pressed oils page and in our journal.

4. Pricing & payment

All prices are shown in Indian Rupees (₹ INR). Taxes, including GST, are charged where applicable and at the rates in force at the time of your order. Any shipping charges are shown separately before you confirm.

We may change our prices at any time, but a change will not affect an order we have already accepted. Where a price is clearly wrong because of an obvious typographical or system error, we are not obliged to honour it; if this happens we will tell you and give you the choice to reconfirm at the correct price or cancel for a full refund.

We work on an enquiry basis: you tell us what you need, we confirm the price and any shipping charges, and the order is paid for only after you have accepted that quote. Payment is taken by the method we agree when we confirm your order, for example bank transfer or UPI ([payment methods, Pon Vayal to confirm]), or as otherwise agreed for a wholesale or export order. If we add online ordering in future, payment may also be taken at checkout, and this clause will be updated to reflect that.

5. Orders & acceptance

When you place an order, you are making an offer to buy, the order is not accepted until we confirm it (for example, by an order-confirmation email). A contract between us is formed only at that point.

We may decline or cancel an order for genuine reasons, for instance, if an item is out of stock, if there has been a pricing or description error, if we cannot deliver to your location, or if we suspect fraud or misuse. If we cancel an order you have already paid for, we will refund you in full for the cancelled items.

6. Shipping & delivery

How we pack, dispatch and deliver your order, including delivery areas, timelines and charges, is set out in our Shipping & Returns terms. Please read those alongside this page, as they form part of your contract with us.

7. Returns & refunds

Because we sell food and other perishable or consumable goods, our return and refund rules are necessarily specific. The full details, what can and cannot be returned, how to report a problem, and how refunds are made, are explained in our Shipping & Returns terms.

8. Food safety & allergens

Our products are made and handled where [Pon Vayal to confirm: the allergens handled on the same premises, for example nuts, sesame and wheat] are also handled. We cannot guarantee a particular product is free from traces of these allergens through cross-contact. If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please check the label on each pack carefully and, if in doubt, write to us at info@ponvayal.com before ordering.

Store oils away from light, heat and air, and follow any storage guidance on the pack. Unrefined oils oxidise faster than refined oils, so use them within the recommended period.

9. Acceptable use of this website

You may use this website for lawful, personal and business purposes only. You agree not to:

• use the site in any way that breaks the law or infringes someone else's rights;
• attempt to gain unauthorised access to the site, its servers, or any connected systems;
• introduce viruses, malware or other harmful code, or place an unreasonable load on the site;
• copy, scrape, republish or commercially exploit our content without our written permission; or
• submit false, misleading or fraudulent information through our forms or orders.

10. Intellectual property

All content on this website, including text, illustrations, logos, page design and the Pon Vayal name, is owned by or licensed to Pon Vayal and is protected by copyright and other rights. © Pon Vayal. You may view and share pages for your own personal, non-commercial use, but you may not reproduce, modify or distribute our content for any other purpose without our prior written consent.

11. Limitation of liability

We take real care over our products and the information on this site. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, or for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable Indian law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or your statutory rights as a consumer.

The information on this website is general in nature. It is not medical or nutritional advice, and our descriptions explain how we source and process our products rather than promising any health outcome.

12. Governing law & jurisdiction

These terms, and any dispute arising from them or from your use of this website or our products, are governed by the laws of India. The courts of [City], Tamil Nadu shall have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any rights you have as a consumer under applicable law.

13. Changes to these terms

We may revise these terms from time to time to reflect changes in our products, our practices, or the law. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Please review this page from time to time. Continuing to use the site or place orders after a change means you accept the revised terms.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about these terms, or about an order, please get in touch, we are happy to help. Email us at info@ponvayal.com, or use our contact page.