Rising up in a joint household, the one snack I eagerly awaited at each gathering or competition was freshly sliced coconut. The crunchy brown shell mixed with the comfortable white flesh made for the right chunk. And relating to coconut water, only a few can resist its refreshing style.
Coconuts have been woven into our lives for generations, providing advantages past simply our plates. Amidst the plush groves of coconut palms and the rhythmic whispers of the ocean, a quiet revolution is brewing in India.
Quite a few entrepreneurs are making a ripple with beneficial coconut-based merchandise, creating their very own distinctive blends of custom, sustainability, and innovation. Listed here are eight such tales of remodeling this humble staple into one thing extraordinary.
1. Purvina
When the COVID-19 lockdown introduced Jaya Avnoor’s varied companies to a standstill, she and her daughter Parvathy noticed a possibility to revive a cherished household custom and create one thing significant. Collectively, they launched Purvina in Malappuram, Kerala, specializing in ventha velichenna—virgin coconut oil crafted via a meticulous, labour-intensive course of.
The inspiration got here from Parvathy’s grandfather, whose Alzheimer’s signs have been eased by this conventional treatment. “Past promoting, our dream is to coach individuals about the advantages of ventha velichenna and make Purvina synonymous with this magic oil,” says Parvathy. Extracting simply 250 ml of oil from 10 coconuts, the method is painstaking, however the purity is unmatched.
This versatile oil serves as a moisturiser, make-up remover, wrinkle preventer, and even a salad dressing. With 100% of their workforce being girls, Purvina now sells 350 litres month-to-month, gaining recognition throughout India for its authenticity.
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2. Cancrie
“It took us nearly 10 to 12 years earlier than we began promoting. It provides me immense contentment that we’ve got introduced this product to such a degree,” displays Akshay Jain. Alongside Mahi Singh, Akshay co-founded Cancrie, a Jaipur-based startup pioneering the usage of coconut shells to provide nanocarbon for batteries.
Their patented nanocarbon not solely boosts battery effectivity by 125% but additionally extends the lifespan and vary of batteries, lowering the environmental impression.
Their journey started throughout their tutorial years in Singapore, the place they researched upcycling agricultural waste. “We’re utilizing waste to make nanocarbons, rising efficiencies and lowering mining for uncommon earth metals,” explains Akshay. Because the startup units new requirements in power storage, over 11,000 batteries with Cancrie nanocarbon have made it to the home market in Delhi, Navi Mumbai, and Pune.
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3. Greenaura
like oil, pickle, and chutney, Image supply: Sumila Jayaraj
Sumila Jayaraj, a homemaker from Engandiyur, Kerala, discovered her path to entrepreneurship after her youngsters left for research and her husband moved overseas for work. With no prior enterprise expertise, Sumila joined a neighborhood firm manufacturing virgin coconut oil and found a deep ardour for coconut-based merchandise. This expertise laid the muse for her personal enterprise, Greenaura, launched in 2021.
The model provides 13 natural coconut merchandise, together with cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, made utilizing a nutrient-preserving centrifugal technique. Regardless of challenges, Sumila now earns Rs 20 lakh month-to-month, with clients spanning the USA, the UK, Australia, and Malaysia.
“I couldn’t even have thought of this life. Definitely, it was a satisfying journey,” she shares. At this time, she’s a sought-after speaker at universities and worldwide exhibitions, inspiring others along with her surprising journey from homemaker to profitable entrepreneur.
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4. Tengin
As Madhu Kargund grew up serving to his farmer father within the fields, he noticed the darkish aspect of farming the place the lifetime of a farmer is totally depending on local weather and rain patterns. After eight years as a software program engineer, his farming roots in Arsikere, Karnataka, drew him again in 2018, inspiring him to launch his startup, Tengin, geared toward serving to farmers earn honest earnings by reworking coconut elements into a variety of merchandise.
“It’s not nearly promoting merchandise; we’re additionally sharing the tales of the hardworking farmers behind them,” he says. Madhu ensures zero waste by utilising each a part of the coconut—from shell to coir. In doing so, he advocates for the round economic system method, an progressive idea that addresses coconut waste challenges whereas selling financial development.
He works with over 20 farmers, together with practically 15 girls from Self-Assist Teams to create a number of coconut-based merchandise, together with virgin coconut oil, soaps, scrubs, and crockery. Incomes month-to-month revenues of Rs 5 lakh, he additionally educates clients concerning the origins of those merchandise, positioning Tengin as a model that helps native livelihoods whereas selling environmental duty.
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5. Thenga
Image supply: Maria Kuriakose
“It has been my childhood dream to start out a enterprise of my very own however I didn’t have an concept about what it could possibly be,” says Maria Kuriakose, who’s now the founding father of Thenga, launched in 2019. Impressed by the waste she noticed at a coconut oil mill, Maria determined to repurpose discarded coconut shells into eco-friendly merchandise. Together with her father’s assist, she developed low-cost equipment to craft bowls, teacups, and candles.
Since 2020, Thenga has stood as a mannequin of sustainability, saving over 5,25,000 coconuts from going to landfills. They promote a mean of 11,500 merchandise month-to-month and make use of 20 native artisans from Thrissur, Kottayam, and Wayanad to handcraft the merchandise. Maria has expanded her product vary and grown her enterprise throughout Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
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6. Sunbird Straws
Saji Varghese, a 55-year-old English professor at Christ College, Bengaluru, developed an progressive technique to fight plastic air pollution by creating biodegradable straws from discarded coconut leaves. Impressed by the waste he noticed on campus, Saji harnessed the pure properties of coconut leaves to make straws which might be hydrophobic and anti-fungal.
With help from organisations like Accenture and HCL, he launched Sunbird Straws and arrange manufacturing models in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, using 107 girls. “The straws have been in a position to stop the burning of coconut leaves, have helped cut back the utilization of plastic straws and have empowered girls in rural communities. All of this from a straw value Rs 3. I feel that’s the type of impression we should all try for,” says Saji.
At this time, Sunbird Straws caters to 68 lodges in Bengaluru and exports to 10 nations, together with Spain and the UK. The corporate manufactures 30,000 straws per day, making a major environmental and social impression.
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7. Evlogia Eco Care
Image supply: Evlogia Eco Care
Constructing on the success of coconut leaf straws, one other eco-friendly innovation has emerged from Bengaluru. Evlogia Eco Care, based by Manigandan Kumarappan in 2018, produces ‘Kokos Leafy Straws’ from discarded coconut leaves. These straws are crafted via an in depth course of that begins with girls from Self-Assist Teams in Tamil Nadu gathering and getting ready the leaves. In addition they produce eco-friendly cutlery like plates and spoons.
On the Bengaluru manufacturing unit, native girls roll the leaves into sturdy straws that may last as long as six hours in chilly drinks. Initially producing simply 100 straws a day, the startup now manufactures 10,000 every day, supplying to nations like Canada, UAE, and Germany. “The coconut leaf straw is sturdy and doesn’t get soggy like paper straws,” says Nakul, who purchases straws from Evlogia Eco Look after his cafe in Chikmagalur.
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8. Malai Biomaterials Design
Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith C Suseelan co-founded Malai Biomaterials Design Pvt Ltd in Kerala, making a sustainable leather-based different from coconut water. This progressive materials, often known as Malai, is produced via a singular fermentation course of utilizing coconut water, banana fibre, and pure dyes. The result’s a vegan, biodegradable materials that decomposes inside 150 days and mimics the properties of leather-based. The very best half? There are not any aggressive chemical substances utilized in the complete course of.
Malai has been examined for sturdiness and water resistance, incomes certifications and recognition at worldwide design occasions. With a manufacturing capability of 200 sq. metres monthly, Malai is gaining reputation amongst eco-conscious customers and prestigious purchasers in Europe and the US. The PETA-approved firm goals to increase its attain, making this eco-friendly different extra accessible within the Indian market.
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Edited by Padmashree Pande.
