A big produce of moist, harvested cashews was in entrance of Brijith Krishnan. The unseasonal rains in his hometown in Kerala had ruined the crop once more. He knew this crop wouldn’t fetch him any revenue.
Across the similar time in 2020, the mechanical engineering diploma holder additionally confronted one other difficult flip of occasions when he unexpectedly misplaced his job as a supervisor in an IT firm.
Along with this, the cashew farming trade – a standard supply of revenue for his household – was additionally on the decline. This double blow left him and not using a steady revenue supply. He strived to completely settle in his hometown and discover new avenues.
With a eager eye for innovation and a willpower to make a significant impression, he noticed the rising pattern in direction of plant-based diets, significantly within the vegan trade.
Leveraging his mechanical engineering background and pushed by a want to create worth in cashew farming, he delved into the unchartered territory of sprouting expertise for cashew nuts.
In 2021, he formally launched his enterprise, Eatery Malbarikas, which makes dishes from sprouted cashew nuts and provides to main meals provide corporations and lodges in Kerala, Bengaluru, Mumbai.
Actuality of the most important cashew producers of Kerala
In line with the ‘Standing of Cashew Analysis and Improvement in India: A State Perspective printed by the ICAR- Directorate of Cashew Analysis, Karnataka’, the coastal state of Kerala accounts for 15 % of cashew manufacturing in India. Of this, Kannur district accounts for practically 63 % of the whole cashew cultivation within the state.
Cashew manufacturing is comparatively excessive in Kannur as a result of the area experiences a chronic dry spell in the course of the reproductive section of the crop.
Brijith, who hails from the identical district and grows cashew on 13 acres of land, shares that cashew productiveness has been affected amid unseasonal rain and excessive climate circumstances in the previous couple of years.
“We expertise unseasonal rains in March-Could. This impacts the pollination course of and the harvesting interval. We’re small farmers, we don’t have good storage services. In consequence, we’ve to maintain our harvest out within the open. Most of this produce will get moist on this interval then. No cashew manufacturing facility is able to buy this broken product as its high quality turns into poor, color will get light, and in addition has a poor style,” shares the 47-year-old.
As the traditional apply in cashew farming entails harvesting the nuts for consumption as dry fruits or in a roasted type, there was a restricted scope for worth addition. “You may dry and retailer coconut produce and may make mango pulp however there may be hardly any various to utilise cashews in different types,” he provides.
Recognising this as an important hole out there, Brijith launched into a journey of experimentation. He reached out to establishments like Central Meals Technological Analysis Institute (CFTRI) Mysuru, and Kerala Agriculture College to discover the dietary advantages and viability of sprouting cashews.
After receiving an encouraging response from the institutes, his focus shifted in direction of refining the sprouting expertise for cashews. Recognising the perishable nature of cashews and the challenges in sustaining a chilly provide chain, he drew inspiration from Japan’s retorting expertise – which entails heat-treating meals in hermetic containers to increase shelf life.
By adapting this revolutionary strategy, he devised a way to course of and retailer sprouted cashews at room temperature, enhancing their shelf life and market attain.
After a yr into analysis and growth, Brijith began his personal startup in 2021.
From uncooked sprouts, pickles to manchurian, soup premix
One of many preliminary challenges that Brijith tackled was the restricted germination potential of cashews. “As a result of their seasonal nature, the germination potential of matured cashews was solely 90 days. Due to this fact, yr spherical availability was a giant concern. Via persistent analysis, trials, and growth efforts, I efficiently prolonged the germination potential to 180-200 days,” he provides.
After an preliminary funding of Rs 1 lakh, Brijith secured a grant of Rs 25 lakh from the central authorities underneath the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme that goals at selling agri-business entrepreneurship. This helped him kickstart the work.
Right this moment, he presents a variety of value-added merchandise – cashew sprouts Manchurian, cashew sprouts butter masala, cashew sprouts malai, cashew sprouts schezwan, cashew sprouts Malabar masala, cashew sprouts theyal, cashew sprouts soup premix, cashew sprouts brine, pickles, and recent cashew sprouts.
With a meticulous deal with high quality and worth, Brijith priced his sprouted cashews at Rs 1,000 per kg. Via strategic partnerships with superstar cooks, star lodges, and catering teams, Brijith positioned his premium cashew sprout merchandise in a distinct segment market section.
One among his common prospects Thomas, who works as a company chef at Paragon group of eating places, shares, “We skilled these cashew sprouts might be included in a nutritious diet and plenty of varied dishes might be ready with adaptability. It’s not simply available in shops so individuals have some curiosity about it. These dishes are repeatedly demanded from our completely satisfied prospects on the restaurant.”
The distinctive positioning out there enabled Brijith to safe a gradual clientele and obtain a turnover of Rs 25 lakh in 2023.
Moreover, his endeavours weren’t solely pushed by a ardour for innovation but additionally by a dedication to empower native farmers. By buying moist cashews from not less than 11 native farmers, Brijith managed to offer a sustainable answer by remodeling them into high-quality sprouted cashews.
“By reimagining conventional practices and leveraging trendy expertise, I not solely needed to revitalise the cashew farming trade but additionally exemplify the potential for agri-business entrepreneurship to drive financial progress in rural communities. I’m glad that we don’t have to fret about moist produce anymore,” he smiles.
Edited by Padmashree Pande; All photographs: Brijith Krishnan
