The venue is a wedding ceremony in Italy. Guests will be intrigued by the beautiful new type of straws inside the juice glass. It’s not the usual plastic straw or paper straw with juice. The topic of ‘Organic Straws’ made by cutting straws from coconuts in the small land of Kerala, India, was discussed at that event. Many people took pictures of drinking juice with a new type of straw and shared it on social media. Chengannur Venmani native Saji Varghese (51), the brains behind this straw, got a few pictures.
Meanwhile, something else happened. The Prime Minister of the country himself recently invited innovative enterprises in the agriculture sector – start-ups and farmers – to Delhi. Among these were five ventures developed in the Agri Business Incubator of the Kerala Agricultural University. They were invited to a conference organized by the Central Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in Delhi on 17th and 18th of this month with agri start-ups and farmers. An exhibition of their products was also organized here. In this way, we should get to know those who are developing products and their products according to the new times in the agricultural sector.
Malayalee’s ‘Tengola Straw’ also shined in Italy
Interestingly, it is not an isolated incident that guests were surprised to see ‘Ola straw’ at a wedding ceremony in Italy. Because, 6,000 straws made of coconut are being shipped abroad under the leadership of this Malayalee every day. Saji Varghese, who is also an English teacher at Bengaluru Christ University College, is now preparing to ship 30,000 such straws a day. After 3 months, the setup to manufacture one lakh straws per day is also in progress.
On October 3, 2017, a new idea came into Saji Varghese’s life in the form of a coconut. He was on his way home after class in college that day. When I saw the parts of fallen coconuts rolled into straws, I thought that if they were developed, they could be an alternative to plastic straws. When you take it to the lab and heat it, it’s the same as a plastic straw. But the experiment did not stop there. Inquiries into how to glue them together with edible glue and make them as sturdy as plastic straws. Finally, in 2018, coconut straw was developed as an alternative to plastic in 2018.
Initially, the construction was done by hand, but later the suitable machine was developed. Launched coconut straw under the brand ‘Sunbird’. Its superiority reached foreign countries in many ways. Today coconut straw is exported to 25 countries including US, UK, Australia. The Italians photographed and sent the pictures of the amazing coconut straw at a wedding in Italy to Saji Varghese. One crore straws are required from the Netherlands every three months. When many European countries started adopting coconut straw as an alternative to plastic, the corresponding production had to be increased. With this, Saji Varghese also prepared a machine to produce more straw at a lower cost.
Various types of chengola straws are manufactured in tubes of 5 mm to 12 mm diameter and 5 to 8 inches long. They are organic, mold proof and can be stored for up to 12 months without spoiling. One coconut can make up to 200 straws. One worker can produce up to 300 straws per day. At present the coconut straw manufacturing unit is functioning at 4 locations namely Kasaragod, Mysore, Thoothukudi and Nagercoil. 86 women workers are also working. Six more new production centers, including the NABARD-assisted unit in Andhra, are set to start soon. The aim is to provide employment to a total of 500 workers. Many five-star hotels in the country are using coconut straw under the brand Sunbird. Straws cost between Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.5. Paper straws cost only 70 paisa each, but they dissolve in water in 10 minutes. But the coconut straw will last longer without melting.
Coconut pens are also produced using the same technology as coconut straw. According to Saji Varghese, these coconut pens are already being used in 30 corporate institutions and colleges. Saji Varghese has also received the IIT Delhi Award for Local Startup in 2018. The coconut straw and pen introduced by Saji Varghese as an alternative to plastic are getting recognition from different parts of the world.
‘Thusan’ brand plates from bran
Another among those five is Vinayakumar Balakrishnan, an entrepreneur from Ernakulam. Vinayakumar introduced eco-friendly and edible ‘Thusan’ brand plates.
These plates are made from wheat bran. Since the plate is made without using much water, there is no other kind of waste. Their fully automatic robotic technology plant is located in Angamaly Inkal Business Park; You need someone to run it. The work is done in technical collaboration between the Agricultural University and the Govt. Vinayakumar says that this is the second company in the world to manufacture plates like this and because this kind of manufacturing technique is a bit difficult, others have not entered this field. Another company is in Poland. However, the facility in Poland is closed as the Ukraine-Russia war has also affected ports in the region.
Such plates produced from bran can be eaten after use. For those who are reluctant, it can be used as fodder for cattle, chicken feed or fish feed. Otherwise, if some water is poured under the plants, it will completely dissolve in the soil within 30 days. The wheat bran required for plate making is currently being procured from Angamaly itself. Collect the ground bran that day.
Products like fork, spoon and cup are also being launched in the market by this December. However, its production can be done using rice bran. Gluten from wheat bran is used to make plates without adding water. 1000 plates are being produced per day. If it reaches the level of 1 lakh, the cost of production and the price available in the market can be significantly reduced. Currently, the main market for the manufactured bran plates is the North Indian states.
Vinayakumar, who was the CEO of an insurance company in Mauritius, started the new venture when he returned home. He lives in Kakkanad and has been working behind the scenes of the new organization for four years.
Those who perform miracles with gum seeds
It will not be surprising if the Prime Minister himself invites those who find that a start-up business can be made from wasted sugarcane seeds. This concept is so new. The distinct success of the initiative Holycross Industries in Wayanad Natavayal is that it has found a market value for sugarcane that no one else has seen anywhere in Kerala. Farmers and non-farmers flocked to Wayanad, putting sugarcane seeds in sacks when they found out that they would get 20 rupees per kg if they were brought to the paddy field cleanly and thrown away. Jackfruit comes here from districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and even outside Kerala.
The main work done in the Holy Cross is the grinding of sugarcane seeds into powder. According to Jamie Saji, the driver of Holycross, the remarkable progress made so far is the ready-to-cook stew that has been prepared and brought to the market. This product was able to make significant progress in the market. 150 per pack of 300 grams. Another unique product is coffee powder made from jackfruit powder. The specialty of ‘Jack Coffee’ is that you can get the taste and aroma of coffee without adding coffee. Its price is Rs 200 per kg.
Other gum products produced from plantations include dried jackfruit, jackfruit powder, dried jackfruit, and jackfruit pulp. All are marketed under the brand name ‘Jack Fresh’. Jamie still assures farmers that they will accept whatever amount of sugarcane they have. Just call and book in advance. Up to 16 staff will be available to assist Jamie at Holycross on occasions when further abscess processing is required. “The fact that no one else gave this value to jackfruit is probably what brought people to my venture in the field with jackfruit. Holycross, which started with an investment of Rs 75 lakh, is on the way to an expansion plan of Rs 1 crore. “Holycross is taking its next step in its operations with advanced cold storage systems and new dryers,” explains Jamie Saji.
English summary: Most Established Agri Startups in Kerala