Life offers us all a second chance and it depends on us what we do with it. This entrepreneur from Kannur District, Kerala made the most of that second chance and started the second innings of his life by starting a food processing business with the aim of producing the purest Coconut Oil. After working for more than 34 years in the textile industry, one day, while operating heavy machinery, Mr. Thamban N (66) slipped and severely injured his back. The injury rendered him completely bedridden and the chances of him getting back to a normal life seemed slim.
During this period, he witnessed people who were also going through health problems and struggling with their daily routines. Being a former palliative care volunteer, he felt the urge to help them but due to his condition at that time, he was not able to. This was the moment that he made a promise to himself that if he was able to get back up on his feet again, he would do something meaningful and bring value to people’s lives. After a 3 year-long hiatus, he was able to finally get back up and joined the textile mill again. However, due to the persisting effects of the injury, he decided to take early retirement and joined the Palliative Care Service Society. He remembered his promise and realized that it was time to shift gears and change the trajectory of life.
Kerala is one of the prominent hubs of Coconut processing and Coconut Oil is a key product that is processed and consumed at a large scale in the State. Due to the large scale of processing, the scope for adulteration in the product also increases. Taking cognizance of the situation and having an understanding of the food processing market, Mr. Thamban decided to start his own Coconut processing unit to produce pure Coconut Oil also known as Chakkil Aatiya Coconut Oil i.e. Wood Pressed Coconut Oil. The mechanism involves a wooden pestle that extracts the oil at a lower temperature. This procedure helps in retaining essential nutrients in the oil and as a result, it is beneficial for newborn infants.
He met the officers of the District Industries Centre (DIC), Kannur and came to know about the PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme. The DIC supported him and provided him with a space on a rental basis that could be converted into a food processing facility. With the help and guidance of the District Resource Person (DRP), he applied under the PMFME Scheme and received a loan of Rs. 3,68,000/- in January 2022. With this amount, he purchased an Oil Expeller, a Drier and a Weighing Scale. With the machinery and necessary infrastructure in place, he established A-One Oil Mill in March 2022. Presently, he is processing 10-20 liters of Coconut Oil per day and generating a revenue of Rs.300/- per day.
Mr. Thamban is marketing and selling his product directly to his customers and he is working towards setting up a strong marketing network for the product. He plans to expand his enterprise and market the products across the country. He believes that Coconut Oil has a lot of medicinal benefits that people are unaware of and he is also working towards sensitizing people about the benefits that will lead to increased sales of the product.
(Content shared by Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion)