Kerala couple quits Gulf jobs to make areca palm leaf products; exports across the world

When Kuriakose K Mathew worked for Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority, his wife, Shybi Mathew, was a nurse under the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health. Their children lived with Shybi’s mother in Kottayam, Kerala, while Kuriakose’s 82-year-old mother lived alone.

“After working outside India for 15 years, we returned home as our children and parents needed us. So we quit our jobs in the Gulf and were back in 2015,” Kuriakose tells 30Stades. 

Also Read: Tamul's areca nut leaf plates travel from Assam to the world 

A chance discovery

Once home, he began meeting his cousins and friends. “I frequently visited one of my cousins who lived in Malappuram (North Kerala). During one such visit, I saw areca sheaths (the protective, leaf-like structure that encases the stem of the areca palm tree) fallen on the ground. They seemed useless, but I began to think about utilising them,” he recollects.

A diploma holder in electrical engineering, Kuriakose did not take long to find a way to use the sheaths. “In the late 1990s, I had a plastic moulding business, which I shut down after learning about plastic pollution. I learned that areca palm sheaths could also be moulded into various shapes and sizes to make plates, bowls and other items,” he says.

Also Read: Vistaraku: How Telangana's start-up is taking traditional Indian leaf plates to the world

Areca palm products take 60 days to biodegrade and are environment-friendly. The increasing demand for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic and the expansion of the foodservice industry have boosted the areca leaf products industry.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global areca leaf plates market size will be 452.6 million dollars in 2025. It will more than double to 954 million dollars by 2033. North America is the biggest user of areca leaf plates, with a 40 percent market share.

Without hiring any help, Kuriakose and his wife began designing machines with various dyes that could turn sheaths into plates, bowls, and cutlery. They also made dyes to prepare soapboxes and areca palm slippers under the Hanna Green Products brand. 

“We put them for sale in local stores initially. The response was good, and we were soon flooded with orders,” he says.

Growing business 

In 2018, they launched a website to reach out to more customers. That brought them visibility and the first export order in 2019. “It was from New York (USA). Now we send a 20-foot container to New York every three months. Our products are also exported to the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Gulf countries,” he points out.

Also Read: Two friends, Rs 20000 investment and Rs 23 crore leaf plate business 

Hanna now also makes takeaway boxes, ice cream cups and other items. “The biryani container is a top-seller in the Gulf, and our areca fish curry bowl has high demand in Australia. We can produce containers in any size and shape,” he adds.

The raw material price is Rs 3.50 to Rs 4 per sheet. “In one leaf, we can make three plates. The price of each plate is Rs 7. The disposable footwear is priced at Rs 25 per pair, and you can make two pairs in one leaf,” Kuriakose explains.

The monthly profit is Rs 1 lakh after meeting expenses on raw material and staff salaries, etc. The enterprise employs seven people for production and packaging. 

“Shybi looks after production, and I manage technology and marketing,” Kuriakose adds. 

Turning areca leaves into eco-friendly products

The couple procures raw materials, the sheaths, from North and Central Kerala, as Kottayam, where they live, is rich in rubber plantations but not in areca. “We get them from Palakkad, Wayanad, Kasargod, Kannur and Malappuram. In case of any shortage, we procure them from North Karnataka, which increases our transportation costs,” he says.

At the unit, the arecanut leaves are brushed and cleaned in water multiple times and drained. They are dried in the sun. “We also use a dryer, and on the day of the production, the leaves are soaked in water for about 5 minutes to make them moist and elastic,” Kuriakose says. 

While the leaves are still soft, they are taken to the machine where a temperature is set for the two dyes between which the leaf is put. The heat and pressure from the dyes turn sheaths into various shapes. 

“We are looking at expanding our sustainable business with more machines later this year,” he adds.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.)

Also Read: How tribal women built Rs 1.3 crore leaf plate business in Odisha

Look up our YouTube Channel