A startup that serves natural tender coconut powder mix
KOCHI: Is it a juice or is it water? The controversy over tender coconut water raked up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi at UP elections campaign was after all unnecessary as has been demonstrated by a Kerala-based startup.
The company NaturUp has come up with an all-natural tender coconut powder mix, which gives tender coconut water when added with water. The convenience of use is the main attraction of the product. The second advantage is that the juice mix is preservative free and hence claims to retain the original taste unlike the bottled tender coconut water that is presently available.
The company, started seven months ago, uses spray drying technology to remove water from tender coconut water to get the powder in its plant at Pondicherry. MD Anthony S Pathadan says it is first of its kind in India. NaturUp currently sells two tonne of powder monthly in Kerala and through online in sachets and bulk packets.
"As a fast growing company, we have been included in Amazon Launchpad that offers online shopping of products from promising startups. The online buyers are mainly from Delhi and other parts of North India," he said.
He sources coconuts from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Though such products are available in coconut growing countries of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, the tender coconut water from South India is sweeter and more nutritious in comparison. "This is evident from the response we get from the Gulf and other overseas countries where we have started selling in a small way," he said.
The idea for starting such a company struck founder Antony S Pathadan when he found a board banning coconuts inside the premises of a hospital where tender coconut water was prescribed for recuperating cancer patients after chemotherapy. The engineering graduate abandoned his fledgling IT company and conceived the plan for producing coconut water in powder form after research and discussion with his cousins.
Pathadan says the company has received USFDA approval and will be shortly exporting to the US. "We are looking for venture capital funding for our marketing expenses. We are in discussion with couple of companies," he said
The company NaturUp has come up with an all-natural tender coconut powder mix, which gives tender coconut water when added with water. The convenience of use is the main attraction of the product. The second advantage is that the juice mix is preservative free and hence claims to retain the original taste unlike the bottled tender coconut water that is presently available.
The company, started seven months ago, uses spray drying technology to remove water from tender coconut water to get the powder in its plant at Pondicherry. MD Anthony S Pathadan says it is first of its kind in India. NaturUp currently sells two tonne of powder monthly in Kerala and through online in sachets and bulk packets.
"As a fast growing company, we have been included in Amazon Launchpad that offers online shopping of products from promising startups. The online buyers are mainly from Delhi and other parts of North India," he said.
He sources coconuts from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Though such products are available in coconut growing countries of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, the tender coconut water from South India is sweeter and more nutritious in comparison. "This is evident from the response we get from the Gulf and other overseas countries where we have started selling in a small way," he said.
The idea for starting such a company struck founder Antony S Pathadan when he found a board banning coconuts inside the premises of a hospital where tender coconut water was prescribed for recuperating cancer patients after chemotherapy. The engineering graduate abandoned his fledgling IT company and conceived the plan for producing coconut water in powder form after research and discussion with his cousins.
Pathadan says the company has received USFDA approval and will be shortly exporting to the US. "We are looking for venture capital funding for our marketing expenses. We are in discussion with couple of companies," he said
